Africa’s well-known explorers Kingsley and Ross Holgate and their veteran expedition team are at it again; this time on a humanitarian journey to Mozambique with a major focus on malaria prevention in communities surrounding the greater Gorongosa National Park.
Less than a year after completing the gruelling 62,000-kilometre, ‘Afrika Odyssey’ expedition that explored 22 of the most remote wildlife regions on the continent and reached as far as the Ennedi Massif in the northern Sahara Desert regions of Chad, the Holgate expedition team is turning its attention closer to home.
According to the World Health Organisation’s most recent Malaria Report, global malaria cases grew by 11 million in 2023 compared to the previous year, with 263 million reported cases. Of the 597,000 malaria deaths recorded in 2023, 95% remain concentrated in African countries. 75% of those occurred among children under five, including Mozambique, where malaria remains endemic.
“In 2012, we first visited Gorongosa National Park in central Mozambique to celebrate the end of our Great African Rift Valley expedition, by symbolically emptying the calabash of seawater we had carried all the way from the Gulf of Tadjora on Djibouti’s Red Sea coast into Gorongosa’s Lake Urema, which marks the southerly point of the Great African Rift Valley,” said Kingsley Holgate.
“It was on that journey that we first learned of the success story of Gorongosa National Park, and how it was being brought back to life after the Mozambique Civil War by a remarkable team, headed by philanthropist Greg Carr, to become an African miracle of nature’s ability to survive.”
“In 2019, we journeyed to Gorongosa again, this time on a mercy mission to support communities around the Park after the destruction of Cyclone Idai. Malaria and cholera cases had reached frightening levels due to the floodwaters that had swept away homesteads and crops and left thousands of people destitute and vulnerable to disease.”
“It is now time to return and augment the Park’s existing community health care programmes with malaria prevention support for women and children. We’ll also provide eye tests and reading glasses to poor-sighted, mostly elderly people living in this remote region of central Mozambique, and introduce the educational Wildlife Art campaign to schools and Girls Clubs on the boundaries of the Park. This vibrant, youth-focussed programme has, in the past 12 years, reached around 700,000 children across Africa and beyond; it will be the first time that children in Mozambique can participate.”
Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique is one of Africa’s greatest wildlife restoration stories. It was officially declared a national park by the Portuguese authorities in 1960, and hunting was banned. Improvements were made to trails, roads and buildings, and the Park became known as ‘Africa’s Garden of Eden’, internationally acclaimed for its diverse wildlife, including large herds of elephant, buffalo, hippos, zebras and wildebeest. It became a popular choice for celebrities in the 1960s and 1970s; among those who visited were Hollywood actors John Wayne, Joan Crawford and Gregory Peck, astronaut James Lovell, and renowned biologist EO Wilson.
But the Mozambican Civil War (1977 – 1992) severely impacted Gorongosa, with battles fought within the Park and its surrounding areas. The conflict led to the Park’s closure in 1983, with widespread destruction of infrastructure and a massive decline in wildlife populations. Hundreds of elephants were poached for their ivory, and many other animals were hunted for food, or died due to the war's impact.
In 2008, the Government of Mozambique and US philanthropist Greg Carr formed the ‘Gorongosa Restoration Project’, a 20-year Public-Private Partnership for the joint management of the Park and for human development in neighbouring communities. It was such a resounding success that in 2018, the Government of Mozambique renewed the management agreement of Gorongosa National Park for another 25 years.
For over 25 years, Land Rover and particularly the Defender model, have been the vehicle of choice for all Holgate geographic and humanitarian expeditions. This Greater Gorongosa Expedition is no different; alongside the two new-generation Defender 130s, four other heritage Defenders will be part of the convoy, each with their own unique histories of travel and adventure in Africa, and all loaded to the hilt with humanitarian and educational resources for the communities surrounding Gorongosa National Park in this new journey of purpose.
“This expedition will be an incredible blend of heritage between the old and new, both having achieved geographical world firsts. From a circumnavigation of the African continent and then the discovery for the world of the ‘Heart of Africa’ (geographical centre point) – to a 30-country expedition from the southern tip of Africa to the most northern point of Europe at Nordkapp in Norway’s Arctic circle,” explained expedition leader Ross Holgate.
“Whilst the new-generation Defender is more capable with its incredible technology and comfort, we must still salute those older models that got us there in the first place. Defender is an iconic brand that not only stands for a combination of history, capability and durability but also promotes a legacy of purpose into the future.”
“This is our 42nd expedition,” Ross continued. “The two new-generation Defender 130s leading this Greater Gorongosa Expedition are the same ones that completed the gruelling 62,000-kilometre Afrika Odyssey expedition in 2023/2024, conquering some of the harshest terrain and weather conditions we’ve ever experienced in all our years of travel and adventure in Africa.”
“We expect Mozambique to throw its own set of challenges. Late summer rainfall means that parts of Gorongosa National Park’s 4,000-square-kilometres are still waterlogged, plus our route through little-explored conservation areas all the way to the Zambezi River is likely to be a demanding 4x4 adventure.”
The Greater Gorongosa Expedition departs from South Africa in early June after a vibrant send-off from the Koru Environmental Kids Camp near Hoedspruit, where 800 children living near the Greater Kruger Conservation Area are participating in the expedition’s educational Wildlife Art campaign.
In addition, the expedition is facilitating the delivery of 250 pairs of rugged Jim Green boots for the rangers of Gorongosa National Park, as part of the ‘Boots For Rangers’ initiative.
Alongside the symbolic African calabash that has accompanied every Holgate geographic and humanitarian expedition for 20 years, a unique Gorongosa Scroll of Peace and Goodwill will collect messages of support from traditional leaders, local community beneficiaries, park rangers, conservation partners, government envoys and other supporters met along the Greater Gorongosa Expedition’s route.
To stay connected with the Greater Gorongosa Expedition’s progress, follow the Kingsley Holgate Foundation or Gorongosa National Park on social media.
Pictured here: Richard Mabanga, long time friend and KHF expedition partner with Kingsley Holgate check out the route map on a lead Defender at the start of the greater Gorongosa National Park Expedition.