Up the Creek: An Amazon Adventure
BrazilAdded on January 15, 2026
Description
This seven month canoe journey through the remotest Amazon rainforest was over-ambitious, and a little bit insane. With no means of contacting the outside world and be rescued, John and his companion paddled 600 miles against the current of the river Jari, with the plan to carry the canoe 20 miles over the hills from Brazil to French Guiana. Malaria, leishmaniasis, hunger and constant hardship nearly killed them, but couldn't dent their enthusiasm. Adventure doesn't come better than this, immersed in unexplored wilderness, far from the destruction of the modern world.After seven canoeing expeditions to the Amazon, John Harrison is regarded as one of the world's experts on independent jungle exploration. He has also canoed the Niger, four rivers in the Barrens of the Canadian north, and rivers in the USA and Europe. John has been profiled by National Geographic TV, and chaired tropical forest workshops at the Royal Geographical Society.'Mountaineers have many classic accounts of daring ascents of horribly difficult peaks. With 'Up the Creek', tropical forest lovers now have their own epic adventure.' Dr John Hemming. Ex-Director of the Royal Geographical Society
Reader Reviews
My favorite read of the summer!!
I am not sure where to begin with a review of this book.I have read many books written by people who skiied solo to the South Pole, who climbed the highest mountain peaks in death-defying and brutal conditions, who have accomplished many amazing feats.This book, in places, make some of those feel like a walk through a park.John Harrison had a goal of reaching the headwaters of the Jari River in Brazil by canoe, and then carry the vessel over the mountains into French Guiana. Who would really wan
This is the account of Harrison's attempt to reach the limit of the Jari River, a tributary of the Amazon, and to then continue into French Guiana. It was a really tough trip. They were travelling by canoe, which is fine when the rivers are wide and deep, but the further up the tributary they went, the harder the travelling was. His first companion gave up after a month or so, and he had to travel back to Monte Dourado to find another companion.The second part of the trip went well, but it was r
