Walking the Americas, Levison Wood
Walking the Americas, Levison Wood
2 Rating(s)
List: $17.99 | Sale: $12.59
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Walking the Americas
1,800 Miles, Eight Countries, and One Incredible Journey from Mexico to Colombia

Author: Levison Wood

Narrator: Barnaby Edwards

Unabridged: 8 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 03/06/2018


Synopsis

Levison Wood's famous walking expeditions have taken him from the length of the Nile River to the peaks of the Himalayas, and in Walking the Americas, Wood chronicles his latest exhilarating adventure: a 1,800-mile trek across the spine of the Americas, through eight countries, from Mexico to Colombia.

Beginning in the Yucatán, Wood's journey takes him from sleepy barrios to glamorous cities to ancient Mayan ruins lying unexcavated in the wilderness. Wood encounters indigenous tribes in Mexico, revolutionaries in a Nicaraguan refugee camp, fellow explorers, and migrants heading toward the United States. The relationships he forges along the way are at the heart of his travels—and the personal histories, cultures, and popular legends he discovers paint a riveting history of Mexico and Central America. While contending with the region's natural obstacles like quicksand, flashfloods, and dangerous wildlife, he also witnesses the surreal beauty of local landscapes, from cascading waterfalls and sunny beaches to the spectacular ridgelines of the Honduran highlands. Finally, Wood attempts to cross one of the world's most impenetrable borders: the Darién Gap route from Panama into South America, a notorious smuggling passage and the wildest jungle he has ever navigated.

About Levison Wood

Levison Wood is a writer, photographer, and explorer. He is the author of Arabian Journey, Walking the Nile, and Walking the Americas, which won the 2016 Edward Stanford Adventure Travel Book of the Year Award. He served in the British Army Parachute Regiment and is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and an international fellow of the Explorers Club. His work has been featured in publications around the world, including National Geographic and Discovery Channel Magazine, and on CNN, Channel 4, and the BBC. When not abroad, he lives in London.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jessaka on April 29, 2022

Quintessential Explorer and Travel Writer I would not have said this about him after reading “Walking the Nile,” but this travel account of his walking from the Yucatan in Mexico to Colombia was the best travel writing that I have ever come across. I would have loved to have experience part of this......more

Goodreads review by Malia on June 18, 2020

I have read all of Wood's books, but this one (or maybe Walking the Nile) are my favorites. He goes on these mad treks that I would never have access to (nor often the desire to) attempt myself. This book, like the others, offers a combination of exciting armchair travel and cultural reflection, whi......more

Goodreads review by Apratim on October 03, 2017

Levison Wood is a great explorer and his journeys are no less than fantastic.The book is a supplement or should I say a complete account of his televised journey.The book itself is well written and contains great photographs.The only drawback is that the book doesn't cover some more events which wer......more

Goodreads review by John on January 10, 2020

A long walk can be an excellent way of getting a feel for a land and its peoples, but this requires sufficient time, and a willingness to pause and explore. Because he seems to have limited quantities of both these things, Levison Wood's book on Central America (where I live) is a far from satisfyin......more

Goodreads review by Anna on December 10, 2020

This was a great bit of escapism! The author does a great job of keeping the novel fast-paced, concise and exciting. I throughly enjoyed reading all about his wild journey that few have ever accomplished, which was heavily complimented by his friendship with Alberto. I particularly appreciated the a......more