As in all their adventures, this new Holgate Land Rover odyssey, which began on 2 January 2020, is also linked to humanitarian and conservation work along the way.
South Africa (27 January 2020) – World-renowned modern-day adventurer Kingsley Holgate and his team completed their 10,000-kilometre geographic and humanitarian adventure across Africa at the end of 2019… and then kicked off another conservation adventure on the 2 January 2020.
Just no stopping this incredible South African!
Kingsley Holgate (born 28 February 1946 in Natal) is a South African explorer, humanitarian and author. A fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, he has been described by Getaway Magazine as “the most travelled man in Africa” and has modelled himself on David Livingstone. Holgate has also written several books about his expeditions and fronted several National Geographic documentaries.
“What better place to kick off 2020 and a bright new decade, than from the 3,262m Tlaeeng Summit in Lesotho one of the highest driveable road-passes in Africa, all part of a challenging high altitude Land Rover and mountain bike Riding High on Sky Expedition by the Kingsley Holgate Foundation (KHF) Team to tackle 100 of Southern Africa’s highest and toughest mountain passes in just 30 days.”
‘It’s another tough challenge for our specially kitted-out Land Rover Discovery, but mountain passes are not new to them,’ explains veteran expedition leader Ross Holgate, who heads up the Foundation.
As in all their journeys of Discovery, this new Holgate Land Rover odyssey, which began on 2 January 2020, is also linked to humanitarian and conservation work along the way.
Holgate founded the ‘Kingsley Holgate Foundation’ which aims to “save and improve lives through adventure” through “humanitarian expeditions that make a difference”. This has been the focus of his more recent expeditions such as the ‘Africa Rainbow Expedition’ and ‘The Outside Edge Expedition’. This aim has been implemented through programmes such as the ‘One Net, One Life’ campaign which aims to give out thousands of mosquito nets to help prevent malaria simply and cheaply. The ‘Right to Sight’ campaign provides glasses to assist the hard of sight, allowing them to resume simple tasks such as sewing, reading and beadwork to help them contribute to their community. The third campaign ‘Teaching on the Edge’, a scheme supported by Centurus Colleges and Rotary International, aims to provide teaching resources and mobile libraries to remote communities to provide education and improve literacy.
“These are the same Land Rovers that, on a recent Cape Town to Kathmandu expedition, not only completed the high Caucuses mountain passes between Georgia and Russia but also the ancient high-altitude Silk Routes across Armenia and Iran, the famed Khyber Pass between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the Karakoram route to China, said to be one of the highest paved roads in the world.”
One of the colourful expedition members is ‘seven summiteer’ (meaning he’s climbed the highest peaks in each of the world’s seven continents) “Shova” Mike Nixon, one of the ‘Last Lions’ and Land Rover team member of the famed Absa Cape Epic, who will use this journey as high altitude training for the 2020 mountain bike event.
Related Stories
Tina Thiart On What it Will Take to Turn SA's Fight Against GBV into Meaningful Action
Eastern Cape Business Leaders Help Deliver 200 Life-Changing WheelchairsKingsley explains that apart from the high passes of the Kingdom of Lesotho and the Eastern Cape (passes with colourful names like Ben Mac Dhui, Ongeluks Nek, Ramatselitso and Baster Voetslaan), the Riding High on Sky expedition will also pay tribute to Thomas Bain, by following in the footsteps of one of South Africa’s greatest road engineers who, starting in 1848, built famous mountain passes with names like Swartberg, Baviaans, Prince Alfred, Bains Kloof and the ‘Seven Passes’ road.
The team plan to end their 3000Km mountain pass journey in the north-west of the country on a pass aptly named, ‘The Road to Hell’, followed by the 7 rugged passes of the Richtersveld.
by 
