Walking the Nile

by Levison Wood

Overview

The explorer and author of Walking the Americas and Walking the Himalayas delivers “a bold travelogue, illuminating great swathes of modern Africa” (Kirkus Reviews).


Starting in November 2013 in a forest in Rwanda—where a modest spring spouts a trickle of clear, cold water—writer, photographer, and explorer Levison Wood set forth on foot, aiming to become the first person to walk the entire length of the fabled river. He followed the Nile for nine months, over 4,000 miles, through six nations—Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, the Republic of Sudan, and Egypt—to the Mediterranean coast.

Like his predecessors, Wood camped in the wild, foraged for food, and trudged through rainforest, swamp, savannah, and desert, enduring life-threatening conditions at every turn. He traversed sandstorms, flash floods, minefields, and more, becoming a local celebrity in Uganda, where a popular rap song was written about him, and a potential enemy of the state in South Sudan, where he found himself caught in a civil war and detained by the secret police. As well as recounting his triumphs, like escaping a charging hippo and staving off wild crocodiles, Wood’s gripping account recalls the loss of Matthew Power, a journalist who died suddenly from heat exhaustion during their trek. As Wood walks on, often joined by local guides who help him to navigate foreign languages and customs, Walking the Nile maps out African history and contemporary life.

“Woods emerges as a dutiful and brave guide.”—Los Angeles Times

“Many have attempted this holy grail of an expedition—so I admire Lev’s determination and courage to pull this off.”—Bear Grylls

“A brilliant book.”—Financial Times

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802190680
Publisher:	Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Publication date:	02/26/2020
Series:	Books That Changed the World
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Levison Wood is a writer, photographer, and explorer, who has travelled in over 80 countries, documenting the journeys of tribal peoples and minority groups. He served in Afghanistan as an officer in the British Army Parachute Regiment and is co-founder of Secret Compass, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and an International Fellow of the Explorers Club. His work has featured in international publications around the world including National Geographic, Discovery Channel Magazine, and on CNN, Channel 4, and the BBC. When not abroad, he lives in London.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Bor, South Sudan 1

Chapter 2 Beginning at the End: The Source of the Nile 5

Chapter 3 Kigali, New History: and Old Terrors 24

Chapter 4 Bandit Country 36

Chapter 5 Africa's Greatest Levellet 50

Chapter 6 The Road to Kampala 61

Chapter 7 Kingdoms of the Lakes 90

Chapter 8 Into the Wild 118

Chapter 9 The Gathering Dark 135

Chapter 10 The Fog of War 156

Chapter 11 The Impenetrable Swamp 183

Chapter 12 A New Beginning 207

Chapter 13 The Great Bend 224

Chapter 14 The Sands of Time 241

Chapter 15 The Land of Gold 265

Chapter 16 The Mother of the World 277

Chapter 17 The Long Road Home 302

Acknowledgments 325

Index 328

Editorial Reviews

12/14/2015
Wood, a British veteran who served in Afghanistan, recounts his ambitious attempt, beginning in November 2013, to walk the entire length of the Nile River: 4,250 miles of water running through five countries. The impetus for the journey was a desire to emulate Western explorers of Africa such as Richard Burton, Henry Stanley, David Livingstone, and John Hanning Speke, whose adventures Wood admired. Wood also sought to meet people and hear their stories. Beginning in Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda, Wood travels through Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt before reaching the Nile Delta and the Mediterranean, following the river through forests, villages, cities, deserts, and—in South Sudan—active war zones and refugee settlements. The narration is unadorned and mostly relays the viewpoints of local guides and porters, who accompany the author through the majority of his trip, and others he meets en route. Wood does provide some history and contextual asides, but he devotes most of his book to sharing the opinions of the people he encounters, which are dynamic and at times surprising. A man in Sudan, for example, laments the end of British rule because of the prosperity that ended with it. These voices, seen through the lens of Wood’s words, make this memoir a success. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Levison Wood and Walking the Nile:

An Amazon Best Book of the Year (Nonfiction)

“Wood’s interest, as well as his talents as a writer, lie . . . in finding out ‘what life was like in corners of the world that do not always make it into our headlines’ and in capturing the character and foibles of the people who inhabit them . . . Mr. Wood has a good eye for detail and a better ear for dialogue . . . What’s more, unlike many explorers who went before him, Mr. Wood seems to have remained composed and charming throughout.”—Wall Street Journal

“Gripping . . . Collecting these stories—let alone doing so beautifully—requires a variety of lucky skills. Wood emerges as a dutiful and brave guide.”—Los Angeles Times

“A brilliant book.”—Financial Times

“Walking the Nile continues the illustrious tradition of travel adventures stretching from Marco Polo to Henry W. Longfellow to Bear Grylls . . . Wood’s remarkable achievement is one each reader can savor vicariously . . . This worthy effort . . . should satisfy even the most jaded armchair adventurers.”—Lincoln Journal Star

“A travelogue vivid enough to feel the burning sands in our soles.”—John Sandford, Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Moments of sheer beauty and splendor are expertly juxtaposed with descriptions of the harshness of life for millions living in Africa, giving this account a depth and humbleness not often found in memoir/adventure writing. Wood has set a standard that will be hard to surpass.”—Shelf Awareness

“Walking the Nile has enticed many explorers, but Wood provides an up-to-the-minute portrait of the nations and people that claim the world’s longest river . . . Wood is a sharp observer and authoritative writer. He takes pains to describe the Rwandan conflict, the Egyptian revolution, the Sudanese civil war, and all the culture clashes in between . . . A bold travelogue, illuminating great swathes of modern Africa.”—Kirkus Reviews

“[An] ambitious attempt . . . the opinions of the people [Wood] encounters . . . are dynamic and at times surprising . . . These voices, seen through the lens of Wood’s words, make this memoir a success.”—Publishers Weekly

“[Wood], in addition to being adventurous, determined, and rugged, is also very reflective . . . A collection of anecdotes that seem to be plucked from a Kipling adventure novel . . . From the terrifying to the exotic, Levison Wood has encountered just about everything imaginable, and then some . . . What comes through just as clearly as botany, geology, hydrology and zoology is the remarkable variety of cultures and people he meets along this unique expedition, presenting for us their lives, their work, their societies, and their history.”—CentralJersey.com

“An immense feat of endurance, a magnificent journey and a great adventure.”—Ranulph Fiennes

“Many have attempted this holy grail of an expedition—so I admire Lev’s determination and courage to pull this off”—Bear Grylls

“Obsession, sacrifice, bravery, death—the themes of great expedition tales haven’t changed since Odysseus set sail. The adventurer Levison Wood has accomplished a doubly impressive feat, not only walking the Nile but capturing that experience in this lovely, evocative book.”—Mark Adams, New York Times bestselling author of Turn Right at Machu Pichu

“In the macho, adrenaline-fuelled arena of TV adventurers, Levison Wood is that rare beast: the real deal.”—Radio Times (UK)

“Unlike a great many pretenders, [Wood] is the real deal: a former paratrooper, a major in the Army Reserve and as hard as nails.”—Sunday Telegraph (UK)

“Wood is not most men . . . He has earned a reputation as a real-life action man.”—Mirror (UK)

“Britain’s best-loved adventurer.”—Times (UK)

From the Publisher

11/01/2015
From the dense jungles of Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda, to war-torn South Sudan and the arid deserts of Sudan and Egypt, English writer and explorer Wood treks alongside the Nile dodging crocodiles, hippos, and the secret police in an attempt to be the first person to traverse the length of the river. After an unceremonious start, Wood gets blessed by a witch doctor, saves a vervet monkey, nearly runs out of water, and faces a tragic setback that causes him to consider abandoning the journey. Through interactions with locals, Wood creates a portrayal of Africa and its peoples that isn't often presented in the West. Additionally, an overview of each region, which includes a brief history, along with visits to historical and cultural sites, allow this travelog to also provide a glimpse into the soul of the continent. VERDICT Armchair travelers and those looking for a side of Africa not generally seen will find adventure sprinkled with culture and history in this narrative that circumvents the colonial pomp while following in the shadow of the original British explorers of Africa.—Zebulin Evelhoch, Central Washington Univ. Lib.

Library Journal

Narrator Gildart Jackson, with his pleasing baritone, carries the story as Wood walks 4,000 miles from the Nile’s source in Rwanda to the Mediterranean. In the process, he transforms the African adventure story. Unexpectedly, the former paratrooper is a people person, more interested in the thoughts of contemporary Africans than in scenery. The Africans he encounters are foolish and wise, terrifying and hilarious, like the rest of us. Jackson’s pronunciation of African place names is good. His dialogue voices are easy to distinguish and add depth to Wood’s descriptions. Today’s Africa is a land of stark contrasts, of hope and tragedy. Wood and Jackson bring it to life. This is also a BBC television series. F.C. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2016 - AudioFile

2015-10-22
Walking the Nile has enticed many explorers, but Wood provides an up-to-the-minute portrait of the nations and people that claim the world's longest river. From the moment the author began his journey, at the alleged source of the Nile, he encountered constant conflict and hardship. His guides mistrusted each other. So-called pygmies were reluctant to accept him. He had to fight through every border crossing, and he faced the constant threats of theft, disease, and corruption. Wood is a war veteran, and he was able to improvise his way through dangerous situations, such as firefights in a Sudanese city and an interrogation by secret police. But the trek was not without tragedy: when the author agreed to walk with American journalist Matt Power for a week, Power eventually collapsed and died of heat stroke. "I wanted the cold comfort of English skies again," writes Wood. "I wanted to be anywhere but here, thinking of the man who had died so that he could write about me on my indulgent, pointless, selfish trek." Overall, Wood is a sharp observer and authoritative writer. He takes pains to describe the Rwandan conflict, the Egyptian revolution, the Sudanese civil war, and all the culture clashes in between. But chutzpah and empathy only get him so far. In the end, the author is unable to adequately explain his interest in the Nile, and the book does feel indulgent at times. The story is awkwardly similar to Rory Stewart's The Places in Between, while lacking the immediacy of the Afghan context. Unlike Stewart, Wood accumulated media coverage as he went. By the time he reached the Aswan Dam, he was carrying an article chronicling his passage. This kind of publicity recalls the newspaper frenzy of the Stanley-Livingstone expedition. For adventurers like Wood and Stanley, the Nile is a metaphor as much as a place. Wood delivers a bold travelogue, illuminating great swathes of modern Africa, but as literature, it leaves something to be desired.

Kirkus Reviews