Why this guy is kayaking down the Congo Basin as TikTok freaks out
If you’re here, that means you’ve gone down the TikTok rabbit hole where everyone’s totally freaking out about a guy called Ash Dykes who’s going to kayak down the Congo Basin. Loads of short little clips have gone viral this week, but who actually is he? And why is he taking on the treacherous challenge? Here’s the full story.
@ash_dykes Counting down the days now!! 25 days to go until I drop into the Congo basin to kayak 400+ miles down the Sangha river… All the support has been crazy, appreciate you all!💙
Right, so who actually is Ash Dykes?
Ash Dykes is a pretty well known Welsh explorer and extreme athlete who’s taken on all kinds of wild challenges over the years and holds some impressive world records.
The 35-year-old from Wales famously trekked solo and unsupported across Mongolia in 2014 aged 23, hiked the full length of Madagascar and was the first person to walk the full Yangtze River, the third longest river in the world.
Dykes already has 600k followers on Instagram and 490k on TikTok, where he posts about his record-breaking stunts, but lots of people are only just finding out about him now thanks to his latest challenge.
@ash_dykes Less than a month until I am dropping into the Congo basin to take on a 400+ mile journey down the Sangha river #project6 #congo
Why on earth is he kayaking down the Congo Basin?
The adventurer recently unveiled a new challenge called Project 6, where he is going to take on six different expeditions across the world over the next 12 months, which will all be in very different environments.
His first one is kayaking a whopping 700 kilometres down the Sangha River, a smaller river that flows into the Congo Basin. And he’s doing it completely alone. The Congo Basin is the giant drainage area of the Congo River and is home to the world’s second-largest tropical forest after the Amazon.
Dykes is due to start kayaking, on an inflatable kayak, by the way, on 8th October. Right now, he’s preparing for the massive challenge and living with an indigenous community called the BaAka people to learn the key navigation and survival skills he needs in the Congo rainforest.
So, why on earth is he doing all this? No reason, really. Just because he’s an adventurer and he wants to break yet another world record. That’s literally it. Crazy if you ask me.
@ash_dykes 26 days until I’m dropped into the Congo basin….. here’s how training to stay ready mentally and physically 🫡 #congo #project6 #ashdykes
Is it really as dangerous as everyone’s saying?!
The mission starts in Nola in the Central African Republic and finishes in Mossaka in the Republic of Congo, and Dykes has been letting everyone in on all the dangers he could encounter, including malaria, contaminated water, extreme heat, crocodiles and hippos.
He’s been hyping the whole thing up on TikTok, sharing videos counting down the days until the mission starts with scary music in the background. Hence why everyone’s freaking out.
But yes, it really is as dangerous as everyone’s saying. First, you have the risk of life-threatening illness from malaria, infections and dirty water. Then you have the river itself, which has a strong current that could easily capsize the kayak. It will also be very difficult to paddle, which could lead to exhaustion.
Then you have the animals. The Sangha River is home to three species of crocodile: the Nile crocodile, African Long-snouted crocodile and dwarf crocodile. Plus, it’s full of hippos, which are extremely dangerous and absolutely nothing like Gloria in Madagascar. In fact, they are considered the world’s deadliest large land mammal and kill 500 people in Africa each year.
As well as that, you have snakes, deadly insects and extremely hot weather. It’s around 31°C on average in October in the Congo, but it’s also the start of the wet and humid season, with relentless humidity that’s unbearable for long periods of time. Plus, if he does get injured, the rainforest is extremely remote, and he’ll be miles away from the nearest civilisation to get help.
Even the indigenous people he comes across could be dangerous and armed. So, yes. The whole thing is one big death trap. Terrifying.
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