Insight | Connecting explorers from the uncharted Amazon

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Connecting explorers from the uncharted Amazon

Summary
  • In September 2024, Welsh explorer Ash Dykes, along with Jacob Hudson, Dick Lock and Matthew Wallace completed Uncharted: Suriname, setting two Guinness World Records. 
 
  • They achieved records for the fastest time to climb Julianatop, the highest mountain in Suriname, and the first team to row the length of the Coppename River by canoe/ kayak. They also successfully identified the river’s source. 

Uncover the full adventure of Ash Dykes' record-setting journey with Viasat

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Viasat’s reliable L-band network connected extreme athlete and explorer Ash Dykes and his team during their record-breaking expedition in Suriname, South America.  

Ash Dykes is an explorer, extreme athlete, and five-time World Record holder. He has undertaken many adventures, whether solo-hiking across Mongolia in 2014 or becoming the first person to complete a 4,000-mile hike along China’s Yangtze River in 2020.

Ash's latest mission, Uncharted: Suriname, started with a helicopter drop into the remote jungle with his team. They scaled the depths of the jungle, reached the highest mountainous peak, found an unexplored river's source, and kayaked its length - battling raw nature at every step of the journey.

 

The challenge: Staying connected in uncharted jungle

Suriname is the world's greenest country and home to diverse but dangerous wildlife.

Unlikely to encounter any other humans throughout the expedition, the team needed a way to communicate reliably with the outside world, whether for updates, medical advice, or emergencies. Ash also wanted to share social media content with his loyal online following of more than half a million, with the aim of raising awareness for the charity Free The Wild.

Ash navigates the Coppename river on foot

The solution: Reliable, on-the-move satellite connectivity

Ash's team used the Go-anywhere Pro service and IsatPhone2 device to stay connected from the rainforest, with data provided through our connectivity partner in South America, Globalsat Group:

  • Go-anywhere Pro – previously known as BGAN - delivered via our highly reliable L-band satellites, enabled global internet and voice communications. By pointing the device at our satellites, Ash and the team could connect their mobiles to access the internet and share files online.
  • IsatPhone 2 - The powerful and rugged satellite phone, provided voice and text communications, GPS tracking, and emergency assistance. When the team reached openings in the jungle or were on the banks of the Coppename River, they were able to call and text family and friends.

Both devices are highly reliable, dependable and durable, working with inbuilt batteries. The team kept the devices topped up with a pack-away solar charger.

 

Ash seeks signal for his IsatPhone 2 in the depths of the forest
The BGAN unit which the team used to connect their mobiles to access the internet and share files online.

The result: Staying safe, sharing the story, and achieving world records

Battling sleep deprivation, infections, malnutrition and hallucinations, the team traveled 373 miles upstream on the Coppename River in just 37 days, setting two world records.

Throughout the expedition, Ash was able to use our Go-anywhere Pro service, with data provided by Globalsat, to post regularly on social media and share content with his followers. The team also used our IsatPhone 2 to text and connect with family and friends regularly throughout the trip.

When wildlife expert Matt Wallace was stung by the Black Amazonian Scorpion — the most venomous in Suriname — the rest of the team used Viasat satellite connectivity to keep in touch with their base in Suriname’s capital, in case an evacuation was required. Thankfully, Matt’s symptoms eventually subsided, and he was able to continue.

The team’s achievements were verified by Guinness World Records and Ash returned to significant public interest, featuring in a host of national publications like the BBC, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail, and Daily Star.  

The team travelled across challenging terrain, eventually reaching the mouth of the Coppename River.

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