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The 'Where's Manchester Expedition'

Following a lot of research that's produced very few results our intention is to explore by canoe the remote Rio Manuripi watershed from its headwaters at Mavila in Peru to its confluence with the Rio Madre de Dios in Bolivia. The route runs through one of the most remote areas of the Peruvian and Bolivian Amazonian regions and has never before been attempted in its entirety in this way.

Bolivia’s portion of the Amazon basin reflects the classical image of remote jungle, which many visualise when thinking of the Amazon. While Brazilian rainforests continue to suffer heavy degradation, the archetypal forests of northern Bolivia remain relatively intact, offering a glimpse of the deep and mysterious Eden, rich in flora, fauna and tales of lost cities. (They have also been called the Green Hell – Julian Duguid 1931.)

Traditionally the only means of transport in this region has been by canoe and overland portage. Well be undertaking a self-supported expedition using a folding canoe. The only engine we'll be using will be our arms and a paddle each. The expedition will cover the Rio Manuripi and its tributaries, endeavouring to provide a snapshot in time to capture and understand the area as it is today through the use of photography and video. The expedition will cover (as the crow flies) approximately 350 miles, however given the meandering nature of this river and its tributaries, a more accurate total distance will be 800 miles or more.

The expedition is to a little known and poorly explored region of the Eastern Amazon basin, but someone has been there before us. Lost in the jungles along the banks of the Rio Manuripi is the remains of an old settlement called Manchester! How did Manchester come to be in Bolivia and who was behind it. What happened to Manchester and does anyone remember it? Is there anything there now or has the jungle reclaimed all that it once was? The Where’s Manchester Expedition will attempt to find out.

The expedition will take place over a 2 to 3 month period between the latter end of June 2008 and the end of October 2008. The exact duration of the expedition will be governed by water levels and other factors that can't be accounted for until we're out there on the ground.

Along the jungle waterways the traditional means of transport has always been by boat and canoe. In this region villages are scarce and some remote tribes have had only minimal contact with modern civilisation. The fundamental basis of the expedition is based on a growing realisation that these remote areas may not be with us for much longer. We wish to record how this region is today. Its people and its nature. The watershed of the Rio Manuripi is one of the few areas, which the destruction of logging has yet to reach due to its geophysical and hydrological nature. During our research of the area we came across a small settlement that was strangely called Manchester, which has further fuelled our curiosity for this region. What's behind this mystery of a settlement called Manchester in a region of only Spanish named villages? How did this happen? Who was behind it?

The minimum amount of equipment will be used on the expedition to ensure that distances can be covered more efficiently while portaging any non-navigable sections of the river and its tributaries. Efficiency will be aided by the use of a folding canoe rather than one of a traditional construction. This will enable it to be carried over distances more easily if required. Dugout canoes are impractical for portaging due to their weight. Traditionally the indigenous people would paddle to a headwater, leave their canoe at the river and walk over to the next tributary and use another canoe previously left in that location by other Indians to continue their journey. This tradition is no longer observed with the adoption of outboard engines and therefore we will have to carry our own canoe.

Folding solar panels will provide sustainable, clean, non-polluting power for all our electrical equipment, including lights, batteries, GPS ect. We'll be undertaking this expedition alone to facilitate both speed of travelling and decision-making. That means, no guides and no porters - just the two of us. For over 12 years we've undertaken a variety of expeditions and have come to know each other’s individual strengths and weaknesses intimately. As such, we can make the right decisions at the right time to ensure the success of undertakings like this. This expedition will face logistical, physical and mental challenges, not least of which is the very nature of the environment into which we are going. The waterways of a jungle can be a hostile environment of heat, humidity, mud and flash flooding, presenting physical challenges of fatigue, disease, restricted diet and occasional danger. There's the mental challenges of isolation, incessant insects and claustrophobia. The logistical challenges include the need to replenish food supplies, portaging of gear, navigation using inaccurate maps and limited GPS signals amongst others. We will be supplementing our food supplies by fishing. In the dark under storey of the jungle electrical equipment will be recharged using solar cells and we will have to gain power through being in mid river wherever possible to utilise available sunlight.

Someone has gone here before us, giving a settlement in the Bolivian Amazon the name of Manchester but who was this person or people? There are very few previous explorers of the region known of. However, arguably, the most famous is Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett (1867 – 1925) He travelled to the Southwest Amazonian region to explore and map the area at the behest of the Royal Geographic Society, initially in 1906. He undertook a number of expeditions to both the Mato Grosso (Northern Pantanal) of Brazil and the Amazonian region that forms the border confluence between Brazil, Bolivia and Peru (and beyond). The exact circumstances and location of his disappearance in 1925 is unknown but two disputed suggestions are that he was in what is now the Pando Department of Bolivia with the intention of establishing a cult commune and/or looking for the fabled lost city of Gold, sometimes referred to as Paititi.

Portuguese and Spanish fortune hunters first explored the region in the footsteps of the Inca searching for gold and fame. Prior to Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett were the Rubber Barons who exploited both the resources and people of the region.

There's an adventure ahead of us and we'll share it as we can,when we can. Enjoy the upcoming accounts of the journey.