Using adventure to improve and save lives – that is the key concept of the Kingsley Holgate Foundation, founded by one of Africa’s most colourful modern day explorers. Kingsley Holgate is a humanitarian adventurer, author, TV personality, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Land Rover Ambassador, speaker at the New York Explorers Club and a legend that Getaway Magazine calls ‘the most travelled man in Africa’.

On every expedition – many of them world-firsts – the Kingsley Holgate Foundation team actively work to prevent malaria amongst pregnant women and mothers with young children who are the most vulnerable, provide the gift of sight to poor-sighted, mostly elderly people in remote regions, reduce the spread of water-borne diseases and provide potable water to drought-stricken communities, upgrade impoverished Early Childhood Development centres and proactively support wildlife conservation efforts, especially of critically endangered species such as elephant and rhino.

Having explored all 54 countries on the African continent during 40 expeditions, no other team of modern-day explorers have achieved so much in using the energy of adventure to make such a positive difference to the lives of so many.

They are also the only expedition team in history to have followed the Tropic of Capricorn around the world by Land Rover, tracked the entire outline of Africa through 33 countries, discovered the geographic centre-point of the continent deep in the Congo rainforests, and reached all 7 of Africa’s extreme geographic points.

AFRIKA ODYSSEY EXPEDITION

It took a year and over 60,000 kilometres of brutal terrain and extreme conditions to complete the Afrika Odyssey Expedition – the 41st humanitarian and geographic journey for Kingsley, Ross and the team.

This was first continent-wide ‘conservation, culture and community’ Defender Expedition to connect and explore 22 of Africa’s most unique and critical ecosystems managed by African Parks in partnership with 12 national governments, which span 20 million hectares under Protected Area status.

Utilising two new long-wheel-base Defender 130s, the Afrika Odyssey Expedition traversed a total of 22 countries to reach all  geographic locations in some of the remotest regions on the continent. Along the way, we were able to provide humanitarian and educational support to close on 100,000 people living in communities alongside each of the wildlife regions.

From start to finish, Afrika Odyssey was packed with adventure and revealed the inspiring revival of 22 vital natural landscapes. It also documented heartwarming stories of hope for Africa’s wild spaces and the communities that depend on them.

Africa Geographic
dedicated 20 fabulous photo-articles and Kingsley took the plunge into podcasting with Overland Journal during this expedition. You can access them – and more – under the Media menu at the top of the page.

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700,000

children in rural communities bordering Africa’s wildlife areas.

3,3 Mil

pregnant women and mothers with young children protected.

63 Mil

litres of clean drinking water to reduce water-borne diseases.

221,500

reading glasses distributed to elderly & poor-sighted people.

2,1 Mil

nutritional meals for  children & mothers and other ECD support.

All our geographic and humanitarian expeditions are Carbon Neutral, with CO² emissions offset through the planting of thousands of indigenous trees.