Although Livingstone and Stanley are often the first names that come to mind when we think of early jungle exploration, they represent only a fraction of the adventurers who pushed into the world’s most remote wildernesses.
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Figures such as Francisco de Orellana, pictured left, the first European to traverse the full length of the Amazon River in 1542 and Percy Fawcett, pictured right, the British explorer whose mysterious disappearance in 1925 while searching for a lost city still captivates historians, reveal just how rich and varied the history of jungle exploration truly is.
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Alexander von Humboldt – Naturalist, Geographer & Explorer (1769-1859)
Alexander von Humboldt was one of Charles Darwin’s influences and Alexander’s exploits in the area of Natural History were exceptional. Born in Berlin, Germany, Humboldt travelled South America extensively between 1799 and 1804 collecting, identifying, and exploring for scientific understanding. His aims were to improve physical geography and report on the countries visited, including Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, and Mexico.
Humboldt brought many new world animals recognition. One, named the Uakari monkey, was encountered by Humboldt while he was at a Jesuit mission. Its local name, Cacajao, was what Humboldt reported its name to be. Unfortunately, the local people and all speakers of the language are now extinct and so we will never know its true meaning.
Alexander von Humboldt was one of Charles Darwin’s influences and Alexander’s exploits in the area of Natural History were exceptional. Born in Berlin, Germany, Humboldt travelled South America extensively between 1799 and 1804 collecting, identifying, and exploring for scientific understanding. His aims were to improve physical geography and report on the countries visited, including Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, and Mexico.
Humboldt brought many new world animals recognition. One, named the Uakari monkey, was encountered by Humboldt while he was at a Jesuit mission. Its local name, Cacajao, was what Humboldt reported its name to be. Unfortunately, the local people and all speakers of the language are now extinct and so we will never know its true meaning.
Henry Walter Bates – Naturalist & Explorer (1825-1892)
Born in 1825, Bates had a passion for wildlife and a spirit for adventure. Bates set off with naturalist companion Alfred Russell Wallace on an Amazon expedition at the age of 23 to collect animals in the name of Natural History. Bates and Wallace split after a year to concentrate on different Amazon areas and eleven years later, Bates returned to England.
Born in 1825, Bates had a passion for wildlife and a spirit for adventure. Bates set off with naturalist companion Alfred Russell Wallace on an Amazon expedition at the age of 23 to collect animals in the name of Natural History. Bates and Wallace split after a year to concentrate on different Amazon areas and eleven years later, Bates returned to England.
Richard Spruce – Botanist & Explorer (1817-1893)
Richard Spruce followed Bates to the Amazon having a passionate interest in plants. He is perhaps best known for his participation in the cultivation of quinine used extensively in the treatment of Malaria, a disease that has killed more people than any other. Spruce is also regarded as one of the greatest tropical plant explorers of all time. His collections in South America were the most extensive since Alexander von Humboldt.
On his exploration in the Amazon, Spruce lived with indigenous people, held scientific ideas beyond his time and learnt several languages. Spruce provided the first detailed and accurate information on a jungle vine now known by the scientific name of Banisteropsis caapi, or simply Caapi in Brazil and Ayahuasca in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.
Richard Spruce followed Bates to the Amazon having a passionate interest in plants. He is perhaps best known for his participation in the cultivation of quinine used extensively in the treatment of Malaria, a disease that has killed more people than any other. Spruce is also regarded as one of the greatest tropical plant explorers of all time. His collections in South America were the most extensive since Alexander von Humboldt.
On his exploration in the Amazon, Spruce lived with indigenous people, held scientific ideas beyond his time and learnt several languages. Spruce provided the first detailed and accurate information on a jungle vine now known by the scientific name of Banisteropsis caapi, or simply Caapi in Brazil and Ayahuasca in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.
Exploration, however, seemed to continue to hold a fascination for the jungle like no other, and the urge for discovery continued.
Modern explorers abound, (L to R)
Modern explorers abound, (L to R)
- Ed Stafford: A British explorer who is the first person to walk the entire length of the Amazon River, completing the journey in 2010.
- David de Rothschild: An explorer and environmentalist known for his expeditions, including sailing across the Pacific Ocean on the "Plastiki," a boat made from recycled plastic bottles, to raise awareness about ocean pollution.
- Paul Rosolie: An explorer and naturalist who is known for his work in the Amazon, focusing on environmental issues and documenting its biodiversity.
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Others include:
Sydney Possuelo – Ethnographer, Social Activist & Explorer (Born 1940).
Considered the Brazilian government’s leading expert on isolated tribes of the Amazon, Possuelo has received numerous awards and is highly regarded by humanitarian groups for his efforts defending Amazon Indian rights.
Amazon Indigenous groups have had a long struggle against the developing world with farmers, loggers, miners, rubber tappers, and oil companies constantly encroaching on their land. In his struggle for indigenous rights, Possuelo has been attacked on numerous occasions and there are photos of arrows embedded in his chest!
Sydney Possuelo – Ethnographer, Social Activist & Explorer (Born 1940).
Considered the Brazilian government’s leading expert on isolated tribes of the Amazon, Possuelo has received numerous awards and is highly regarded by humanitarian groups for his efforts defending Amazon Indian rights.
Amazon Indigenous groups have had a long struggle against the developing world with farmers, loggers, miners, rubber tappers, and oil companies constantly encroaching on their land. In his struggle for indigenous rights, Possuelo has been attacked on numerous occasions and there are photos of arrows embedded in his chest!
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (1858-1919)
He is probably the most famous explorer to investigate the Amazon having been President of the USA between 1901 and 1909. Between 1913-1914, Roosevelt along with Candido Rondo and a small expedition was to be the first to travel the 1,000 miles long ‘River of Doubt’ in the Brazilian Amazon. The trip was financed by the American Museum of Natural History with the pair promising to bring back a vast variety of new animal species.
During the trip downriver he suffered a leg injury that became infected and consequently gave him tropical fever closely mirroring malaria he contracted 15 years prior in Cuba. Furthermore, the bullet that had not been removed from his chest just months earlier from an attempted assassination aggravated the infection. During the journey, Roosevelt lost some 50 pounds and upon his return to the States, his friends and family were shocked at the consequences.
He is probably the most famous explorer to investigate the Amazon having been President of the USA between 1901 and 1909. Between 1913-1914, Roosevelt along with Candido Rondo and a small expedition was to be the first to travel the 1,000 miles long ‘River of Doubt’ in the Brazilian Amazon. The trip was financed by the American Museum of Natural History with the pair promising to bring back a vast variety of new animal species.
During the trip downriver he suffered a leg injury that became infected and consequently gave him tropical fever closely mirroring malaria he contracted 15 years prior in Cuba. Furthermore, the bullet that had not been removed from his chest just months earlier from an attempted assassination aggravated the infection. During the journey, Roosevelt lost some 50 pounds and upon his return to the States, his friends and family were shocked at the consequences.
