The Peruvian expedition will try to determine which is the longest river in the world: the Nile or the Amazon?

An international expedition of explorers will attempt to resolve the dispute that has dragged on for decades, sailing in ecological boats down the river that bathes the world’s largest tropical jungle.

Propelled in three boats by solar and stair energy, the expedition “Amazon River: from ice to sea” It plans to set sail from the Peruvian Andes in April 2024, covering nearly 7,000 km in six months, via Colombia and Brazil, to the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean. to try to prove that the Amazon River is longer than the Nile.

“The main goal is to map the river and document its biodiversity” for scientific purposes and to make a documentary, Brazilian explorer Yuri Sanada, coordinator of the project, told AFP.

So far, only a dozen people are known to have ventured all over the Amazon by kayak, but no one ever did, says Sanada, who runs audiovisual production company Aventuras Produções with his wife Vera Sanada.

where the river is born

Recognized as the most powerful river in the world, however, the length of the Amazon has been a matter of debate for decades, either because it can vary depending on methodology or because there is no consensus on something very basic: where the river begins and ends.

The Guinness Book of Records attributes the throne to the African River as the longest.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the South American River is about 6,400 km long, from its attributed headwaters in the Apurímac River, in southern Peru, while the Nile is 6,650 km long.

In 2014, American neuroscientist and explorer James Contos proposed an alternative theory, according to which the Amazon could be traced to the headwaters of another river, the Mantaro, located further north in the mountains of northern Peru.

If the expedition considers that point to be the origin and a “further south mouth” of the delta, it could “result in a greater length of the Amazon compared to the Nile,” Contos explained to AFP.

Horseback riding and rafting

The expedition coordinated by Sanada will deal with these two aspects in parallel: a group, led by Contos, will descend through the rapid waters of the Mantaro while rafting, while another on horseback will travel the bank of the Apurímac, with the French explorer Céline Cousteau, granddaughter of the legendary oceanographer Jacques Cousteau.

Where these two streams meet, Sanada and two other explorers embark on the longest part of the journey in individual canoes made of bioresin and powered by motors powered by solar panels and pedals.specially designed for the expedition.

By navigating the entire length of the river with a sensor, “we will be able to get a much more accurate measurement,” Sanada explains.

The journey will be accompanied on some parts by a support boat, which will serve as a base for audiovisual and scientific tasks.

A goal of the project, which is supported by international organizations such as The Explorers Club and the Harvard Map Library, is to transfer the technology of sustainable engines to the local indigenous people to reduce their dependence on gasolineSanada argues.

Fear of armed groups

Anacondas, alligators, jaguars… none of the animals they encounter along the way intimidate Sanada.

“What I fear most are the traffickers and illegal miners,” he admits.

Therefore, they will add a bulletproof cabin to the ships and negotiate with the authorities the possibility of an armed escort in the most dangerous sections.

If successful, the expedition could be repeated later on the Nile, says Sanada.

For the Brazilian, the longest river controversy may never be resolved. But the interest aroused by this “breed” serves to draw attention to the Brazil’s natural wealth and the preservation of the planet.

“The Amazon is (partly) in Brazil, but the consequences of its destruction and the obligation to preserve it belong to everyone,” he defends.