The man who walked 12,000 kilometers across the African continent
But we’re not talking a couple of laps around the block with the dog. Mario’s first proper walk was from Toronto to Montreal—500 kilometers (310 miles) on foot. He was averaging about 50-60 kilometers (31-37 miles) a day, he says. And that was just the warm-up.
![Mario Rigby walking in Kenya.](https://adventure.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Mario-Rigby-crossing-Africa-on-foot-Photo-courtesy-of-Mario-Rigby-6-1180x664.jpg)
Mario: Most people thought it was impossible or I was going to die. People were ready to write my obituary, which was pretty funny. But I wasn’t going out there to die, I was going out there to meet and overcome some challenges. Anything is possible with a little research.
Where did the idea for the Crossing Africa expedition come from?
I kind of stumbled upon it. It’s a combination of my interests—culture, travel, athletics, and pushing my body and mind to the limit. It took me about a year to figure out what I really wanted to do, and it’s not like anyone has written a manual on how to walk across Africa.
All I really wanted to do was to experience what it’s like to live in Africa. And not just a country in Africa, but throughout the whole continent. That was my main purpose.
![Mario Rigby In Uganda with South Sudanese refugees.](https://adventure.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Mario-Rigby-crossing-Africa-on-foot-Photo-courtesy-of-Mario-Rigby-16-1180x885.jpg)
They were happy people. It made me realize that in Africa they know how to really live life, whereas in the West we just know how to make wealth.
![Mario Rigby in the jungle in South Africa.](https://adventure.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Mario-Rigby-crossing-Africa-on-foot-Photo-courtesy-of-Mario-Rigby-1-1180x787.jpg)
It’s a clichéd question, but what do you think your biggest learning from this trip has been?
I met an English teacher in Mozambique whom I had a great conversation with. I was talking about business in Mozambique and he sat me down and schooled me. He said: “Listen, do you know the story about the monkey and the fish? The monkey had a beautiful life climbing trees and enjoying the abundance of the jungle. But one day the monkey went to the lake and saw a fish for the first time. “Wow, this fish is living in a prison!” the monkey thought.
So the monkey decided to take the fish out of the water, and take it back to the jungle. Of course, the fish died. So the monkey tried again, with more fish, until there were no fish left. Only then did the monkey realize that the fish were also living an abundant life, but they were living it in a completely different way. Neither one was right or wrong—they were just different.
Oliver is the Australian editor of Adventure.com. At any given moment, he will do almost anything for a taco and a cold beer.