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Kayaking Madagascar's Longest River - The Mangok with Oscar Scafidi
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Oscar Scafidi has spent two decades living and working across 36 countries in Africa — writing travel guides for Bradt, teaching African history, and launching himself down some of the continent's most remote rivers. In 2022, he and a teammate attempted the first descent of Madagascar's Mangoky River: 750km, 28 days, and a 200km portage across a waterless mountain range that nearly broke the expedition before it began.
The Mangoky has no agreed source — no GPS coordinates, no signpost. Getting to the start meant heading towards a mountain and asking locals which way the water flowed. Getting to the finish meant nine days on foot through terrain with no water and no settlements, carrying a 40kg Klepper folding kayak in pieces, before finally reaching the river proper.
This episode covers the full story — the five years of planning, the crocodiles, the schistosomiasis, the team dynamics, and the entirely unplanned French feast that closed it all out.
Chapters:
00:00 Crocodile Canyon and why hippos are the real danger
01:28 Oscar Scafidi, expedition kayaker and Africa travel writer
03:45 From Italy to Sudan — how an accidental teaching job started everything
07:35 Why Africa? The British Airways flight that set Oscar up for the continent
09:45 Travel writing and Bradt guides — how an accidental career took off
13:25 The Angola Kwanza River expedition — how Oscar became an expedition kayaker
18:10 Why Madagascar? Five years of planning a first descent
20:55 Finding the source of the Mangoky — a river with no agreed starting point
23:35 The 200km portage — when the worst-case scenario gets worse
27:05 The Klepper kayak — a century-old design built for expeditions
31:00 Crocodiles, pirogues, and 50km days on the main Mangoky
47:25 Schistosomiasis, team dynamics, and 28 days of isolation
49:00 Finishing on the Mozambique Channel — a surprise ending and a French feast
55:00 Pay it forward — Our Kids Are Future Madagascar
Oscar Scafidi — travel writer, history teacher, expedition kayaker
Website / expedition: kayakthemangoky.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ScafidiTravels
Documentary: https://youtu.be/KlVlWQcZlA8
Book: Kayak the Mangoky
Charity: Our Kids Are Future Madagascar — educational charity supported by 25% of book profits
For full show notes and links, visit: adventurediaries.com/podcast
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