ASH DYKES HAS FINISHED DAY ONE IN THE CONGO BASIN… AND SO FAR, THE RIVER HAS BEEN CALM. 🌍 Ash Dykes has officially begun his journey through the Congo Basin. After everything it took just to reach Nola — missing luggage, delayed paperwork, checkpoints, storms, difficult roads and even fallen trees — Ash and his team finally made it onto the Sangha River. And now the real expedition has begun. During his latest TikTok LIVE, Ash gave followers an update from the river and revealed that they had made it around 65 kilometres into the journey. The plan now is to camp for the night and get up early, around 5 AM, to begin Day Two. Day One was considered a success. And surprisingly, there hasn’t been any major or crazy incident on the water so far. There have been a few whirlpools along the way, but nothing that has stopped the expedition. And despite all the speculation online about what they might encounter, there haven’t been any dramatic exotic-animal encounters yet. But that doesn’t mean the journey is going to be easy. Ash is travelling more than 700 kilometres down the Sangha River, from Nola toward Mossaka, where the Sangha eventually meets the Congo River. The expedition is expected to take around three to four weeks. He is travelling with a local guide and a UK-based videographer, while using inflatable kayaks that can be deflated and carried if sections of the route become impossible to navigate by water. And getting to this point was already an adventure. Before reaching the river, the team discovered that a bag containing their kayak pumps, tents, food and water had gone missing after arriving in Cameroon. The luggage was eventually recovered, but then visa and paperwork problems created another delay at the Cameroon–Central African Republic border. The team had to find another way into the country before eventually reaching Nola. Now they’re finally moving. Ash has previously explained that the expedition isn’t just about paddling down a river. The team will be travelling through an extremely remote environment where conditions can change quickly. He has prepared for wildlife, disease, difficult terrain and long periods away from normal help and infrastructure. So Day One may have been relatively calm… But they’re still only at the beginning. The biggest question now is: WHAT WILL DAY TWO BRING? Will the river remain calm? Will they encounter wildlife? Will the current become more difficult? Or will the Congo Basin finally show them why so many people have been watching this expedition so closely? For now, Ash and his team are camping for the night. 5 AM comes early. DAY TWO IS NEXT. 🌍🐊 I’ll keep following the expedition and bring you the next major update as Ash moves deeper into the Congo Basin. #CongoBasin #AshDykes #CongoRiver #SanghaRiver #Project6 - @worldunseen247