Off the Map: A Journey Through the Amazonian Wild

by John Harrison

This true-life adventure-travel story follows John Harrison and his wife Heather deep into an unexplored region of the Amazon rainforests in the Guiana Highlands that border Brazil. With just a canoe and a shotgun, the newlyweds followed the most remote tributary of the Amazon River without any means of contacting civilization. Harrison tells their story as, unaided and off the map, they encounter jaguars and poisonous frogs, are threatened by malaria, and almost lose their way entirely. While experiencing travel at its most raw, they struggle to keep their deteriorating sanity and relationship intact in one of the most hostile and unforgiving places in the world. Far more harrowing than reality shows like Survivor and Amazing Race , this is armchair adventure at its most honest and compelling.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. This is John^^Harrison, the explorer.

John Harrison studied Latin American History and Sociology before working as a tour guide in South America. His first book, Up the Creek: An Amazon Adventure, was described as ‘an admirable book by an admirable man’ in the Daily Telegraph and a National Geographic documentary was made about him in 1991. He currently resides in Bristol.

Reviews

[Janh55 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aw. Sweet. Just realised he signed my copy "great to meet you" and "with best wishes" December 2001. Not that that in any way influences my memory of this as a brilliantly vivid portrayal of the Amazonian adventures of John and Heather Harrison on foot and in canoe. Repeating the expedition of a chap who died on it was always going to be a dodgy proposition. Doing it on foot carrying and sometimes paddling a collapsible canoe, with no contact with the outside world even more dodgy. So of course, it goes awry in ways you would never expect but with potentially fatal consequences both to the people and the relationship.

A lovely moment, when they have almost finished their travels but come up against a couple of officious young blokes who try to turn them back to Brazil.

"Listen you little creeps. Just get out of our way" says John.

So very English. And quite 1950's, to be honest but it made me smile - especially the way he and Heather then paddle like crazy, trying to do a runner in their canoe but are suddenly struck by the ridiculousness of their predicament and end up laughing too hard to paddle at all.

[Heidi Krumreich]

Became apparent fairly quickly that not only is the author INSANE but that he also doesn’t *actually* care about the people whose land he trespasses through ie: blatantly disregarding immigration law and the probability of bringing disease. This book mimics the pointless meandering of his adventure. If I were to slash about the jungle getting lost and nearly dying multiple times over due to my own combination of arrogance and foolishness I certainly would keep it to myself.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, did this book make it clear to me - not that there was any doubt - that I had NO interest in taking a trip like this, or traveling with John Harrison! This book could have been much shorter as John and wife seem to cut the same trail, and canoe (barely) the same place over and over. If a trip can be made boring, this is it. And I don't think the author ever explained why they were there, what the interest was. Except to see if his marriage could survive, and I don't know that it did.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

seems pretty clear that the author and his wife are absolutely insane - slashing and scratching your way through Amazonia sounds like a fucking nightmare. so the whole book was kind of like watching someone get something amputated, i.e. grossly fascinating. appreciated the author keeping his proselytizing about conservation and politics to a minimum so that the focus stayed on the travel but now my appetite has been whetted and i'd love to read more about the Amazon basin, Brazil, French Guiana, and the crazy ecosystems down there.

[Jon Pacella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book of an adventure through the Amazon by a British couple. Good read at times, a little mundane at others. The author tended to have ADD and would frequently go off on tangents about previous trips he had taken, trips other explorers had taken, Amazonian wildlife and the politics and economy of the region.

[Cjsavage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I am not a 'big travel writing' buff, the tales of a journey - following Andre Cognat's doomed dream - into the remotest parts of the Amazon basin was riveting. Excellent....