BEYOND THE RIFT VALLEY
âLe pays des mille collinesâ âŠ.. Ahhhh Rwanda!! The âland of a thousand hillsâ. A jewel in the heart of African When Jacques Marais and I first started contemplating the Beyond Expeditions possibilities the thought of doing something exciting (it can only be exciting) in Central Africa was without doubt tantalizing and hit the top of the expedition list quickly. Just contemplating the distances, the complex geography, the locals, the wars, the poverty, the lawlessness all mixed in with beautiful people, exquisite vistas, rugged mountains, Avatar like forests, ancient volcanoes, ice, snow and searing heat, the mountain gorillas, the chimps and massive rift lakes was just overwhelming. Could anything ever be more exciting? It was, after all, going to be an expedition worthy of the Victorian eraâs writer, Sir H. Rider Haggards book King Solomons Mines which tells of an exploration of an uncharted region of Africa by a group of adventurers led by Allan Quatermain. It is the first ever English adventure novel set in Africa. I remember reading it as a child and being totally enthralled in the adventure of it all. Now we were setting up our plans to do the same 250 years later. This would be called Beyond the Rift Valley Expedition.
The expedition into central Africa will be permanently etched into my memory. An incredible adventure.
You can read more about this in my next book âHow much do you want itânor go to the Peter Van Kets Youtube Channel to watch the 6 episode series about the expedition.


EXPEDITION INFORMATION:
This expedition was the second in a series of five Beyond Expeditions with Jacques Marais. The idea was to drive from Cape Town to Rwanda to trek, mountain bike and kayak the length of the Great Nile Congo Divide. This range separates the Nile and Congo Rivers.
- Support Distance travvelled
14880km
- Temperature
-1° - 35°C
- Crew Transport
2 x Isuzu DBL Cab X-Raiders
- ...
Dunlop AT3G tyres
- Mountain Bike
Giant Anthem 29er 2
- Kayaks
Vagabond Kayaks
- Countries
Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Namibia and Rwanda
PARTICIPANTS:
- Peter Van Kets
- Jacques Marais
Photographer
- Pete Kirk
Videographer
- Albertus Louw
Videographer
- Dudley Wessels
Logistics
- Igor Potgieter
Logistics
- Derek Divine
Chief of logistics
SUPPORT:
SPONSORS:
- Dunlop Tyres
South Africa
- Isuzu
South Africa
- FrontRunner
South Africa
- Hi-Tec
âLe pays des mille collinesâ âŠ.. Ahhhh Rwanda!! The âland of a thousand hillsâ. A jewel in the heart of Africa.â
