Ed Stafford is the first person to walk the length of the Amazon river, taking over two years, dicing with death, and discovering amazing things about the world, communities, and himself. Just a couple of years later he was pushing himself physically and mentally once again by living alone on a desert island with no equipment, provisions or support. Ed speaks about risk, overcoming fears, and the power of human determination.
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Ed Stafford made history as the first person to walk the length of the Amazon river. He began his 859 day journey with his close friend Luke Collier, who left the expedition after three months. Ed continued, and walked with hundreds of local people, all keen to publicise the plight of the delicate Amazonian ecosystem. One of these locals continued for the full journey as Ed’s companion and support.
Experiencing incredible hardships both physical and mental, Ed recounts the life-threatening risks, life-affirming highs, and the surprising pressures of balancing surviving one of the world’s least forgiving environments with the more mundane realities of finance and answering emails. From floods to snakes to suspicious locals, Ed’s journey takes in risk, resilience, taking on the seemingly impossible, co-operation, motivation, and respect for indigenous life and culture.
The footage Ed shot in the Amazon was made into an international Discovery TV series and he wrote about his expedition in Walking the Amazon. His achievement gained world-wide attention and won him numerous awards.
Following his return from the Amazon, Ed took on further challenges. He lived unsupported, with no equipment, provisions or support whatsoever, on a desert island for 60 days. A real-life castaway, Ed again tested his mental stamina and physical resourcefulness. He filmed the experience for another Discover series, Naked and Marooned with Ed Stafford. This led to another series, Marooned, which saw him dropped into remote, inhospitable areas, again unsupported and unequipped, where he would survive for ten days at a time.
In addition to these challenges Ed has also led expeditions to remote areas of the world since retiring from the British Army. He worked in Afghanistan, assisting the UN with the security, planning and logistics of the first ever presidential election held there. In presentations he shares his passion for the outdoors and for challenging himself. He also shares his hair-raising stories along with lessons in how to keep going in the face of adversity and the determination to achieve.
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