Green Light for the Ultimate African Rift Valley Adventure
‘Beyond the Rift Valley’ Expedition
Driven by DUNLOP and supported by ISUZU
Green Light for the Ultimate African Rift Valley Adventure
On September 23rd this year, Peter van Kets and Jacques Marais will set off on a journey into the African Rift Valley as part of their second BEYOND EXPEDITIONS Project. This 13 000km African adventure – driven by DUNLOP and supported by ISUZU – will include a range of exhilarating adrenaline activities, culminating in a human-powered navigation of the Nile-Congo Divide in Rwanda.
“It is better to see something once, than to hear about it a thousand times …” Ancient African Proverb
Following on from their inspirational BEYOND THE DESERT EDGE Expedition – during which they cycled from the Angolan border all the way to Swakopmund in Namibia – adventurer Peter Van Kets and photo-journalist Jacques Marais are once again ready to experience some of the wildest places on the African continent.
Last year, their world-first attempt saw them navigate a swathe of uncharted wilderness stretching from the Cunene River against Angola to the Namibian coastline, as they pedalled by fat-bike and mountain bike via the inhospitable Skeleton Coast, Kaokoland, Damaraland and Dorob National Park regions.
Sponsorship from DUNLOP (SA) and ISUZU (SA) – plus support from a range of respected outdoor brands – made ‘BEYOND THE DESERT EDGE’ an unqualified success. This was the first in a series of ‘BEYOND EXPEDITIONS’ ventures undertaken by Van Kets and Marais; over the next four years, their annual outdoor missions will unfold as they aim to highlight a number of African regions under environmental threat.
This year will see them tackle their BEYOND THE RIFT VALLEY Expedition, an undertaking that has taken nearly 9 months of intensive planning. The first stage of the adventure will see an Advance #BTRV Team – led by Derek Devine – set off on the ‘Cape Town to Kigali’ Leg, a tortuous road journey of approximately 5 400kmto the capital of Rwanda.
Once there, the real expedition starts as the duo and their support team tackle a world-first human-powered navigation along the Rwandan section of the ‘Nile-Congo Divide’. The hard yards kick off with a trekking leg of 80km through Nyungwe National Park, before Van Kets will get onto his mountain bike to pedal via Bigowe to Kinigi over three days.
Karisimbi, Bisoke and Mount Sabyinyo – a clutch of Africa’s loftiest volcanoes – now loom, both literally and figuratively. The ‘Beyond the Rift Valley’ Team will summit these three peaks as they continue following the watershed between the gargantuan Nile and Congo Rivers, documenting a rarely seen ecological zone stretching the full length of Rwanda.
The final four days of the human-powered expedition segment focuses on paddling Lake Kivu, a mythical body of water on the border between Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo. Along the way, the team plans to camp wild as they explore the jungles, marshes and river courses of Rwanda.
‘Beyond the Rift Valley’ will furthermore serve as a real-world test for the latest series of Dunlop AT3G tyres; the trusted Isuzu (SA) off-road vehicles will be fitted with these iconic tyres as they take on the gruelling back roads. In addition, Front Runner (SA) will supply and fit their full range of expedition equipment, while Hi-Tec (SA) will gear the expedition members with a range of technical garments required to cope with the African elements.
The ‘BEYOND THE RIFT VALLEY’ Expedition will be much more than just an environmental adventure, though. Both Marais and Van Kets are official ambassadors to ‘Children in the Wilderness’, and they will consistently work to highlight the plight of the many kids living in areas threatened by human/wildlife conflict.
Documenting and filming the #BTRV adventure will help showcase the great work done to educate these children in Africa’s wildest places. We will in due course explain exactly how the public are able to assist raising funds; in the meantime, visit our BEYONDEXPEDITONS Facebook Page, or check out www.childreninthewilderness.com
CONTACTS:
For more information on #BeyondTheRiftValley and BEYOND EXPEDITIONS, please follow our FACEBOOK Page, ‘BEYOND EXPEDITIONS’, or keep an eye on #SocialMedia Streams via our web sites – www.petervankets.co.za or www.jacquesmarais.co.za
IMAGES:
Images of this event is available from Jacques Marais Media on (083) 444 5369 or TEL (021) 78 22 849, or email jmmedia@jacquesmarais.co.za