I am tremendously excited to announce a new expedition. Ascend of South America 2018 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 the End of the World Expedition in 2016 and I finally feel equipped with the geographical knowledge to carry this out. Through the course of the expedition, we will travel through four countries: Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil. Our team will journey 6500 km from the Delta of the Paraná River in Buenos Aires, Argentina to Manaus the heart of the Amazon river in 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 organizational 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 done expeditions of 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 68 days and are open to splitting this into two 34 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 in on any of the following capacities: media, crowd sharing, NGO partner, sponsor or a crew member.
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.
Love to get your opinion. Andy
