Canoeing the Congo: The First Source-to-Sea Descent of the Congo River

This guy is so full of himself it's hard to take him seriously sometimes. Ex-military, ex-Iraq veteran (as if that's something to be particularly proud of) Phil Harwood has set him mind to the ultimate macho challenge, paddling the Congo river in a small canoe from the hills of Zambia to the Atlantic Ocean. It's one hell of an adventure and a challenge few people would be able to accomplish, so hats off for the brave traveller. Strictly speaking he didn't paddle the whole river, as he took the bus from Kinshasa to another point way downstream, so maybe he shouldn't use those particular words, but hey - it's still a pretty admirable feat.

As travel literature it falls flat, as our man paddles a lot better than he can write. Most of it comes out as a rather boring blog - "then I did this and then I did that", but that's not the worst. Cause no matter what challenges and terrors Our Guy has to face, rest assured that he's invincible. Hippos, snakes and poisonous spiders? Takes them in his stride. Greedy officials with guns? No problem, just look them in the eyes, shake their hands and they all go away. Bandits, muggers, sinister savages and just about anything that might lie in wait around the next bend? Just paddle hard to get rid of them, and if that doesn't work: Stand up in your canoe, scream and shout and send a barrage of the worst words the English language has to offer their way, and they will scamper.

Our Man isn't afraid of anything. And if he is, he doesn't really mind, as he's out there on the waters to TEST HIMSELF. It's HIM against the bad guys, the animals and the entire failed state of Congo. Then you get heaps of sentences like these: "I paused, staring at him, trying to keep my cool. He wore an obscenelyl loud Hawaiian shirt, and his look smacked of utter contempt. This alone made me want to punch him in the face":

Or here: "They started with the good cop, bad cop routine, then they all sat around, cramped into a small office and listened to me talk about my journey with growing respect and nodding heads".

Not (absolutely) all the Congolese are crooked, loud, drunk or very greedy, and there are some fine passages in-between, where Our Man bonds with locals, takes them along as guides or trades with them. Here and there the readers feels as if he's sharing an adventure. But way to often we're just placed in the back seat of Superman, who looks hard at everyone he meets, shakes hands, gives the poor buggers a bag of rice and refuses to budge when they come crawling out for money.

Don't get me wrong. I believe the DR Congo is an almost impossible country to travel in. But this guy doesn't show anything like his innermost feelings and thoughts, instead we're just led to believe that he has the attitude, the guts and the cool to get out of any situation imaginable. And who knows, maybe he can? After all Rambo defeated the entire Red Army single-handedly.

This guy is so full of himself it's hard to take him seriously sometimes. Ex-military, ex-Iraq veteran (as if that's something to be particularly proud of) Phil Harwood has set him mind to the ultimate macho challenge, paddling the Congo river in a small canoe from the hills of Zambia to the Atlantic Ocean. It's one hell of an adventure and a challenge few people would be able to accomplish, so hats off for the brave traveller. Strictly speaking he didn't paddle the whole river, as he took the bus from Kinshasa to another point way downstream, so maybe he shouldn't use those particular words, but hey - it's still a pretty admirable feat.

As travel literature it falls flat, as our man paddles a lot better than he can write. Most of it comes out as a rather boring blog - "then I did this and then I did that", but that's not the worst. Cause no matter what challenges and terrors Our Guy has to face, rest assured that he's invincible. Hippos, snakes and poisonous spiders? Takes them in his stride. Greedy officials with guns? No problem, just look them in the eyes, shake their hands and they all go away. Bandits, muggers, sinister savages and just about anything that might lie in wait around the next bend? Just paddle hard to get rid of them, and if that doesn't work: Stand up in your canoe, scream and shout and send a barrage of the worst words the English language has to offer their way, and they will scamper.

Our Man isn't afraid of anything. And if he is, he doesn't really mind, as he's out there on the waters to TEST HIMSELF. It's HIM against the bad guys, the animals and the entire failed state of Congo. Then you get heaps of sentences like these: "I paused, staring at him, trying to keep my cool. He wore an obscenelyl loud Hawaiian shirt, and his look smacked of utter contempt. This alone made me want to punch him in the face":

Or here: "They started with the good cop, bad cop routine, then they all sat around, cramped into a small office and listened to me talk about my journey with growing respect and nodding heads".

Not (absolutely) all the Congolese are crooked, loud, drunk or very greedy, and there are some fine passages in-between, where Our Man bonds with locals, takes them along as guides or trades with them. Here and there the readers feels as if he's sharing an adventure. But way to often we're just placed in the back seat of Superman, who looks hard at everyone he meets, shakes hands, gives the poor buggers a bag of rice and refuses to budge when they come crawling out for money.

Don't get me wrong. I believe the DR Congo is an almost impossible country to travel in. But this guy doesn't show anything like his innermost feelings and thoughts, instead we're just led to believe that he has the attitude, the guts and the cool to get out of any situation imaginable. And who knows, maybe he can? After all Rambo defeated the entire Red Army single-handedly.

Like several predecessors (Jeffrey Tayler, Tim Butcher) here is an account of a modern-day adventurer travelling along the Congo River in the DRC. What sets this work apart from the others is the fact that the author canvassed the entire river from it headwaters in Northern Zambia to the Atlantic using only a canoe, and for a better half of the time, by himself. Although not too many surprises (corrupt officials, extreme poverty, beautiful scenery - you know, things Africa as whole is known for) the book is well written and was quite enjoyable to read. He provides adequate contextual history where pertinent without digressing from his narrative. I also liked his writing style - straightforward without bogging things down with transcripts of whole conversations he had with people, etc, a pitfall which unfortunately many travel writers fall into. There is also a video he made of this trip which should be worth a look (if the preview on youtube is anything to go by). recommended

Best travel dialogue I have read in a long time. The book was both refreshing and exciting and I applaud Phil Harwood in taking on this seemingly kamikaze trip and surviving.

I couldn’t put this book down. I heard about this book from a client of mine. The canoe Phil uses in this book was from my clients company Mad River Canoe. It was pretty surreal reading the adventures that Phil endured while in a canoe that was built by someone that I know’s company. It usually takes me months to finish a book. Reading this had me so hooked and I finished it in 7 days. I felt like I was there, on the Congo river. So so good! Highly highly recommend. The reader will not be disappointed!! What an impressive accomplishment.

I've already given my copy away to a canoeist friend, but the book will reward not only canoeists, but also African travelers (actual or armchair), and open air adventurers in general. The first part abounds in evocative nature descriptions interspersed with accounts of the sort of quirky experiences that a person alone who ships a canoe to the Congo and paddles off down a giant river amid diverse groups of indigenous peoples could be expected (or not expected) to have. Actually, the author first went up the river, to make sure and do it right by starting down from the source. The second part continues the river adventures, but there are more political complications as various nationalities of "immigration officers" try to scam, grift, or hornswoggle the author, who, incidentally, has malaria by this time. The tone of the narration is engaging, unpretentious, and as un-documentarish as anyone could want.

very happy

An insightful Odyssey into the Heart of Darkness.
Huckleberry Finn with a machete.

This book is a wonderful combination of adventure on the water, as well as a vision of the African culture, and the way a Westerner deals with the vicissitudes of the people he meets and confronts. The author's approach to troublesome characters is straight forward -- a handshake and resolute behavior works well most of the time, if not, then flee as best you can. If ever, we in the provincial US, can overcome our ignorance and bad behavior toward other cultures, we need to take advantage of pioneers like the author.

wonderful