Explorer Levison Wood, a former Parachute Regiment Officer has had to pack the best outdoor clothes and equipment possible as he begins a double expedition which will take him on a walk of over four thousand miles which will take him over a year to complete. He’s undertaken the task of finding the disputed source of the Nile and then walking every single mile of it to the sea.

His journey will begin very shortly in the highlands of Rwanda, the accepted area of the source of the Nile, but its exact location is still, shall we say a heated topic of discussion amongst geographers the world over.

From there he will begin his long walk which will take him through Tanzania and Uganda, where he will face jungle terrain, past Lake Victoria into the wilds of the world’s newest country, namely South Sudan. Into Sudan he will face ‘The Sudd’, which is defined as being the biggest swamp in the world. After this, it’s across the Sahara Desert into Egypt and the final 1,000 miles to the coast of the Mediterranean and journey’s end hopefully in December 2014.

He will become the first person to complete this particular walk, the Nile from source to sea, but will also raise funds for several charities too, including The Soldiers Charity and The Tusk Trust. The journey is also being followed by Channel 4, who are supplying film crews along the way to document the trip so that it can show the peoples and stories of the areas he passes through.

Levison is looking forward to the challenge despite the inherent risks that are involved in travelling across such varied terrains and conditions. These challenges will include hippos, crocodiles and lions as well as two legged bandits; some of the areas he is traversing have just come out of or are still involved in civil war.

However, this isn’t someone on their first outdoor trip, having served in Afghanistan and having travelled to over 80 countries, covered the length of the Arabian Silk Road and scaled some of the highest peaks in the Himalayas as an expedition leader, this is someone with plenty of experience where it counts.

I for one look forward to following his exploits, but my best outdoor clothes and equipment are more likely to take up on treks to find the elusive true summit of Kinder Scout or for next summer the real Hadrian’s Wall. But whatever you undertake remember that for the best quality at the best prices you don’t have to trek further than here at Outdoor Look.