, 
, 
, 
, 
MISSION
“The first continent-wide ‘conservation, culture and community’ Defender Expedition to connect and explore 22 of Africa’s most unique and critical ecosystems, which span 20 million hectares under Protected Area status in 12 countries across Africa, and document stories of hope for Africa’s wild spaces and the communities that depend on them.”
Over the past 30 years of adventures across the continent, we’ve witnessed the frightening loss of Africa’s pristine landscapes and iconic wildlife. For many years we’ve been asking the question: is there hope for Africa’s wild spaces and unique fauna and flora, as well as for the communities that depend on them?
That’s what spawned the idea for this expedition. And so, in a unique collaboration with African Parks and their government partners, ‘AFRIKA ODYSSEY’ – the 41st Kingsley Holgate geographic and humanitarian expedition – was dedicated to showcasing 22 critical landscapes in 12 countries, equalling 20-million hectares under Protected Area status.
This continent-wide journey was also the first, real-life expedition test on African soil for Land Rover’s new Defender 130.
Expertly kitted by our loyal friends at 4×4 Megaworld and FrontRunner, and shod once again with tough Cooper Tires, the two new long-wheel-base expedition Defender 130s traversed 62,000 kilometres over some of the most brutal terrain and off-road routes on the African continent.
Starting in the Iona desert plains of Angola, the expedition crossed seven southern African countries; reached the highest and furthest source of the Nile River in the Nyungwe forests of Rwanda; tackled dense Equatorial rain forests in the eastern DRC and Republic of Congo and war-ravaged regions in South Sudan and the Central African Republic; before traversing the length of Cameroon to reach Chad and the Ennedi Massif in the Sahara Desert; then navigated through volatile areas of Nigeria to the north of Benin in West Africa, which is on the frontline of jihadist insurgency spilling over from Burkina Faso and Niger.
“This expedition will be remembered for the harsh conditions and near-impossible logistics. From record flooding in East Africa and the DRC that tested the expedition Defender 130s’ wading depth to the absolute limit as dirt tracks became rivers, to the pothole-infested, treacherous roads to Juba in South Sudan that are prone to banditry and land mines. Blinded by torrential rains, the on-board 3D camera technology was a huge help as remote Congo rainforest tracks turned into treacherous mud pits and ancient wooden bridges creaked and snapped as we inched across. Throw into the mix the world’s largest desert – the Sahara; now that’s a test for man and machine as temperatures soared well above 50C for weeks on end as we navigated soft sand dunes and rock–filled defiles. We were amazed at how the heavily-loaded Defenders just kept on going, despite the gruelling terrain and extreme conditions.”
Ross Holgate, expedition leader.
The good news is we witnessed first-hand, the incredible work being done across Africa to protect and restore vast tracts of wilderness, and stop wildlife poaching, illegal logging and mining. We’ve heard gut-wrenching, personal stories of loss from rangers on the front line, alongside uplifting stories of hope that demonstrate the revival happening thanks to proactive governments, and the positive impact this is having on both conservation and communities.
HUMANITARIAN ACHIEVEMENTS
A key objective of all our journeys is to use these Defender adventures to improve and save lives. Working with the African Parks community teams gave us valuable insight into the most vulnerable people living in deeply remote villages alongside each of the 22 protected areas. However, sometimes it felt like we were risking our lives to save lives, as every member of the expedition team also contracted malaria, along with other medical emergencies.
MALARIA PREVENTION
47,650 pregnant women, mothers and young children protected from malaria in remote, high-risk communities through the provision of malaria prevention education and 15,880 long lasting insecticide-treated PermaNets provided by Vestergraard.
MASHOZI’S RITE TO SIGHT
2,250 eye tests and reading glasses provided to poor-sighted, mostly elderly people.
CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
10,000 children participated in the expedition’s Wildlife Art campaign, along with vibrant, educational soccer/netball matches and environmental activities.
20 Early Childhood Development Centres (pre-schools) situated in communities bordering wildlife areas in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) continued to receive ongoing support in the form of teaching materials, sports resources and facility upgrades.
CARBON OFFSET
The carbon footprint of the Afrika Odyssey expedition Defender 130s was mitigated by 6,000 indigenous trees planted by KHF in 2022 as part of the ‘Hot Cape – Cold Cape’ Defender Transcontinental Expedition. It is now an important incubation area for the wider Albany Biodiversity Corridor initiative in the Eastern Cape.
STORIES OF HOPE
In partnership with Africa Geographic, authentic and powerful stories of hope from all 22 wildlife regions have been published, as told to us by park rangers, local leaders and community beneficiaries. These have become an enduring archive of positive, grassroots narratives in support of conservation across Africa. Read them here: https://africageographic.com/afrika-odyssey-expedition/ or download the stories from the Media link at the top of this page.
IRISH DADS & LADS
The value of a father and son being able to adventure together is priceless, no matter how young or old. So imagine our pleasure when a team of 16 dads and lads, led by our Dublin-based good friend and malaria prevention partner David Kyne, joined the expedition’s 3rd chapter in Namibia en route to the remaining seven geographic objectives in the Republic of Congo, Chad, Benin and Central African Republic.
It was their first experience of Africa. What great camaraderie around the evening campfires, sleeping under the stars in the Namib-Naukluft, paddling with Cape Fur seals off Pelican Point, digging 4x4s out of soft sand, conducting Wildlife Art educational programmes and soccer games at schools, walking with wildlife and gaining an understanding of this beautiful continent, as well as deepening their father-son bonds. Together, we also distributed life-saving mosquito nets to pregnant women and mums with young children, and Rite to Sight spectacles to elderly, poor-sighted Himba people in northern Namibia.
A big Thanks (‘Go raibh maith agat’ in Gaelic) to the Irish Lads and Dads for the fond memories, their valuable fundraising efforts and for adding further impetus to the Afrika Odyssey Expedition.
AFRICAN SYMBOLISM
No expedition would be the same without a healthy dose of African symbolism. Our well-travelled beaded calabash again collected symbolic water from all 22 geographic locations, and we carried a 250-page ‘Scroll of Hope for Conservation’ specially handcrafted by Melvill and Moon to all of the African Parks-managed protected areas.
This enormous book now contains thousands of inspiring messages handwritten by community members, park rangers, health workers, teachers and government envoys across Africa. It has been given to African Parks as a unique legacy of the Afrika Odyssey expedition.
When we started out on this mission to find stories of hope for Africa’s wildlife, wild spaces and the communities that depend on them, to be honest we weren’t sure what to expect, or if we’d find anything to celebrate. We found plenty!
Despite the incredibly tough conditions, we feel very privileged to have journeyed to parts of the continent never experienced before, and to have met thousands of extraordinary individuals all committed to preserving what makes Africa so unique and special for future generations.
Congratulations and Thank You to our friends at JLR South Africa and all the African Parks staff, government representatives and communities who welcomed us so warmly.
To read and listen more, see the Media & News links at the top of this page.
EXPEDITION PARTNERS
Defender
African Parks
4×4 Megaworld
FrontRunner
Cooper Tires
Melvill and Moon
Nando’s
Goodbye Malaria
Vestergaard
Africa Geographic
Versfeld & Associates
Market IQ
AHA/Lesedi Cultural Village
David Kyne and the Irish Dads & Lads
Ian Signs
Mike and Fiona Nixon
New Property Ventures and the Jerry Can Club
Ian Gourley/P21
Brad Hansen Safaris
Patron: Ken D Wilcox
