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Adventures with Kingsley Holgate (14)

Adventures with Kingsley Holgate (14)

Date: 2016-07-01
Our hardy Land Rover adventurers are still on their yearlong journey to follow the entire Great African Rift Valley, and with Kingsley on the MV Liemba, it's story best told by erxpedition members Ross Holgate and Mike Nixon

'Absolute impossible by vehicle', and then we found Tori, the missionary, who scribbles on our map and with Mike leading along a goat track on his mountain bike, we boulder-hopped and rock-crawled the Landies from village to village. Countless river crossings, a pontoon over the Malagarasi River - all in an effort to follow the Eastern shoreline of Lake Tanganyika, destination Mahale Mountains. So remote and seldom visited, that sometimes the villagers would run for their lives at the site of us. But then curiosity got the better of them and soon UAM and Rite to Sight work got into gear. No news from Kingsley who is still on the Liemba Ferry bound for Mpulungu at the very South of the lake.

The geographic challenges of following the Great Rift Valley are endless. We leave Landies at a fishing village on the eastern shoreline of Lake Tanganyika. We are on a mission to photograph some of the last remaining wild chimpanzees in Africa. In the distance is the 2462m high Nkungwe Mountain. Ross and Congolese expedition member "Hope Rhomulus" negotiate with the chief for a boat. We throw bedrolls tents and supplies into the wooden craft, handmade from forest planks with lots of holes but too late to turn back! The waves pick up and water from Africa's deepest and longest Lake gushes in, then the motor conks out. It's getting dark and it's a bloody nightmare! We drift onto a deserted beach. The tough-as-nails skipper lifts the broken motor onto his shoulders and bounds down the beach into the darkness.

A sweaty smile appears and the new motor glints in the moonlight. We're on our way! The wind has died and we ply the shoreline looking up for the silhouette of the Mahale Mountains Park. We arrive at the park office to be informed by the warden that if we want to have any chance of seeing the chimps, we must take another boat further down the shoreline. Negotiations are concluded and we set off again into the night. At a deserted beach we land the boat and start the campfire. A park ranger appears at first light to lead our group through the pristine Mahale forest. After a few hours we hear the tell-tale crashing and chatter of the Pan troglodytes (chimps). A group of more than 50 males, mothers and babies entertain us for over an hour at touching distance. They get restless and it's time to leave. A boat with a working engine awaits! Still no news from Kingsley on the MV Liemba. To remain true to the Rift Valley Expedition he must reach the Zambian port of Mpulungu at the southernmost point of Lake Tanganyika - Will keep you posted.