Canoeing The Congo

First Source to Sea Descent of the Congo River

By: Phil Harwood

Narrated by: Gareth Armstrong

Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Canoeing the Congo narrates the journey of Phil Harwood, who undertook an epic five-month solo attempt to canoe the Congo River in war-torn Central Africa. It was a historic first descent from the true source in the highlands of Zambia. Just short of 3,000 miles long, the Congo River is the eighth longest in the world and the deepest river in the world, with a flow rate second only to the Amazon. Along the way, Phil encountered numerous waterfalls, huge rapids, man-eating crocodiles, hippos, aggressive snakes and spiders' webs the size of houses. He faced endemic corruption, was arrested, intimidated, bullied, chased and he received numerous death threats. He also collapsed from malaria.

The people were mostly friendly, however, and Phil received tremendous hospitality from a proud and brave people, especially from the riverside fishermen who helped him wherever they could. On one stretch of river known as The Abattoir due to its past history of cannibalism and current reputation for criminal activity, he hired four brothers with a shotgun to accompany him as bodyguards. They paddled and floated for five days and nights on the river. Common questions from locals were, ‘why haven't you cut his throat yet?’ and ‘if you don't want to do it, tell us where your camping and we'll come and do it for you ...We'll share his money.’ It was an exhilarating, terrifying and wonderful journey but Phil managed to survive, despite the odds, to tell his story.

Canoeing the Congo will appeal to fans of adventurous travel writing and people who love the nature and wilderness. Phil, who is a fan of adventure stories himself, enjoys the work of Ranulph Fiennes and Bill Bryson. Phil has worked all over the world as an ex-Royal Marine Commando, ski-guide, expedition leader, outdoor instructor and development trainer. He is qualified as mountain leader, a level 4 canoe coach, a level 3 kayak coach, a rock climbing instructor, a wilderness emergency medical technician and a first aid instructor. Phil's passions are adventure and challenge, in particular canoeing remote wilderness rivers - the more wild the better!

©2013 Phil Harwood (P)2013 Audible Ltd

Critic reviews

"An exhilarating account of former Royal Marine Commando Phil Harwood's epic solo journey from the Congo's source in Zambia through war-torn Central Africa." ( ABTA Magazine)

"Harwood's epic tale of his solo journey from the Congo's source in Zambia through war-torn Central Africa." ( National Geographic Traveller)

Worth your time

If you like adventure stories, you will enjoy this audiobook. Reminded me of River of Doubt. But modern day and just as dangerous, if not more.

Interesting but not exciting

Very repetitive story. Felt like hearing him describe the same day 300 times. I guess it is to be expected considering its a trip down a river but still not much excitement there. Description of Congo was quite interesting and makes you think twice about our Western way of life.

This was a beautifully illustrated!

An amazingly well orated telling of an adventure along the magnificent yet perilous Congo river. Phill Hardwood's journey takes place in modern times, yet the danger and adventure encountered on his trip is reminiscent of the tales of 1800s explorers of the Congo before him such as Livingstone and Stanley. He not only pays hommage to them in action, by trekking through the same waters they did, but also in literature by properly journaling his experiences with scenic detail. Real explorers not only tell their own stories, but also the stories of the people amongst which they find themsleves; and boy does Phill tell the story of the Congolese. Their history and their struggles, he knows all too well. As you listen to "Canoeing the Congo", you are not only joining Phill on his trip down the river, but also down Congo's dark past. You reach the end of the journey just as he does...with a better understanding of Congo's present.

Something best left to the confines of a book

Phil is an ex military elite from England and his stories of handling the customs officers with their Blackberries and white shirts are really amazing. We get to hear about all the intimidation that goes on in DRC. He buys into none of it, and always makes the immigration guys shake his hand and make eye contact with him before he gives in to their requests.

The more interesting part of the story is his interaction with the native fishermen, who are very poor and lead very austere lives, but know their way through the jungle quite well. Phil speaks French, Swahili and practices other languages along the way while he plies his canoe up to 12 hours a day.

In some ways it reminded me of Kira Salak's book where she kayaks 600 miles through Mali to the city of Timbuktu. She is treated well in some places and with great hostility in other places.

Both adventurers are fantastic athletes, and both are a bit crazy in my opinion, to put themselves in knowingly dangerous parts of the world. It must be part of their psyche to tempt fate and test their abilities beyond what most of us would consider reasonable.

This man's five month journey from Zambia to the Atlantic Ocean is a harrowing tale where we are treated to his deepest thoughts during stressful situations.

Corruption, Canoes, and Crocodiles. OH MY!

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes. It was a good listen that provided an inside look at a part of the world that I will most likely never see.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I would have liked to see a bit more vivid imagery. I thought the book was good, but thought he could have done more to bring the setting to life.

What does Gareth Armstrong bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He did an excellent job narrating the story and brought his own unique voice. His voice was easy to listen to and not at all dull.

Do you think Canoeing The Congo needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, it seems to sum up his adventure pretty well. Although, I would be interested in listening to more of his adventures in other parts of the world.

Any additional comments?

I loved how the author infused humor into his writing. I laughed out loud a few times. This is definitely a unique storyline and an interesting read if you like adventure travel.

Adventure travel is human harassment

Very good book. Phil Harwood comes across as a reasonable and friendly badass. He's ready with a smile and a handshake, but he's not going to be pushed around. There's not a lot of nature encounters in the book: it is mostly a tale of alternating harassment from venal officials and kindness from fishermen and their families. But Harwood does a good job capturing the feel of the river--while convincing you that no matter how cool this trip sounds, you don't really want to do it.

This guy had quite the adventure

Wow, Phil had quite the adventure to canoe the whole congo. He covered a wide array of facts about the people and places visited along way with a large number in great detail. The story could have been improved if helped to convey what it felt like to be on the trip by giving more details or time to some of the specific encounter types that were had several times through the adventure.

Took a while to get through it

I don't want to denigrate the author's adventure, as he accomplished a miracle in coming out of this trip unscathed. Moreover, I never cease to admire that he was friendly and generous to those who were nice to him, and stood up to bullies trying to shake him down; at one point in the Congo, when an immigration official was holding his passport for ransom demanding a large sum of money, the author came up with a brilliant solution.

However, I found that reading the book straight through left me exhausted long before the trip ended. For readers who are considering tackling this title, I would very strongly urge pausing the book roughly halfway through (Zambia vs. Congo). Audio narrator does a terrific job presenting the author as a likable guy, probably more so than from reading a print copy.

fantastic Adventure

a very interesting story from start to finish always on the edge of my seat

Mind opening and open eyes. Fantastic Read.

I am greatful to have stumbled across this book.
It truly felt as if I had traveled along with the author.

I will be looking up the video the author took.