British adventurer Ash Dykes is currently somewhere on the Sangha River, posting from one of Central Africa's most remote waterways as he attempts to paddle 434 miles (700km) in an inflatable kayak. Dubbed the "Congo River Kayak Guy" on TikTok, Dykes launched the trip on October 8, running from Nola in the Central African Republic to Mossaka in the Republic of the Congo. It's the first of six expeditions in his new Project 6 film series, all documented on social media.
Dykes is no first-timer. A five-time world record holder, he has crossed Mongolia on foot, walked the length of China's Yangtze River and cycled across Britain. Still, the boat choice raised eyebrows — a puncture in hippo territory seems like a recipe for disaster. Experts who assessed the plan for Outside Online disagree, sort of.
Evan Stafford of American Whitewater and packrafting instructor Sarah Kilbourne both say inflatables are genuinely suited to remote river travel. The big advantage is portability: if Dykes hits a waterfall, logjam or a stretch of river he'd rather not share with crocodiles, he can deflate the boat, stuff it in a backpack and portage around the problem. It also makes nightly camp moves easier, since the team — Dykes, a local guide and a videographer — hauls everything away from the riverbed to sleep.
The real challenges aren't the rapids, mostly because there aren't many. This stretch of the Sangha is wide, flat and slow, which trades whitewater drama for a grinding test of endurance. Four hundred-plus miles of flat paddling means repetitive strain injuries, mental fatigue and the sheer monotony of a month-long slog. Then there's the wildlife: crocodiles and hippos in the water, elephants, gorillas and territorial snakes in the forest. Kilbourne flags the less glamorous threats as the most serious — malaria, dengue, waterborne parasites and pathogens. She contracted E. coli on an eight-day trip in Mexico and describes how quickly judgment erodes when you're days from any evacuation.
Should you copy this? No. Behind the casual TikTok clips sit months of preparation: permits, vaccinations, medical kits, satellite communications, insurance and evacuation planning, plus a team that never travels alone. But the takeaway for ordinary paddlers is encouraging — modern inflatables are capable, expedition-grade kit. If Dykes's trip makes you want to get on the water, start with basic training, learn to read moving water, and buy gear matched to conditions you'll actually face.
Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic
