Our Amazon expedition began with days of preparation in the sweltering town of Mitú, Colombia. Equipped with a modest dugout canoe and essential supplies, we set off, only to face an immediate disaster when our overloaded canoe capsized in the Rio Negro. This brush with death prompted us to enlist a Brazilian boat captain, but plans took a twist when we found ourselves abandoned in the remote community of Tainá. Surviving on minimal food, including worm-infested fish, we navigated rapids and encountered frequent checks by Brazilian soldiers. Awaiting the aid of a seasoned pastor from São Gabriel, we learned invaluable lessons in resilience and adaptability. Despite the hardships, the true essence of our Amazon adventure was just beginning.

As we ventured into the centre of the river, disaster struck. The canoe, far too small for our load, capsized almost immediately. In those frantic moments, as the river swallowed us, I experienced the closest brush with death I have ever had. Despite my previous life-threatening experiences, both in expeditions and otherwise, this was a matter of mere seconds. On returning to the UK, I have since made it a point to swim at every opportunity, a testament to how profoundly this incident affected me.

Embarking on a six-week expedition through the dense and untamed jungles of Colombia’s Vaupés region into Brazil’s vast Amazonas was a journey that tested my limits, reshaped my perceptions, and immersed me in the vibrant tapestry of local cultures and landscapes. Joined by a journalist for the initial five days, we meticulously documented our adventure, capturing the essence of this extraordinary experience.

That saying ‘can’t wait to get home and have a cuppa’ is no lie.
Be it a freshly brewed cup of tea, catching your favourite tv show or climbing into your own bed, as much as we can’t wait to go away, coming home to our creature comforts is a feeling you truly can not beat.
But for me, there was something else, my comfort was in being able to say ‘I did it. I proved you wrong’

I came out unscathed from the deadfall, although I witnessed it happening only 10 metres away from me, so it was difficult to get any peaceful rest. Also, I took the time to assess the damage and found that skin was torn from my shoulders and hips, and my toenails were ripped out—the exposed nerve endings kept surging me with pain—especially when I was back on the move.
Whilst following the river, I started to feel lost, and no sight of any communities or people as my guide promised — I was not meant to take on this part of the journey alone.

I began to have muscle spasms in my legs to the point it became debilitating, where I had to just take a seat and sit with my anxious thoughts. My chest was also in pain and I believed I might have picked up some disease from the insects.

The guide and I had covered 15 miles of walking on our first day on foot in the Darién Gap. Still, we hoped to have covered more ground that day to reduce as much time spent in this hostile jungle as possible. The longer you stay, the faster you begin to break down, as though the wild slowly digests you.
We were no longer on fresh legs as we had been on day one. Now it all depended on willpower to push through on day two, where we made it into the most remote, mountainous and central region of the jungle between the start and end of this journey.

A dangerous expedition will usually have one key selling point for a daring explorer, whether it’s the natural landscape that provides the challenge, perhaps political turmoil in the area, or deadly wildlife.
Few will have every risky attraction tied to their names, yet The Darién Gap has them all—with a laundry list of challenges you must face passing through this wild, remote region between North and South America.
Drawn to this hostile region was UK explorer Daniel Eggington, who had spent 5-years working towards going on this incredible expedition to cross the Darién Gap by foot. Many would deter Eggington from embarking on this mission, including legendary survivalist Bear Grylls. Still, Eggington was adamant about completing this challenge. He was further driven by the idea of educating people on the infamous region through his first-hand experience.
Still, the question lingers, what makes The Darién Gap so infamously dangerous yet spectacular?

The shared Border of Colombia and Panama the Darien Gap is home to one of the least exploited and most diverse regions in the world. Shareing two oceans to the north and west the pacific and to the east, the Atlantic the area includes two protected parks Panamas Darien National Park in and Los Katios National Park in Colombia. The area is 30 miles wide, from the North Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, and 54 miles in length, when measuring from the city of Yaviza in Panama in a straight line the region is home to varying landforms, from swamplands on the Colombian side to the mountainous rainforests with its tallest peak, Cerro Tacarcuna (standing at 5,535 ft or 1,845 m), on the Panamanian side. With more than 3 million acres of wilderness, the ecosystem found within is one of the most hotly contested, a political and environmental quagmire.
The region has an abundance of rare plants and wildlife. Besides being home to rare wildlife, the region is also populated by diverse groups of people from the indigenous communities, to the armed groups, which won’t go into in this post.

Travelling West up the Amazon River from Manaus to the Tabatinga-Leticia border is a unique way to cross the border whilst absorbing the culture of local Amazonians, and gaining a real respect for the majestic rainforest river.
You won’t find tickets for sale online. To experience this trip, you really need to think and act like a local.
There are only two ships that take the seven-day journey on a (semi-)regular basis, and a smaller boat covers the route in five days by cutting out a few stops on the way.

I've lost track of the number of times I'm asked how and what I eat in those situations. There is an idea that people that explore or spend extended times away from villages towns or even people, like me can rustle up a meal from the wild in any situation. Popular TV channels have reinforced this idea repeatedly over the last decade. However, the truth is that learning how to survive on wild fruit, berries, and bugs is a complex and often dangerous process. Unless you know what you have stumbled across, without any doubt, there is a good chance of poisoning yourself.