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20
Dec 2021
Harrogate adventurer completes dangerous mission to reach 'African pole'
A Harrogate adventurer has claimed to be the first person ever to reach the African pole of inaccessibility, which is the continent's furthest point from the ocean in any direction.
On December 6, Chris Brown and his team completed a dangerous mission through a politically unstable region to get there, which is in the middle of a dense jungle.
The pole is over 1,100 miles from the nearest coast and is near the town of Obo in the Central African Republic (CAR). It's close to the borders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan.
Mr Brown said he faced threats from "poachers, rebels and mercenaries" to reach the point, which took years of planning.
He said:
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Mr Brown's team included two security advisors from the United States, four soldiers from the CAR army and a photographer.
The journey began in London on a flight to reach Bangui, which is the capital of CAR, via Brussels, Kigali and Duala.
They then chartered a flight from Bangui to an airfield at Obo to then get on a helicopter, which took them to the jungle.
Mr Brown said:
There are seven different poles of inaccessibility in the various continents and Mr Brown hopes to visit them all. He's heading to Antarctica later this month.
Most of his friends and family all say the same thing about his adventurous hobby.
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