Adventures with Kingsley Holgate (18)

There's always that familiar nervous feeling of anticipation at the beginning of each new great adventure. The challenges of visas, bucks, equipment, sorting out the expedition Landies, the list seems endless. Carnets for the vehicles, first aid, basic food supplies, reference books and maps, letters of authority, GPS, bedrolls, tents, pots and pans, the old camp kettle, a Zulu meat dish, tools high-lift jacks, binoculars, cameras, humanitarian supplies and most importantly a sense of humour, a passion for Mama Afrika and that crazy Zen of Travel that's allowed us to adventure to every single country in Africa to include all of her island states. We've criss-crossed her from South to North and East to West and followed her outline through 33 countries in a single expedition, it was only natural to find Mama Afrika's geographic centre, her heart.

It's taken much of a lifetime, had malaria more than 50 times, some hardships sure, but mostly great memories of a wonderful continent that has stolen my Heart and that of my son Ross and the rest of the band of delightful pilgrims that make these wonderful geographic and humanitarian adventures possible.

We don't know quite what to expect but our research indicates that the Heart of Africa is located at 17.05291°E, 2.07035°N, west of the Unbanji River and southeast of the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park in an area home to the world's largest populations of great apes and forest elephant and is Africa's most important stronghold for wildlife. Approximately 125,000 lowland gorillas live here alongside endangered pygmy elephants, forest leopard, golden cat, eight species of antelopes, three species of crocodiles, and chimpanzees, many of which have never seen humans.

What an incredible send off and great solidarity as hundreds of Land Rovers escort us out from the 2015 Land Rover Festival and then it's on to Lesedi Cultural village where a traditional decorated goatskin gourde of water from the Cradle of Humankind is handed over to the expedition, together with hundreds off messages in an Expedition Scroll of Peace and Goodwill to be carried forward to the Heart of Africa. Mama Africa is full of great symbolism, isn't it? Even the big Landy Defender supply vehicle that carries the humanitarian items has been nicknamed Ndhlovukazi- The Great She Elephant. Will keep you posted.