The man who walked from Cape Town to Cairo

Posted by Ondela Mlandu on 12 December 2018

For many of us, traversing Africa is only a dream, but explorer Mario Rigby made it a reality. His solo journey called ‘Crossing through Africa’ took two years to complete and he covered over 12,000km from Cape Town to Cairo on foot, with a bit of kayaking in between.

In this short video Mario speaks a little about his journey and the incredible hospitality he experienced across the continent.
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I was told that the Cape of Good Hope was not the most southern tip of Africa so I took a 2 trek detour to get to Cape Agulhas which geographically is the most southern tip of Africa. #capeagulhas #southerntipofafrica #walking

A post shared by Mario Rigby | Explorer (@mariorigby) on Mar 31, 2018 at 4:19pm PDT

Mario covered a total of eight countries, including South Africa, Egypt, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan. Kind strangers supplied him with food, water and shelter.

I walked into a random town in Mozambique and made friends with a local guy who had a few too many drinks. But things ended up working really well because I completely trusted a random drunk stranger to take me to his family to have a place to sleep and eat. It was such a beautiful experience to be with them. I was taken in like their own family. The point is, at this time I was able to quickly read whether someone is out to do you harm or out to help you. You can just tell, and your detection skill develops over time. I’m currently posting highlights from the beginning of my expedition till the end. Stay tuned and enjoy!

A post shared by Mario Rigby | Explorer (@mariorigby) on Apr 14, 2018 at 3:09pm PDT

We chatted to Mario about his travels and he said “I decided to travel in an unconventional way to find challenges that keep me motivated to continue discovering the rawness of humanity and world. It is all too common to sit back and take the easy route but I wanted to explore in a unique way that forces me to sit and have conversations with tribal people, from this I’ve learnt a great deal.”

What strikes you immediately in Mozambique is the richness of the soil and how people have adapted their lives to it. Anywhere you go you’ll find a delicious mango, orange, cashew nut or coconut trees. While talking alongside the road I just needed to extend my arm out to have any one of those foods. #mozambique #Throwback2016 #crossingafrica #travel #adventure #hiking #hikeafrica #africanlife #exploration #blacktravel #longwalks #orange #mango

A post shared by Mario Rigby | Explorer (@mariorigby) on Apr 17, 2018 at 6:13am PDT

Mario will embark on his next expedition early next year of driving through Africa with an electric car equipped with foldable solar panels, to promote the use of renewable and sustainable energy throughout the continent. The project is called EVA (Electric Vehicle Africa) He will be the first person ever to drive an electric vehicle around the African continent.

Met these kids on the road trying to make money off of their traditions. Which is a process in which boys become men. There are several names for them. These guys were cool though and I never have money to hand out anyway so they just relaxed around me. What would you ask them? #africantradition #comingofage #masaii #tribes #africanlife #hiking #longwalks #adventure #exploration

A post shared by Mario Rigby | Explorer (@mariorigby) on Jul 14, 2018 at 5:13pm PDT

Find out more of Mario’s travel adventures here

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The man who walked from Cape Town to Cairo

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