Kayaking Madagascar's Longest River - The Mangok with Oscar Scafidi

🎧 Follow the show here— it really helps *Adventure Diaries* reach more listeners. Thank you. 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 Cold open — Crocodile Canyon and why hippos are the real danger 01:28 Guest intro — 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 Send us Fan Mail Support the show **Thanks For Listening.** If you enjoyed this episode, please **leave a comment and subscribe** for more exciting content. Please visit AdventureDiaries.com/GO  For more authentic stories of Adventure Exploration and the natural world The **Adventure Diaries Podcas**t also covers a broad spectrum OF topics withIN the fields of Adventure, Exploration, Micro-adventure, Survival, Mental Resilience, Conservation, Scotland, Hiking, Solo Travel, Cycling, Nature, Storytelling, Mountaineering