For most people, the dense forests of Central Africa would be a place to avoid.
For British-Welsh adventurer Ash Dykes, they are the setting for the first and potentially most dangerous mission of a year-long challenge that will push him into one of the world’s most remote wildernesses.
Dykes has embarked on a more than 700km journey along the Sangha River, travelling by inflatable kayak from Nola in the Central African Republic (CAR) to Mossaka in the Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the Sangha meets the Congo River.
The expedition forms the first mission of his ambitious Project 6, a series of six extreme expeditions in six environments over 12 months.
The expedition is expected to take about three to four weeks, meaning Dykes is likely to reach Mossaka in late October or early November 2026, depending on conditions along the route.
But getting to the starting line was an adventure in itself.
Dykes and his team first travelled to Cameroon before discovering that essential luggage containing equipment, including pumps for the inflatable kayak as well as tents, food and water, had gone missing.
The team later recovered the luggage, only to encounter visa problems that prevented them from entering the CAR as originally planned.
They eventually reached Nola, the official starting point of the expedition, after a difficult overland journey involving bad weather, roadblocks and fallen trees.
Into the heart of the Congo Basin
The Congo Basin is far more than a single forest or a single country.
It is a vast geographical region centred around the Congo River system and its tributaries. Its forests span Cameroon, the CAR, the DRC, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
The region contains the second-largest tropical rainforest on Earth after the Amazon, covering roughly 500 million acres.
It is also one of the planet’s great centres of biodiversity, supporting gorillas, chimpanzees, forest elephants, buffalo and hundreds of other mammal species, alongside thousands of birds, fish and plant species. The forest also plays an important role in storing carbon and regulating the climate.
For Dykes, however, this extraordinary environment is not simply a backdrop.
It is the terrain he must survive.
Crocodiles, hippos and elephants
Dykes will paddle for hundreds of kilometres through a landscape where there may be no easy escape if something goes wrong.
The Sangha region is home to Nile crocodiles, hippos, forest elephants, western lowland gorillas and chimpanzees, among other wildlife. UNESCO describes the Sangha Trinational, where the CAR, Cameroon and the DRC meet, as a largely undisturbed tropical forest ecosystem with exceptional biodiversity.
The water itself can be dangerous.
A large part of the route will be undertaken by inflatable kayak, with Dykes saying the vessel can be deflated and carried around particularly dangerous sections, such as areas where hippos are encountered.
And while dramatic encounters with wildlife may capture the imagination, Dykes has acknowledged that the animals are not necessarily his biggest concern.
Malaria, infections, extreme heat and humidity, contaminated water and the enormous distance from proper medical assistance are among the risks he is preparing for.
Days away from help
The remoteness of the expedition is perhaps its most frightening element.
A medical emergency in a major city can mean an ambulance is minutes away. Deep inside the Congo Basin, that can be a very different reality.
Dykes has prepared with medical supplies, satellite communications, food and emergency evacuation arrangements, while travelling with a small team that includes a local guide and videographer.
He also plans to spend time learning from the BaAka people, whose generations of experience living in the rainforest provide knowledge that could prove crucial during the journey.
The explorer, who has five Guinness World Records to his name, has described the Congo as one of the most hostile environments he has attempted to explore.
For all its dangers, the expedition is also intended to shine a light on a part of the world rarely seen beyond its borders.
Dykes says Project 6 is about exploration, human endurance and documenting the people, wildlife and environments he encounters. His first mission will carry him from the forests around Nola, down the Sangha and towards Mossaka.
By the time he reaches the Congo River, hundreds of kilometres of paddling, jungle nights, wildlife encounters and physical hardship will stand between him and the end of Mission 01.
And there are still five more extreme environments waiting for him.
IOL
