I am tremendously excited to announce a new expedition. Descend of South America 2017 is a first ever attempt to sail the entire length of the continent on its spectacular rivers. Recording the connections between the rivers in South America has been foremost on my mind ever since successfully completing the Humboldt expedition in 2003 and I finally feel equipped with the geographical knowledge to carry this out.
Through the course of the expedition, we will travel through seven countries: Venezuela, Columbia, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. Our team will journey 9000 km from the Caribbean Sea to the Delta of the Paraná River in Argentina, Buenos Aires on inflatable boats, and capture as much of the unique natural landscape, flora and fauna as possible. Using both traditional and non-traditional media, i.e. video and image material as well as fact-based narration, we will also focus on the diverse cultural traditions on the banks of these rivers, documenting the impact of climate change and environmental degradation on these areas and the experiences of the communities living there.
The organizing team of the expedition has considerable experience in preparing and implementing projects of a similar magnitude: Andy Leemann, a Swiss boating expert and expedition leader who has travelled the Orinoco, Mekong, Zambezi, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Yukon, and many more rivers, will organise this journey together with his partners. We anticipate the duration of the expedition to be 75 days and are open to splitting this into two 35 day parts or four 17 day parts, depending on the needs of the crew.
Needless to say, for a project of this scale, I would require partnership, financial and technical assistance and a host of good ideas. I am open to any projects which are sustainable in their approach.
* You could join as in any of the following capacities: media, crowd sharing or NGO partner, sponsor or crew member.
A rough outline of the expedition plan is shown below. I sincerely hope that this project will excite you and your organisation as much it thrills me to announce it. Your company’s contribution to this unforgettable journey will be invaluable.
Description of the Expedition
- A little over a third of the forest area we will be exploring in the Amazon, the world’s largest rain forest, has been ravaged by slash-and-burn deforestation and other forms of destruction. This has taken place mainly because the area is immensely rich in natural resources, of which rubber, wood, gold and diamonds are only a few. Unsurprisingly, this has created a violently resource-hungry mentality which now threatens the Amazon’s survival which has affected the biodiversity of plants and animals, and the indigenous tribes that have long populated these areas (the Portuguese colonized Brazil in the 16th century, there were an estimated 6 million indigenous Brazilians. At the time of the 2000 census, this had already dwindled to 734,000.) Furthermore, the release of carbon into the atmosphere when trees are cut down has contributed to global warming, according to climate-change scientists. A crucial part of our expedition, therefore, will entail documenting the consequences of these environmental shifts and their effects on local population.
- On our expedition in 2003, we had followed a route that was discovered by the early 19th century explorer and naturalist Alexander von Humboldt. One of his most famous and important discoveries is the Rio Casiquiare, which connects the two largest rivers in South America, the Amazon and the Orinoco. We aim to expand this discovery by revealing other connections between the rivers of the country, which we will achieve by travelling for 6500km from Manaus to Buenos Aires. To my knowledge, this journey has never been undertaken on boats.
- We will follow theRio Madeira, one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon, and home to the Amazon River Dolphins, following which we will navigate up the Mamoré, a large river in Bolivia and Brazil. After reaching Porto Velho, we will join the Guapore, (a river that rivals the Mamore in length and volume, whose source lies in the Parecis plateau, Mato Grosso, a few miles from streams flowing southward to the Paraguay and Paraná ) The area is home to the Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland, and is the habitat for almost a thousand species of animals, including several types of aquatic birds.
- Vila Bela da Santissima, Mato Grosso, Brazil, will be a halfway point, by which time we will have completed the first 3000 km of the expedition. After transporting our boats 250 km by road to theParaguay river (a major river in south-central South America which runs through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina) we will cruise the next 3000 km downstream, from north to south. The local culture here is fascinating and diverse due to its encounters with various cultures, such as Native Americans, the original settlers, the Africans enslaved originally by the Portuguese, and Europeans. North of Corrientes and Resistencia, we will shift to the Paraná River, which is second in length only to the Amazon.
| · It will be possible to join the expedition for its entire duration or for the various sections, which at the moment we envision being divided into the following parts:
Section 1 Section 4 |
Join us for this once in a lifetime journey , the sense of thrill and adventure will be unforgettable.
Once again, Andy Leeman, former owner of Yacht Center Palma is undertaking a huge challenge with his latest expedition. As can be seen by the poster, this is one BIG trip !!
Places are available for those who have the time and inclination !
Contact Andy Leeman
+34 661 200 006
Descend of South America 2018
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