Crossing the Congo: Over Land and Water in a Hard Place

by Mike Martin, Chloé Baker, Charlie Hatch-Barnwell

*** Shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Award 2016 in the category of Adventure Travel ***
In 2013, three friends set off on a journey that they had been told was the north-south crossing of the Congo River Basin, from Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Juba, in South Sudan.

Traversing 2,500 miles of the toughest terrain on the planet in a twenty-five year-old Land Rover, they faced repeated challenges, from kleptocracy and fire ants to non-existent roads and intense suspicion from local people. Through imagination and teamwork -- including building rafts and bridges, conducting makeshift surgery in the jungle and playing tribal politics -- they got through. But the Congo is raw, and the journey took an unexpected psychological toll on them all.

Crossing the Congo is an offbeat travelogue, a story of friendship and what it takes to complete a great journey against tremendous odds, and an intimate look into one of the world's least-developed and most fragile states, told with humor and sensitivity.

Genres: Travel, Africa, Travelogue, Nonfiction, Adventure

256 pages, Hardcover

Published December 1, 2016

Reviews

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the one hand, a great adventure read, as a travelogue goes it was quite interesting. On the other hand, I was perplexed. Why start with a shitty vehicle to begin with when you could have started with a better vehicle and spent less money on parts. Why not get some training as a mechanic and go better prepared? It seems like they knew they'd have to spend the money anyways. I was impressed by the group's determination to complete their goal. Yet I find myself wanting to know all that lay below the surface. I wanted to know the why of it. The relationship and personalities of the crew was superficial at best. To do because you can, ok, I get that, but I'm curious about the deeper motivation. The only person I felt connected to was Chloe for having to put up with the author. Why wait until you are in the LRA to learn something about what is going on there? And did he know before they left London the relationship was waning or was it during the trip that their personalities revealed it wasn't going to work? So 3 stars for what is and what isn't and my ambivalence.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

When someone says that a journey is impossible, most people will leave it at that, but not these three. The crossing of the Congo River Basin, heading from Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Juba, in South Sudan had be done before, but not for a very long time and not since the region had descended into war and conflict. On top of that, this 2,500 mile journey was to be driven in a 25 year old Land Rover called 9Bob, which had already been driven around a large portion of West Africa and was really on its last legs.

On this unbelievably tough journey, the route they followed could not be described as tracks, let alone roads. However, this was only one of the challenges that they faced; as well as the sheer hard graft it took to carve a way through the jungle, they had to cope with tropical diseases and fevers, fire ants that numbed their legs after biting, suspicious locals who thought that they were prospecting for minerals. The hardest part for all of them though, was dealing with the endemic corruption and bureaucracy from petty officials and kleptocracy that was rife. The three had to rely on every single ounce of ingenuity and effort to get themselves through the jungle, digging themselves out of mud, building and strengthening bridges and even rafts to get their Land Rover and gear across rivers. Sometimes they were assisted by the locals, who appeared almost magically out of the forest anytime they stopped, but frequently they were just watched as they struggled against the elements.

Even though this was a short journey compared to other travel books, it was unbelievable tough. It strained their relationships to breaking point; occasionally beyond. Some days their distance travelled was just a handful of miles, the relentless dealing with the petty officials and the people and the daily battle to keep the Land Rover going slowing progress to a crawl. It is a well-written book, even though it feels a little clinical at times, they manage to convey the tension of daily life. What makes this book really special though is the stunning images of their journey taken by award winning photographer Charlie Hatch-Barnwell. It also gives us an insight into the harsh lives of the Congolese people, still affected by the ongoing conflicts and the legacy left by their Belgian colonial masters. It is a tough book about an astonishing journey.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty cool how it mostly is Brits doing these crazy trips.

I would like to recreate this journey in a Hilux. It would be much easier.

They used a Land Rover and these are not common in Africa - parts are rare so it made the trip even harder.

[Roxanne Hawkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book fascinating, informative, honest and highly readable.

The book starts with a brief summary of the history of the Congo. This might not appeal to all readers, but really helps with understanding the background and underlying reasons for the nature of many of the challenges faced by the trio as they made their way through the DRC. Once the actual story of the journey starts, the pace picks up and I found the book hard to put down. Each section of the journey posed new challenges which often seemed insurmountable - and then just when you thought it could not possibly get any worse for them, it does.

I liked the way the author was not afraid to write about their personal, moral and relationship challenges as well as the physical challenges they faced. This gave the book more depth than other travel books I have read in the past.

The photography that accompanies the written text really makes the book complete. Sometimes the story seems almost unbelievable - the things that happen to them quite hard to fathom, given that very few readers will have ever travelled through the DRC, let alone central Africa - and without the pictures which really prove it did all happen as described, it might have been hard to really comprehend that the challenges the three faced along their journey were really and truly as described - but the photos speak for themselves.

An amazing story and really astounding that that the journey they set out on was accomplished at all. Were they incredibly naive, foolhardy, and stupid to attempt such a journey and was it just luck or sheer grit and a rare determination which got them through? I'll let you decide.....

[Sanjay Varma · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kind of book that I always wish someone would write. A book that provides a relatable, facts-on-the-ground snapshot of a remote country.

The three characters are driving in an old Land Rover across the Congo. They break down every couple of hours. While they fix the vehicle, they are surrounded by villagers who watch them as entertainment. Everyone they meet asks them for money, for bribes, or for help in getting to Europe.

Once every 3 to 4 days they encounter some remnant of a functioning state. It might be a holdover from Belgian colonization, such as a school examiner traveling to administer exams at village schools. Or it might be a lorry driver hired by Chinese mining corporations, who are the new imperialists. It could also be Catholic nuns or NGOs, those naive destroyers of the local economy.

A few words on adventure stories in general: there are a couple of variables in how to write such a story. First, consider the level of immersion in the culture: A) Actually join that culture, such as Jean Genet writing about petty criminals in France. B) Total immersion in a culture, such as Rachel Dolezal writing about her trans-racial life in Spokane. C) An outsider given access to the community, such as Katharine Boo in the ghettos of Bombay. D) A traveler passing through another culture. "Crossing The Congo" is the type of story that has minimal immersion in a culture; the author and his friends are merely passing through.

The other variable of an adventure story is whether the author is writing about: 1) their own experiences, or 2) the local culture. In fact, most adventure books do a bit of both, but skew towards one or the other. "Crossing the Congo" is very much about the author's experiences. The point of view is centered around the temporary association of travelers, as well as the locals they meet along the route. The surrounding countryside is only visible reflected off the traveler's faces.

[Daan Donkers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Verslag van een unieke reis met een Range Rover dwars door Congo. De uitdaging zit in alles; van niet aanwezige wegen en rivieren oversteken midden in de jungle, tot corrupte officieren en opdringerige locals. Dit zorgt voor het verwachte en grensverleggende avontuur, maar ook voor confrontaties met de Congolezen, met elkaar en een ieder met zichzelf.

"Discovery is another important word. Not just discovery of a little-known land, but an exploration of our personal limits and the depths of our convictions."

"... we progressively failed to live up to our own ideals and sometimes were very rude."

They have a fair and critical assessment of all that is written and said about the Congo. Try to challenge set norms and prove otherwise. But they are also honest in their experiences and their own shortcomings of character and ideals, which can hardly be called so in a country as the Congo.

[John Valdez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gravitated toward rating this book three and four stars. The book details three friends' trips through the Democratic Republic of Congo to the new country of South Sudan. While I enjoyed the book for the most part, my primary critique is that it focused a great deal of time on the team’s Range Rover named 9Bob. Whether it was searching for spare parts, maneuvering it on makeshift roads, and/or removing obstacles in its path, the car played a major role. And while I realize the car is a major part of the adventure, I found myself wanting more such as better descriptions of the country, the villages, the jungle, the food, and people.

With few exceptions, the author’s interactions with the people lacked depth. They write about being surrounded by large groups of local villagers wherever they went and expressed frustration when they did as the locals laughed at them or asked them for their possessions. Most of the time, they write about the corruption of the local officials and the lack of governance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I do empathize with their frustration. For example, the last third of the book deals with some local officials who chopped down several trees along their route to impede their journey in order to keep them away from some of the cobalt mines. However, there were people who helped them and I wish they would have expounded upon these relationships. I did like the beginning of the book, which provides an overview of Congo’s recent history, particularly the tragic wars that have taken place in the country. It also has a strong conclusion in which the author’s sympathize with the people of the Congo.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This harrowing account of three Brits driving from Kinshasa to Juba on a fool's errand made for great reading. Along the way they encountered indescribable scenes of poverty, kindness and resilience amid appalling roads, a terrain of abandoned towns and shocking corruption and cruelty. Though largely a personal journey I did wish they had documented a deeper conveyance of local culture and histories, as it often seemed that their headlong rush across rivers and wilderness left only surface impressions of the many places they sped through.

[Jon Morris smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an excellent read - if you love adventures and you love Land Rovers then this is the book for you!

The journey is truly epic and is told through the eyes of Mike with some additions from the two others on the trip... how they made it is a miracle - their biggest challenge throughout the book not being the 1986 Landrover they used but the corruption, exploitation and legacy of multiple attempts at government and colonialisastion...

...all of which translated into, and exacerbated, the physical challenges they overcame.

This is in the "couldn't put it down" category - a top recommendation!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this 4 stars, but I think it's because I'm fascinated by books that feature travel and hardship and Africa. I had a beloved great-aunt that lived in the Belgian Congo in the 1950's and always spoke tenderly of the people there. I think if she were still alive she would have liked this book. And the photos are marvelous.

[Lisa Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Every day in Congo was like peeling an onion, where with each layer of skin that we removed we learned more about ourselves, and more about the Congo. But we barely scratched the surface of the Congo."

I really enjoyed this book. The true story about the insane challenges this group of three encountered as they crossed DR Congo a couple years ago in a Land Rover. I'm still not quite sure WHY they did it but as someone who loves that country- with all it's challenges I certainly appreciated that they did.

[Mikey B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three intrepid persons from England journey across the Congo from Kinshasa to Kananga to Kisangani to Juba in South Sudan. They are definitely resourceful. This was such an extreme trip that tensions arose between the three of them and also with many of the people they encountered along the way.

Various “authorities” encumbered their travels in myriad ways – from bureaucracy to threats, and to putting fallen trees along the road to impede their journey. We do get a feeling for this sad and suffering country. “Suffering” was a word they encountered frequently along the route – as in “We in the Congo are suffering, give us something”. They encountered friendship and indifference – sometimes to the point of hostility.

This is a country that had experienced extreme exploitation when colonized by Belgium and is currently undergoing similar resource exploitation by many different countries for the rich cobalt and coltan deposits found in the Congo. So, the antipathy they underwent is no surprise – and it could have been much worse.

The infrastructure was in a state of negligence and deterioration; roads and bridges had not been maintained for decades. Highways that used to be paved were now narrow and muddy. This lengthened their trip substantially. They were almost out of money by the end.

I found this travelogue dominated more by the mechanics – the state of the road, their vehicle, and the lack of bridges. They got enormous help from local people whom they paid – sometimes with goods instead of cash. There was always an available labour pool.

I would have liked more on the people and villages they stayed at. The journey was so arduous that it left little energy to absorb local sites, culture, customs and norms.

In the back of my mind, I was wondering what their motivations were to undergo this trip in a poor, unstable country where there are various competing militia groups. Thrill-seeking voyeurism comes to mind.

Most of the book is written by Mike Martin, with a forward and summation by Chloe Baker. The pictures – both plentiful and superb - were taken by Charlie Hatch-Barnwell.

[Tania · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was genuinely excited to read Crossing the Congo, but it proved deeply disappointing.

From the opening chapters, the author comes across as entitled and insulated by privilege, with little understanding of how much of the world actually lives. This attitude appears early—for example, in the expectation that the British embassy should replace a passport in under two weeks, as though the rules should not apply to these travellers. Incidents like this, alongside many smaller moments, build an unflattering picture of the author’s worldview.

The most serious problem, however, is the consistently derogatory portrayal of Congolese people. They are framed mainly as obstacles to the journey, reduced to background figures of questionable morality and implicitly lesser worth. There is no meaningful attempt to explore why people behave as they do in conditions shaped by extreme poverty, institutional collapse, and post-conflict reality. Instead, the narrative moves straight to judgement. One example that stood out was:

“The teachers jostled the adolescents out of the way, making their way to the front of the crowd so they could be the first to ask us for money.”

Moments like this are offered without context or reflection, reinforcing stereotypes rather than providing insight.

I read nonfiction to learn—to gain facts, context, and understanding. This book offers little of that. If you want a thoughtful account of the Congo with historical or political depth, there are far better options. And if you are looking for a travelogue, choose one that approaches its subject with curiosity and humility, rather than sweeping judgement and a narrow, unbalanced perspective.

[Chris Lira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading adventure tabel/exploration/survival books and have read a lot of them. This is one of the best I have ever read, for a number of reasons. One is that they travelled 2500 miles through the Congo, a difficult route through mostly unpaved roads and forest track. The things they had to deal with- bad and barely passable roads, obstructive and corrupt officials and tribal leaders, numerous vehicle problems, health and safety issues, and in the midst of it all, a relationship ending. It's stunning that they were able to complete their voyage at all. I like how it gives the nitty-gritty details of the daily struggles to deal with all these obstacles and yet somehow prevail. The book is also very nicely illustrated- not just a few pictures in the middle of the book, but photos everywhere- black & white, sepia, and full glorious color. They really help you to visualize the journey and really add to the book. Find a printed copy, or if must go eBook, read it on a color tablet, not a black & white reader. This is an amazing book that I will think about for a long time.

[Bob Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting tale of a rather naive group of travellers on a modern-day epic safari in one of the less hospitable African countries. They overcame near-insurmountable obstacles with equal measures of ingenuity and genial coercion of the local villagers. Having lived in Africa for very many years, I’m amazed they managed to deal with the officious bureaucracy without paying any bribes.
A very good book which conveys some of the hopelessness and corruption pervading DRC and human triumph over daunting terrain and climate. I liked the photos but would have liked more of the towns and villages and more metadata or captions as it was sometimes difficult to relate them to the text

[Jamieson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire and before that the Belgian Congo), not to be confused with its neighbor to the west the Republic of the Congo, is the center of the African continent. The 8th poorest (highest poverty) country in the world, the Congo gets almost no tourism, and is rife with political exploitation of its many natural resources (from both internal and external forces) as well as several civil wars. This is the country into which three Brits entered in order to cross it in an old 80s Land Rover.

This was an easy read that goes fast. The country makes your heart ache. The adventures these three people had, those that helped and those that hindered. The struggles with the lack of infrastructure (roads, bridges, river crossings), as well as trying to keep an old Land Rover running in terrible driving conditions, are worth the read. The book is also scattered with color photos (which are great, but have absolutely no captions) that help flesh out the story. An easy read, this book provides a look into a country rarely talked about deep in the heart of Africa. A must-read for the average armchair explorer and/or anyone interested in Africa.

[Nadir · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book about a trip to very remote parts of the Congo. This isn’t the sort of travel writing that will make you want to visit these places - it comes across as a very hard journey, one that pushes vehicle and crew to their limits; definitely a life-changing event for all involved.

[Jim Cavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a crappy drive in the country......

[Rhys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

[Tim Wester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing honest story of crossing Congo under difficult situations. Lots of good photos.

[Kristina the Book Forager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love true life stories! I feel I have re-read this like the 3rd time now. One of my favourite adventure stories to date.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into a little-travelled impoverished nation by means of a raw first-hand account of three friends making an intrepid crossing of the DRC.

[Fayette · Rating 4 out of 5]

The country and people of DRC hold a small piece of my heart and it is disheartening to see that the corruption and poverty continue to persist and, in fact, grow. It is hard to hold hope for this place.

This book documents a two month road trip by three people in a very old Land Rover across one of the most dangerous places on earth. I am a little disappointed that the group did not have more time to spend with villagers and that most of the photos are taken of their vehicle and the ridiculously disastrous roads (I actually have a lot of photos that look like that.) Much of the writing is about which Land Rover parts broke and needed to be repaired.

Having lived there, I can say that is almost impossible to believe that they could make it across the country without paying a bribe.

[Felix · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this. I was a little hesitant going in, a book about foreign visitors to Congo aiming to cross the country on their own, in such an exploited place in the world, but the team really went in with an open mindset which made all the difference. They discuss all the Congolese people they meet, for better or worse, and how so many both helped and hindered their journey. They discuss the rough terrain they encounter, the lack of supplies and resources, and the plight of the Congolese people as a whole. It's insightful, and jabs taken at them by the locals are all taken in stride, realizing and accepting their place as just that — foreigners in someone else's country. The photos were beautiful as well. I stayed up far too late reading this one, but it was definitely worth my time.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gritty and authentic

I couldn't put this down. It is the first travel/expedition book about the DRC that resonates strongly with my own attempts to move around outside of the bigger towns. It's surprisingly candid about the attitudes of people, in particular government officials, relief and UN and church staff which is refreshing. Highly recommended reading for anyone contemplating a real overland adventure. A great read.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an exciting and exhilarating adventure and trail of the human spirit and the thin breath bond that establishes a relationship.

[Mike Studdard · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing, honest tale of a difficult journey and three travelers' interactions.

[Stephen Flanagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining read, about three friends who were forced to drive cross country through the Congo mainly due to financial necessity, in an old run down Land Rover. Not mind blowing, but well written, with some good insight into what travelling through DRC would be like. Worth a read.