The Write Up from Kingsley Holgate – Included in the Expedition Journal
Keeping an Expedition Journal
Friends in adventure, we only know about the great journeys of the early explorers like Livingstone, Burton, Speke, Joseph Thomson, Count Teleki, that great outdoorsman Frederick Courtney Selous and so many others, because they took the trouble to keep handwritten expedition journals. The pages sometimes blotched with malarial sweat and raindrops from a tropical downpour, sometimes incoherent with fever, yet they never gave up.
When Dr Livingstone died in the great swamplands of Lake Bangweulu in present day Zambia, it was his heart that they buried in an old waterproof biscuit tin, which had been used to carry his private travel diaries. The pages I can imagine, filled with his daily scribbles, compass bearings, hand drawn maps and sketches. It was his loyal African friends, Chuma and Susi, who carried his sun-dried corpse all the way across Africa to Bagamoyo opposite Zanzibar. Together with his journals, filled with sketches of African tribes, plants, fish caught in the rivers and lakes, and even his artists impression of the Victoria Falls, which he discovered for the wider world.
On all our expeditions (many of them modern-day-world-firsts), I’ve taken the trouble to keep a scribble of the daily happenings – some of which have become books and documentaries. Of course, everyone is different, I find that the best time to put pen to paper is in the early mornings. When, so as to boil the kettle for coffee, you have to blow life into last night’s coals, and whilst the Francouns chatter and scratch in the sand for maize meal crumbs. That’s when I scribble down the previous day’s adventures and stories of the interesting characters met along the way. Sometimes, there’s only time for bullet points and rough sketches, but those still become memory jogs – especially when after a long journey, you scroll through the dog-eared pages and with the luxury of time.
Reflect on just how fortunate we are to explore Africa – one of the last great frontiers of adventure. Sure, keeping a journal is a bit of a task at first. But then it becomes a fascinating discipline, forcing you to become more observant and get just that little bit more out of your adventures.
So my friends, enjoy your personalized Melvill & Moon hand-crafted Expedition Journal, and fill the pages with stories of your memorable experiences.
Safari Njema (Have a good journey)
Best Regards
Kingsley Holgate and the Expedition Team.
Inspired by the legendary explorer and humanitarian Kingsley Holgate, this rugged yet refined collection is designed for travellers who believe the journey matters just as much as the destination. These pieces are built for adventure — practical, durable, and infused with the spirit of Africa. All Pieces carry Kingsley’s signature and a percentage of all sales goes to the Kingsley Holgate Foundation’s “Right for Sight” campaign. Which provides eye tests and reading glasses to poor-sighted people in remote communities across Africa. To date, more than 250,000 pairs of glasses have been distributed by Kingsley and his expedition team.
