Ash Dykes paddles 700km of the Congo Basin by inflatable kayak
The Welsh adventurer launched on the Sangha River on 8 October, bound for Mossaka in the Republic of Congo, posting daily to an audience of millions.
Welsh adventurer Ash Dykes is part-way through a 700-kilometre (435-mile) paddle across the Congo River Basin in an inflatable kayak, filming the trip for a documentary series and posting it as he goes. The expedition has drawn a large online audience and a good deal of argument among paddlers about his choice of boat, which makes it a useful case study in how craft, planning and remoteness interact on a long river journey.
What happened
- Dykes set off on 8 October on the Sangha River at Nola in the Central African Republic, heading for Mossaka in the Republic of Congo.
- He is travelling with a photographer and a local guide, using Starlink to send updates from the river.
- The paddle is one of six expeditions he plans over twelve months for a film project on extreme environments.
- He chose an inflatable partly because it packs into a rucksack of about 17kg, allowing the crew to portage past rapids or hazards.
- He picked the Sangha in part because no fatal crocodile attacks have been recorded on it.
Why it matters
- Inflatables are often dismissed as toys; modern expedition versions are tough, and portability can itself be a safety feature.
- The real risks on a trip like this are mundane ones — malaria, waterborne infection, days from the nearest doctor — not the headline wildlife.
- Dykes frames the trip as "very much meticulous planning" rather than daring, a fair standard for any remote paddle.
Source: Millions Are Watching This Man Kayak Through The Congo Basin, Paddling Magazine, 15 October 2026. Summary by Pushing the Boat Out.