An explorer who had been hoping to become the first person to walk the entire length of the Nile is vowing to return to complete his trek after being forced to miss out 450 miles of his journey because of the civil war in South Sudan.
Seven million steps after he set off in December, Levison Wood arrived at the Mediterranean where the Nile flows into the sea. His route had taken him 3,750 miles through six countries but the hazardous leg through a war zone would have been a step too far.
Mr Wood, a writer, film-maker and photographer who has visited more than 80 countries, continued his journey despite temperatures that reached 50C (122F), close encounters with bandits and crocodiles and the death of Matt Power, the American journalist and his walking companion, from heat exhaustion.
After walking into the conflict in South Sudan, where thousands of people have died this year, he decided it would be wrong to continue. Mr Wood said: “I saw dead bodies in the streets and mass graves, not to mention refugees fleeing. It would have been reckless to carry on. It was not just my life, but also my local guide. It does mean I can’t claim to be the first person to walk the Nile, but it was not just about records. It was about exploring Africa in the 21st century and I met some wonderful people.”
A former captain in the Parachute Regiment who served in Afghanistan, Mr Wood flew from Juba to the Sudanese border to continue his journey. He has promised to return to complete the final leg of his walk along the world’s longest river.
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Despite the advantages of technology, the trek was risky. In his blog updated as he went along he described the destruction he encountered. Mr Wood’s marathon journey was filmed for Channel 4 to be broadcast early next year.