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Kayaks Down the Nile
The approximately 6693 km long Nile is the longest river on earth and one of the greatest wonders of nature. She has been playing a vital role in the development of the human race for 6,000 years. The water of the Nile is the source of life for an immense human population, which consists of dozens of breeds. Moreover, the Nile runs along an impressive variety of nature: from the 4,500-meter-high Moon Mountains - the Ruwenzori Mountains in Uganda, with an exotic alpine vegetation that turns into dense, tropical rainforests - to the scorching, cork-dry deserts of Sudan and Egypt. Between these two extremes lies the largest swamp in the world.
Since the very beginning of human history, this great river has fascinated and challenged people. For centuries, countless expeditions have attempted to follow her endless course through Africa and to solve the oldest and most controversial mystery in geography: the secret of its origins.
In 1950, John Goddard and his two companions, as the first in history, followed the river from its source in the heart of Africa to its mouth in the Mediterranean. The call of the Nile is the diary of Goddard: a travelogue in the best tradition of the great explorers of history.
Since the very beginning of human history, this great river has fascinated and challenged people. For centuries, countless expeditions have attempted to follow her endless course through Africa and to solve the oldest and most controversial mystery in geography: the secret of its origins.
In 1950, John Goddard and his two companions, as the first in history, followed the river from its source in the heart of Africa to its mouth in the Mediterranean. The call of the Nile is the diary of Goddard: a travelogue in the best tradition of the great explorers of history.
318 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 13, 2016
This book describes the grand adventures of my grand uncle as he paddled thousands of miles to explore the entire length of the Nile River. His harrowing tale pulled from his journal during the journey chronicles treacherous encounters with dangerous waters, animals, insects and people.
Well done Uncle John!
Well done Uncle John!
January 6, 2022
This book was gifted to me and sat on my bookshelf for 30 years before I picked it up and read it.
This delay was one of my bigger mistakes in life. It is now out-of-print and only available from a private seller on Amazon at $150 per copy. And probably worth that price.
Goddard was a true explorer, one of the last of a breed. He did this in 1950, the first trip down the entire course of the Nile, the longest river on earth, a distance equivalent to one-sixth of the earth’s circumference, equivalent to a trip from New York to Naples. And it was done in primitive folding kayaks consisting of a collapsible wood frame inserted in a canvas shell—a far cry from today’s kayak technology. They braved hippos, crocodiles, poisonous snakes, wild elephants, and other dangerous animals, including the most dangerous of all—humans. They encountered everything—good, bad, and amazing—from treacherous rapids and soaring desert temperatures to utter remoteness, primitive cultures and ancient ruins, and much more. It was truly an amazing adventure, a tremendous accomplishment, and a well-written account.
It starts out with descriptions of the disbelievers. “'A trip down the Nile in those cockleshells?’ blurted the British customs officer as we presented our equipment for inspection. ‘You must be crackers!’” And that was a fair assessment.
It is surprising his team of three didn’t abandon their quest after the first day, when they nearly perished, barely out of the starting gate. “We were exhausted by the exertion of wallowing and staggering with our loads in knee-deep muck, but the real misery came from the countless squadrons of kamikaze insects. It seemed that every creeping, flying vampire in the area had come to prospect our bodies for a meal, stilettoing us from ears to ankles until we were a mass of stinging, itching welts. It was the longest and most painful day of our lives. …We were covered with chigger, tsetse fly, and mosquito bites and smarting from scratches caused by thorns and sawgrass. Andre and I had numerous painful bruises from our capsizing in the rock-bound rapids. But though our first taste of kayaking in Africa had been nearly fatal, the single most overpowering emotion we felt was a tremendous gratitude to be alive.”
Toward the end of the expedition, he was able to put it all in perspective, “I can understand now how it was that so many great prophets of old came out of the desert or developed their spirituality there. Like the Nubians, we are poor materially and cut off from the modern world, but we enjoy a great sense of contentment and freedom. We have no real home, not much food, no modern luxuries, sand for a bed, the sky for a roof; but we are blessed with youth, health, friendship, adventure, new experiences daily, beauty in nature, and an unprecedented feeling of closeness to God. I personally could ask for nothing more of life.”
When Goddard was 15 years old, he made a list of 127 things he wanted to do in his life, the Nile being at the top of his list. He accomplished 110 of his goals, failing to reach just a few of the more arduous ones, like “visit the moon” and “appear in a Tarzan movie”. He died in 2013 at the age of 89, a life well-lived. I wish I’d met him, but at least I have his autographed book.
This delay was one of my bigger mistakes in life. It is now out-of-print and only available from a private seller on Amazon at $150 per copy. And probably worth that price.
Goddard was a true explorer, one of the last of a breed. He did this in 1950, the first trip down the entire course of the Nile, the longest river on earth, a distance equivalent to one-sixth of the earth’s circumference, equivalent to a trip from New York to Naples. And it was done in primitive folding kayaks consisting of a collapsible wood frame inserted in a canvas shell—a far cry from today’s kayak technology. They braved hippos, crocodiles, poisonous snakes, wild elephants, and other dangerous animals, including the most dangerous of all—humans. They encountered everything—good, bad, and amazing—from treacherous rapids and soaring desert temperatures to utter remoteness, primitive cultures and ancient ruins, and much more. It was truly an amazing adventure, a tremendous accomplishment, and a well-written account.
It starts out with descriptions of the disbelievers. “'A trip down the Nile in those cockleshells?’ blurted the British customs officer as we presented our equipment for inspection. ‘You must be crackers!’” And that was a fair assessment.
It is surprising his team of three didn’t abandon their quest after the first day, when they nearly perished, barely out of the starting gate. “We were exhausted by the exertion of wallowing and staggering with our loads in knee-deep muck, but the real misery came from the countless squadrons of kamikaze insects. It seemed that every creeping, flying vampire in the area had come to prospect our bodies for a meal, stilettoing us from ears to ankles until we were a mass of stinging, itching welts. It was the longest and most painful day of our lives. …We were covered with chigger, tsetse fly, and mosquito bites and smarting from scratches caused by thorns and sawgrass. Andre and I had numerous painful bruises from our capsizing in the rock-bound rapids. But though our first taste of kayaking in Africa had been nearly fatal, the single most overpowering emotion we felt was a tremendous gratitude to be alive.”
Toward the end of the expedition, he was able to put it all in perspective, “I can understand now how it was that so many great prophets of old came out of the desert or developed their spirituality there. Like the Nubians, we are poor materially and cut off from the modern world, but we enjoy a great sense of contentment and freedom. We have no real home, not much food, no modern luxuries, sand for a bed, the sky for a roof; but we are blessed with youth, health, friendship, adventure, new experiences daily, beauty in nature, and an unprecedented feeling of closeness to God. I personally could ask for nothing more of life.”
When Goddard was 15 years old, he made a list of 127 things he wanted to do in his life, the Nile being at the top of his list. He accomplished 110 of his goals, failing to reach just a few of the more arduous ones, like “visit the moon” and “appear in a Tarzan movie”. He died in 2013 at the age of 89, a life well-lived. I wish I’d met him, but at least I have his autographed book.
June 30, 2009
I haven't felt a book pull me in to it's pages this strongly in a long time! It was fascinating to read the adventures of Goddard and his 2 buddies kayak the 4125 mile Nile River at a time when few white men had ever even traveled to Africa! Having contracted malaria, dysentery, staph infections and other goodies while also having to battle crocodiles and hippos along the raging whitewater rapids sounded like a miserable yet beautiful adventure! These 3 men saw things that very few people in the world have ever seen, like visiting the tomb of King Tut at a time when there were no guided tours, no signs, or even anyone monitoring the site! It was exciting to read about the trio stumbling upon archaeological site after archaeological site, and throwing on fins and a mask to explore those that had been covered over by water.
The writing was fast-paced because it was done in daily, diary fashion. The descriptions of the places John visited were sometimes brief and I found it interesting that he would mention things as a side note that most of us would consider jaw-dropping. Best of all, the book included some really cool pictures of the sites visited and of the peoples they encountered along the way. Again, I had a very hard time putting this book down and would recommend it for anyone who enjoys adventure stories or travelogues.
The writing was fast-paced because it was done in daily, diary fashion. The descriptions of the places John visited were sometimes brief and I found it interesting that he would mention things as a side note that most of us would consider jaw-dropping. Best of all, the book included some really cool pictures of the sites visited and of the peoples they encountered along the way. Again, I had a very hard time putting this book down and would recommend it for anyone who enjoys adventure stories or travelogues.
June 3, 2015
In 1951 John Goddard and two other fearless friends were the first to kayak the Nile from the its headwaters to Cairo—a total of 4,145 miles .The “Nileteers”, as they called themselves, did not wear crash helmets or life vests, rather they paddled for endless hours through hippo and crocodile infested waters, running rapids along the way in kayaks that would be considered cumbersome today. Young Goddard, who was 23 at the time, had no kayaking experience before embarking on this extreme adventure. I loved riding with him and was glad not to be exposed to all the nasty insects that plagued the explorers. The book is a series of journal entries that takes you down the river, stopping at villages of natives and hiking overland when needing to portage the kayaks. Goddard’s well-researched account imparts a good deal of historical information about each of the stops especially when kayaking through Egypt where he takes in the ancient temples and burial sites of the early pharaohs. This is a fascinating read for anyone contemplating a visit to any of the regions Goddard traversed from Lake Victoria to Cairo. Lost Angel Walkabout: One Traveler's Tales
November 29, 2010
Ahhhhh, who wants to kayak the Nile with me?
March 11, 2021
What a great story! I highly recommend this for anyone who loves stories about people who challenge themselves to do something remarkable, then actually do it.
May 21, 2023
Amazing true adventure that gets riveting near the end!
August 14, 2012
In 1950 John Goddard and two Frenchmen adventurers like himself set out to kayak down the world’s longest river. Over some twenty years later Goddard published his journal of this epic adventure. Narrated in chronological order, the account provides us with interesting vignettes of life among the various tribes and inhabitants along this magnificent river. Photographs of the journey add to its authenticity. The chief value one derives from this narrative is a clearer picture of the geography of this region of the African continent.
November 18, 2008
A real adventurers book. The courage of these three gentlemen who went down the entire Nile River by kayak was unbelievable. A life threatening occurrence seemed to happen to them every day, sometimes more often. Even more impressive was that at the time of this trip, kayaks were made of aflimsy wooden frame with a canvas covering. Overall a very informative book as well as an intersesting one. The author spares no detail in describing the cultures and histories of many of the lands visited.
January 2, 2011
Opened the book & fell in. Apart from being inspired by him & his goals - it's an interesting adventure, all the more so realizing that he did this in 1950, before the world was so open & accessible by plane, TV & video. Imagine pulling your kayak up to shore & seeing a native in a loincloth! He takes you there. And this is just ONE of his adventures.
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June 10, 2008AMAZING!!!
September 5, 2011
Lots of notations about historical context and people met along the way. Most of the people who join him for later adventures seem to drown or get eaten by crocodiles. John Goddard is the man.
August 9, 2012
A gripping adventure/explorer true tale. Keeps you on the edge of your seat.
December 12, 2009
Kayaks drew me to the book, but the hippos are keeping me enthralled.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews