Follow world-renowned explorer Ed Stafford on the expedition that made his name: walking the entire length of the Amazon River, on foot. People thought that it was impossible, that he would die trying; and they were nearly right. He was attacked by a tribe of angry machete wielding indigenous Indians, he faced Narco drug traffickers and giant anacondas. But gradually, step by step, over the course of two and half years, through some of the toughest and deadliest terrain on the planet, he proved them all wrong. Ed crossed the entire continent from the Peruvian Andes, and the furthest known source of the Amazon, to Brazil, where the river flows into the Atlantic Ocean, more than 4,000-miles away. He is the first person in history to do it, and holds a Guinness World Record for the achievement. This is one of the boldest expeditions ever attempted, and one of the greatest adventure tales ever told. Are you ready to head into the jungle? Let’s go. 

Highlights include:
·      Hear how Ed survived being surrounded by an angry tribe of indigenous Indians intent on hacking him to pieces
·      Find out how he crossed the infamous Red Zone, a lawless area of the jungle controlled by drug-traffickers
·      Climb with him to the 18,000-foot summit of Nevado Mismi, in the Peruvian Andes, the furthest known source of the Amazon 
·      Meet the Ashaninka Indians, the largest indigenous tribe in the Amazon Basin, and hear how Ed ended up befriending two tribal chiefs and walking with them for more than 6 weeks. 
·      Discover what it takes to complete such a long and grueling expedition – 860 days walking through some of the toughest jungle terrain on the planet
·      Hear his personal story of transformation. How he began the journey as a ‘volatile young man’ wanting to prove how tough he was, but how the jungle humbled him, and made him connect with a deeper, and more authentic of himself.
·      See this amazing forest through new eyes. The Amazon is nearly 20 times the size of Great Britain, home to some 400 billion trees, and 10% of the world’s species. For Ed, it began as a dangerous place, something to be conquered, but it ended up becoming home, a place to be marveled at, and protected
·      Hear what adventure means to Ed, how it is the ‘crucible in which you find yourself’, and how you too can use adventure and exploration to connect more deeply with who you really are

Also, find out about Ed’s new series – Ed Stafford: First Man Out – which launches its second series on September 24th on the Discovery Channel in the UK. Available in America and elsewhere too  https://www.discoveryuk.com 

Find out about Ed's new bushcraft academy at: www.bushcraft.academy

For more background information on this episode, photos, links to his books and shows, and more, please visit https://www.armchair-explorer.com/post/walking-the-amazon-with-explorer-ed-stafford 

Thank you to Juggernaut Wines for sponsoring this episode. Head over to www.buyjuggernautwine.com and type in the code armchair20 to get a 20% discount on your next order

The Armchair Explorer: the world's greatest adventurers tell their best story from the road. Each episode is cut documentary style with music and cinematic effects to create an immersive storytelling experience. http://www.armchair-explorer.com

Host/Producer Aaron Millar is an award-winning travel writer (Nat Geo, The Times etc.) Instagram/Twitter @AaronMWriter / Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast.