**Shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Award (Wanderlust Adventure Travel Book of the Year)**
In 2013, three friends set off on a journey that they had been told was impossible: the north-south crossing of the Congo River Basin, from Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Juba, in South Sudan. Traversing two and a half thousand miles of the toughest terrain on the planet in a twenty-five year old Land Rover, they faced repeated challenges, from kleptocracy and fire ants to non-existent roads and intense suspicion from local people.
Through imagination and teamwork including building rafts and bridges to cross rivers, conducting makeshift surgery in the jungle and playing tribal politics they got through. But the Congo is raw, and the journey took an unexpected psychological toll on them all. Crossing the Congo is a story of friendship, what it takes to complete a great journey against tremendous odds, and an intimate look into one of the world's least-developed and most fragile states.
About the Authors
Mike Martin is a former British Army officer who has worked in Afghanistan, Somalia and Myanmar. His previous books include An Intimate War: An Oral History of the Helmand Conflict , and he holds a PhD in war studies from King's College London.
Chloe Baker is an anaesthetist working in critical care and emergency medicine. She has previously published research conducted in Tanzania, Sierra Leone and Togo, and recently received the Ebola Medal for Service in West Africa.Charlie Hatch-Barnwell is a photojournalist. He was UN Winner of the prestigious 2014 Moscow Photo Awards (Portrait Category) and has been shortlisted twice for the Travel Photographer of the Year Award.
Industry Reviews
'A remarkable story of psychological and physical endurance, and a compelling account of what pushes people to embark on impossible journeys against the greatest odds.' * Ranulph Fiennes *
'The narrative moves along easily from nervous excitement at the beginning of each day to exhausted relief at the end. Moments of suspense, surprise, joy, anger and danger keep the daily round interesting ... If you would like to know what is involved in crossing the vastness at the heart of the African continent with a couple of enterprising friends ... you will find it here in all its mud-splattered glory.' * Wall Street Journal *
'For all the bloodshed, emotional upheavals and catastrophic breakdowns, their account is also punctuated with heart-warming tales of the kindness, hospitality and generosity shown by village communities with little to share.' * The Telegraph *
'Their success, as it unfolds in this lively narrative, reflects a unique combination of skills -- an Army veteran of Afghanistan to deal with logistics, a doctor to look after medical issues and a photojournalist to set it down for the record in a splendid set of illustrations.' * Geographical Magazine *
'Crossing the Congo gives you a deeply, brutally honest view of what it is like to complete a great journey. At times they were lucky to survive.' * Robin Hanbury-Tenison, OBE, DL, Dsc, Dhc, MA, FLS, FRGS. President, Survival International *
'A story of human endurance . . . [and] a searing condemnation of the corruption that is endemic in the Congo'.
