Walking the Amazon: 860 Days. One Step at a Time.

What happens when an adventure travel expert — who's never actually done anything adventurous — tries to re-create the original expedition to Machu Picchu?

July 24, 1911, was a day for the history books. For on that rainy morning, the young Yale professor Hiram Bingham III climbed into the Andes Mountains of Peru and encountered an ancient city in the clouds: the now famous citadel of Machu Picchu. Nearly a century later, news reports have recast the hero explorer as a villain who smuggled out priceless artifacts and stole credit for finding one of the world's greatest archaeological sites.

Mark Adams has spent his career editing adventure and travel magazines, so his plan to investigate the allegations against Bingham by retracing the explorer's perilous path to Machu Picchu isn't completely far- fetched, even if it does require him to sleep in a tent for the first time. With a crusty, antisocial Australian survivalist and several Quechua-speaking, coca-chewing mule tenders as his guides, Adams takes readers through some of the most gorgeous and historic landscapes in Peru, from the ancient Inca capital of Cusco to the enigmatic ruins of Vitcos and Vilcabamba.

Along the way he finds a still-undiscovered country populated with brilliant and eccentric characters, as well as an answer to the question that has nagged scientists since Hiram Bingham's time: Just what was Machu Picchu?

"In 2010, Stafford, a retired British army captain and worldwide expedition leader, became the first person to walk the entire length of the Amazon River. Accompanied for the majority of the trip by a Peruvian forestry worker nicknamed 'Cho,' Stafford trekked across mountains, through jungles, and always downriver. 4,000 miles and 860-days after he set out, the intrepid traveler raced into the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Here, Stafford recounts numerous details of his trip-from the nerve-wracking preparations to the extensive list of equipment and technical paraphernalia necessary for the expedition-as well as thrilling anecdotes from the trail. En route, Stafford and Cho navigated flood waters, stumbled upon Incan mummies in remote cemeteries, dealt with hostile natives, and endured the miserable 'manta blanca (white coat)... of swarms of sand flies and mosquitoes.' In addition to the countless traumas and triumphs of the physically demanding journey, Stafford holds forth on grander issues whose impact he witnessed firsthand, including drug-trafficking and deforestation and their effects on tribal communities. Fans of Jon Krakauer will revel in Stafford's environmentally-minded adventure. Photos." Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

"One of the boldest modern-day adventures ever taken." Bear Gryllis, host of Discovery Channel's Man Vs. Wild

"[Walking the Amazon] stands elbow-to-elbow with adventure classics from Thesiger to Krakauer." Mark Adams, author of Turn Right at Machu Picchu

"All generations need heroes; it's lovely to have a real one for a change." The Times (London)

"Totally, completely and utterly mad." Michael Palin, author and actor

"Vicariously joining this 860-day trek through extremely inhospitable terrain — made all the more challenging by hostile tribes, lethal animals, food scarcities, and extreme weather — has made for an exhilarating adventure." National Geographic

A riveting account of one man's history-making journey along the entire length of the Amazon — and through the most bio-diverse habitat on Earth.

In April 2008, Ed Stafford set off to become the first man ever to walk the entire length of the Amazon. He started on the Pacific coast of Peru, crossed the Andes Mountain range to find the official source of the river. His journey lead on through parts of Colombia and right across Brazil; all while outwitting dangerous animals, machete wielding indigenous people as well as negotiating injuries, weather and his own fears and doubts. Yet, Stafford was undeterred. On his grueling 860-day, 4,000-plus mile journey, Stafford witnessed the devastation of deforestation firsthand, the pressure on tribes due to loss of habitats as well as nature in its true-raw form. Jaw-dropping from start to finish, Walking the Amazon is as gripping as books by Bill Bryson, Jon Krakauer and David Grann. Walking the Amazon is the unforgettable story of an unprecedented adventure.

As seen on Discovery Channel and for readers of Cheryl Strayed's Wild, Bill Bryson, Jon Krakauer, and David Grann, a riveting, adventurous account of one mans history-making journey along the entire length of the Amazon — and through the most bio-diverse habitat on Earth.  Fans of Turn Right at Machu Piccu will revel in Ed Stafford's extraordinary prose and lush descriptions. 

In April 2008, Ed Stafford set off to become the first man ever to walk the entire length of the Amazon. He started on the Pacific coast of Peru, crossed the Andes Mountain range to find the official source of the river. His journey lead on through parts of Colombia and right across Brazil; all while outwitting dangerous animals, machete wielding indigenous people as well as negotiating injuries, weather and his own fears and doubts. Yet, Stafford was undeterred. On his grueling 860-day, 4,000-plus mile journey, Stafford witnessed the devastation of deforestation firsthand, the pressure on tribes due to loss of habitats as well as nature in its true-raw form. Jaw-dropping from start to finish, Walking the Amazon is the unforgettable and gripping story of an unprecedented adventure.