The Ultimate African Adventurer

OUR COFFEE DATE this issue is with a world-renowned explorer, whose list of adventures includes circumnavigating the entire continent of Africa by bicycle: in two years and two months, covering over 38 000km and passing through 34 countries, including some of the most dangerous on the planet. He was captured by rebel soldiers in Liberia, and held captive by Al Qaeda in Algeria.

Off the bike, circumnavigating both Madagascar and Iceland by kayak led Manser to roping his then-girlfriend into rowing from Africa to North America, the first successful completion of this continent to-continent ocean crossing; since then, he’s gone on to cover more than 22 000km on open ocean.

Most recently, Manser teamed up with local authors Murray Williams and Chantal Tarling to compile a complete guide to African adventuring, aimed at kids of all ages, with the goal of turning any and all of us into explorers.

Motto? There's an ocean between 'saying' and 'doing'…

I take my coffee strong, with a dash of milk. Coffee is quite an emotive topic for me. Because of what it represents, economically, to so many people.