Ed Stafford is currently WALKING THE AMAZON. He is an expedition leader and friend, who we’re supporting as much as we can on his epic journey. We’re chuffed to bits that Ed has found the time to write a guest blog for us – good luck with everything Ed, we’re behind you 110%!

The “last great feat of exploration”.

If I see the above line again describing an expedition I might just keel over from sheer exasperation.

From circumnavigations to pole attempts, the amount of people claiming to be doing the “very last” expedition before everything is tamed, manicured and utterly explored is comical.

Unlike many I do still think that men and women who brave the elements to drag themselves and their sleds to the poles are explorers. They are pushing back the boundaries of human achievement with every new record attempted and they deserve to be up there with the famous names of yesteryear for their achievements. They are wondrous and inspiring people, who make me want to leap up from the sofa, throw my TV remote vehemently into the waste bin, and attack all my previously unresolved problems with renewed vigour.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not talking about those who enter organised races across oceans or over icecaps. These men and women, commendable though they are, do fit better in the more generic category of “adventurer”. I’m talking about people who are slowly chipping away at the boundaries of possibility.

I read recently that due to the fact that ocean rowers don’t meet new people or cultures that they shouldn’t be called “explorers”. What?! Such an anthropogenic stance completely ignores pitting oneself against nature and fighting for one’s very survival. If its never been done before – how can it not be exploratory?

Recently I received a nice support message from Sarah Outen. She was at sea for 124 days and in 2009 became the youngest woman to row solo across any ocean. She conceived, organised and conducted the expedition herself and she succeeded. Is she an explorer? Too bloody right she is.

As long as the human brain is free to imagine and dream there will always be new expeditions, new adventures and new world-firsts to be attempted. Lets stop trying to draw a line under each one to pretend it’s the last. As a race we are not nearly as close to completing all that is possible to achieve on this planet as we think.

Long live exploration and all it embodies.

Ed

Expedition Taster from Charles Montier on Vimeo.

35 days of arduous trekking, paddling and hauling the boat through 17 sections of rapids and around 9 major waterfalls, made Exploration Guyana (www.explorationguyana.com) an exciting and at times treacherous expedition. Many lessons were learnt the hard way (e.g. don’t lend miners a pair of jungle boots if you want to see them again!) and the going was tough, but the camaraderie I had with my team mates made even the hardest moments enjoyable.

(please click on the awesome image below to enlarge)

A few months after finishing the expedition and returning to the UK, it dawned on me that I strangely missed the hours of toil involved in expedition planning and, furthermore, I felt a strong desire to encourage others to experience the simple joys that come with isolated journeys, especially when accompanied by locals who understand the environment. Work in the expedition industry beckoned. Then came the Explore event at RGS and, as a member of the rainforest panel, I had the opportunity to chat with a variety of experienced and knowledgeable fellow panellists, one of whom was Rob Murray John. We had a good chat and a week later he kindly offered me a place on the Sky2Sea team. So here I am, writing my first blog and feeling a familiar sense of excitement creeping through me once more.

I hope for all those of you who have ever daydreamed about undertaking an expedition that you’ll follow your calling and get out there and do it. And, when you’re ready, why not give S2S a shout, I’m positive we can help you fulfil that dream of yours. Be it learning how to hunt with Macushi tribesman or cycling to Timbuktu, our bespoke expedition service can make these awesome ideas happen. Go for it!

While this is a wonderful thing for sure, it is important to remember that if we are to do this, we must adopt an attitude that may be slightly different from what we are used to. It is likely that your expedition or journey will take you to a part (or parts) of the world that is fundamentally different from where you call home in thousands of ways, and it is important that you prepare yourself for this. Fortunately, there are a few rules of thumb that apply to just about anywhere you might want to travel, and, once adopted, you can rest easy knowing that you are not just an “annoying tourist.”

First, you must be sure that you adopt an open mind whilst on your expedition. No matter your destination, you are likely to run into certain types of cultures and traditions that differ drastically than your own, and you have to go into the expedition knowing and expecting this. If you do not, you will likely be shocked and made uncomfortable, which is not beneficial to you or the native population you are interacting with. If you happen to witness something that you feel would never be found happening in your country of origin, try your best not to think too deeply into it, as chances are it is the norm in the country you are visiting.

Second, be receptive to the locals of wherever you are visiting, as technically you are guests in their native land. If you are offered food that you may be unfamiliar with (cuisine in Asia, for instance, is drastically different from that of the UK), you should do you best to try it, even if it goes against what you may be used to. Chances are you may enjoy it and wonder why you had any anxiety over it in the first place! The bottom line is not to be rude to the people who are friendly enough to be inviting you into their culture, as this is morally wrong by everyone’s standards.

Finally, use you common sense! Always use logic and be safe in situations that are foreign to you, as you should never put yourself in a situation where you sense danger. A dark alley in a foreign country is just as dangeous in South East Asia as it is in London, don’t stagger around drunk as you will be even more of a target to people with evil intent and lastly, don’t flash around obvious signs of your wealth.  This last point isn’t just for your safety, it can also make people who are nice and friendly towards you become uncomfortable and feel like they must treat you differently or better than their current best efforts.

Here is an image of one of our staff off-road in the English Lakes District.

The Land Rover Defender, and the Series models before it, were and still are one of the greatest off-road machines every built.  Light weight, excellent transmission system, fantastic axle articulation and the perfect suspension set up (whether the early leaf springs or the more modern coil springs).

I am seeing some raised hands… and I am sensing the inevitable question “If they are so good, why do people need to convert them?”.

Land Rover conversions don’t stem from people trying to make them better, they are to make them more suited to a specific task.  Such is the way the almost ‘modular’ Defender is made that converting a normal 110 Defender into one that has a camping body on the back, or even has an extra axle and becomes 6 wheel drive, is not too much of a challenge.

Some popular Land Rover conversions are listed below:

• Camper vans
• Construction/load carrying vehicle
• Safari vehicles
• Vehicles with modifications due to driver disabilities
• Specialised expedition vehicles
• Winterised/cold weather conversions
• Competition conversions

The only limit to the Land Rover conversions that can be carried out by a skillful workshop is your budget and imagination.

Due to the cost and length of time taken to get your expedition vehicle ready and the importance of the professional work carried out on it we here at S2Si only have one recommendation when it come to pointing customers in the right direction.  One of our expedition leaders has worked with the Foley family out in Zambia during his time there and has also spent time in their UK workshop.  The Foley brothers, Paul and Stuart, can provide you with vehicles to match your budget and your destination.  Also of use to the world of expeditions is their ability to have the vehicle shipping for you to the start of the expedition or can help getting it back home.

To visit their website, give this a click – Land Rover Conversions

Once you have your pride and joy sat there, in your drive way, now what?  Well it is now highly recommended that you learn thoroughly how to drive it in all conditions.  We of course can help you with your Land Rover expedition training by organising an event to help you learn about the handling characteristics, some basic mechanical training and cover what spares and tools would help you for the journey.

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If you have any amazing photos of your own you want to show please drop us a line.

The team here at S2Si would like to let you all know about our new South America Expeditions. We have now opened up an office which is based in Santiago, Chile and is staffed by an old friend of ours and his Chilean wife (they will be making their introductions soon, don’t worry!).

When it comes to expeditions South America has it all – jungle, mountains, coast line, deserts, fast flowing rivers etc. That is stating the obvious really, considering the size of the continent!  However, we have chosen Chile and Bolivia as our base of operations for the majority of the South America expeditions.

Chile has in the south the most amazing mixture of mountains, lakes, rivers, coastal islands and adventure in the southern hemisphere.  You can go from over 5000m high snow capped mountains, across the plains of Patagonia, down rivers, into lakes, into the sea and then spend time amongst a huge network of islands.  In the north Chile dries out to become the driest place on the earth (the Atacama Desert) and is home to more snow capped volcanoes which then border Bolivia.

Once inside Bolivia the high Andean plateau continues with lots of quality mountaineering and trekking for activities, the, suddenly a big drop. The Andes stop suddenly and to the east lies the Amazon Basin.  An hours flight from the capital, La Paz, puts you in the Madidi national park, home to pristine Amazon rain forest and all the biodiversity that goes with it.

South America expeditions can last, with S2Si, for as little as a week where you come screaming out of the Andes in Patagonia, Chile, strapped into a kayak, then a mountain bike, then on a horse…. until you reach the coast…. or you can take a more leisurely month to explore the Andes in depth, from Chile over into Bolivia, finishing up at lower altitudes as you canoe down Amazonian rivers looking for wildlife.

It is not only the adventurous or the super fit that can take advantage of our South America expeditions, people on a gap year, families, people looking for an exciting way to make money for charity can all fly on over to Chile or Bolivia and have some fun.

Do you have an idea for an expedition or an adventure holiday and no matter how hard you search you can’t find anyone who meets your specific requirements?

Are you someone, or a group, that needs to visit an area of the world that can be difficult to reach under normal circumstances and due to the location, time of year, equipment needed etc no normal tour company can help you?

This is when you need to contact someone offering bespoke expeditions.  Bespoke basically means ‘custom made’.

But bespoke expeditions are necessarily for people who want to hack their way through dense jungle or geology researchers within the arctic circle.  We here at S2Si apply the word bespoke to all our activities and countries. For example -

Bespoke Family Activity Vacations

When travelling as a family there will be times when you will want to split into two groups, one having a more sedate and leisurely day and the other enjoying some outdoor challenges.  When children are involved having the holiday organised by a company who specialises in bespoke expeditions allows you to relax knowing everyone will be safe at all times no matter what the activity you’ve chosen.  Maybe you all want to visit somewhere special and unique that other tour operators  daren’t go near.  There are many reasons that, as a family, you would chose a bespoke expedition company like ours to provide you with finest activity holiday you can imagine.

Custom made Research Expeditions

A huge amount of research that goes on in the world today requires fieldwork of some description. When the subjects or areas that need studying are in hard to reach locations or they are regions with geographic or climatic difficulties it is then a field trip becomes an expedition…. and then if nobody can provide a means to help you that is when our bespoke expeditions program must be considered.  By letting us tend to your expedition needs it means that you can then focus more on the reason why you went there in the first place and achieving your desired goals!  We also make sure you, your team, your equipment, etc, will all be safe getting into the field, during the time in the field and on your way home as well.

All work and no play!

Unfortunately expeditions are not just for people having fun or studying they are available for the professionals of the world who have to get out there into the wilderness for work projects.  Custom made or bespoke expeditions can be arranged for medical staff tending to casualties, or the sick, in far off lands, telecommunications networks have to be established in remote areas, geological teams have to get in and out of mountain regions, the list is an endless one.  What matters is that we can provide on going expedition support for any project, in any area for any length of time!

Bespoke expeditions need not be unaffordable

It is obvious, by looking at today’s society, that if you want anything that is different from the normal run-of-the-mill then the prices are always more expensive.  However, as you may have noticed, S2Si is not ‘run-of-the-mill’ in anyway at all but we strive to keep our prices in line with current adventure travel trends.

It is difficult to for us to quote prices for bespoke expeditions or custom made family adventure vacations but you can help us by giving us as much information as possible when you contact us.  For example -

Location – we, at the moment, are offering expeditions to Belize, Bolivia, Borneo, Canada, Chile, France, Greenland, Morocco, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Russia and Scotland.  However, with our combined knowledge and experience here at S2Si we have covered 90% of the worlds countries and environments!

Activities – if it is a fun/adventure vacation the we have kayaking, horse riding, mountaineering, mountain bikes, sailing, rock climbing and trekking.  However, if the expedition is more work or study related, we can  organise decent motorized river transport for equipment or suitable four wheel drive vehicles, not to mention access to rock faces, rivers, jungles etc.

Duration – A bespoke expedition can last from a week up to many months, the only limiting factor is the budget. For us to quote you the best possible price for your adventure/project we need to know not only the total time you have available for the trip but the time span in different areas that you need to visit, as this can affect transportation  and logistical costs.

So please, before contacting us regarding a bespoke expedition or a custom made adventure, have as much information ready as possible.

Although this is somewhat hard to back up with hard evidence, it is fair to say that with every square foot of untouched territory we discover as a species, we become more worldly and knowledgeable. Just look at explorers such as Christopher Columbus – without the journey that inevitably ended in the discovery of America, who knows when the country would have ever been found? Discoveries of the past have always served as a catalyst for change and innovation, which is why one should never underestimate the importance of exploration.

Many people think that because we have become so advanced and familiar with the majority of the planet that there is no longer any need to explore. This couldn’t be more false and is extremely unfortunate, as it has caused a bit of lethargy for many people when it comes to heralding new expeditions. The fact is, there are still many areas on the planet that have literally never been touched by human footprints. Thus, it is impossible to make an educated decision as to what we may have to learn from these areas. This is precisely the reason why it is extremely important that we continue to explore, just like in days of old.

If exploration was to stop completely, then it is safe to say that the evolution of our society’s culture would one day (perhaps soon) become stagnant to the point of boring. The notion that there is nothing left on earth to be discovered is depressing to say the least, and can be extremely discouraging. Who knows what interesting discoveries may lay in these areas that we have yet to explore? Perhaps there are elements that are yet unknown by the human race, some of which may even hold the cure for common ailments such as cancer. The problem is, most people dismiss these possibilities as being very small and not worth the risk or money that would be required to field such expeditions.

Fortunately, there are still a fair amount of individuals that believe in the importance of continuous expeditions. Perhaps if we can unify these people into a single, cohesive group, it would be possible to convince the naysayers that exploration still holds an immense amount of importance, no matter who you are or what part of the world you call home.

To celebrate the launch of the Olympics and fully embrace the environmental diversity of the Vancouver, S2Si will be launching it’s most unique expedition model yet! Compromising many extreme sports from skiing to scuba diving the expedition will be the most extreme trip in history. Currently the S2Si technical advisor has been up and down the Sky to Sea highway meeting with some of the world’s best guides and instructors to put this programme together. As part of the ‘recce’ Dave has been snow-mobiling into the backcountry, sea kayaking around Bowen Island and tested Whistlers’ newest ‘Peak to Peak’ gondola.

The exact details of the programme are top secret and still in the ‘S2Si Lab’ but will be launched soon. This will be the 1st choice in a new era of Expeditions. So make sure you watch this blog and the S2Si website for more information as to how to sign up for the inaugural set of expeditions.

If you want to express your interest in this trip and potentially be the first to sign up for the next generation of expeditions, then click here to contact us.

Life was tough at nearly 4000 m, with no hot water, electricity or communications. I was living in a refuge with my two Mexican Biologist friends from my university days, a policeman (needed a gun due to being right on a smuggling route from Colombia-Ecuador), and our Park Ranger.

I was studying hummingbird pollination, and the Mexicans were looking at giant rosette plant ecology. The Paramo is a challenging yet increadibly beautiful area which is in need of help to remain in tact. As ever human activity is a threat to its survival, so we were on a mission to find some species we can use as ‘key stone species’ to help conserve this fragile ecosystem. Paramo is needed to soak up the heavy rain that falls in the mountains. It acts as a sponge, slowly letting the water out to the farmland and settlements below. It provides a food-source for many animals living at lower altitudes, a fact that intrigued me as the Paramo can be such a tough place to survive in. Hummingbirds in particular need the Paramo as a feeding ground as the nectar tends to contain far more sugars than at lower altitudes, due to lower air pressure meaning wings have to beat much harder for birds to stay aloft!

After our research was over, I spent time in The Galapagos, Cotopaxi National Park and of course the beach! Our research is in the process of being analysed at the moment, and of course there could well the a return trip…I will keep you posted!