Gabon Uncharted: Sending Ivindo Falls follows a crew of young kayakers, as they attempt to paddle 150km down the Ivindo River’s many rapids, gorges, and waterfalls.
The four kayakers are what the film’s narrator calls the “top of the crop.” After taking a moment to admire this charming malaphor (I think our narrator has combined “cream of the crop” and “top of the class”) we meet the Send team. Leader Adrian Mattern of Germany spent years planning their trip to Gabon, bringing with him the talkative Dane Jackson, patient Kalob Grady, and Bren Orton. Orton signed on with the shiny-faced, inevitably short-lived optimism of a youngster in 1914 headed for the front, sure of being home by Christmas.
“Apparently,” the narrator notes, “no one told him what he was getting into on this trip.”
Photo: Screenshot
Forging the missing links
Once on the ground, they load up their supplies and set out on a long stretch of flat water. Struggling along behind, we meet the film crew, an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the process of filming a professional, well-funded adventure documentary. Filmmaker Olaf Obsommer, photographer David Sodomka, and narrator David Arnaud do everything the Send team does, backward and in heels. Or, no — I’m thinking of Ginger Rogers.
Obsommer was part of the first team to scout the river by kayak in 2007. They portaged past most of the rapids for safety. Nowadays, better kayaks and the ability to scout ahead by drone will, hopefully, let them complete what he started.
At the first of four whitewater sections, Kongou, they settle in to take the rocky labyrinth piece by piece. If they take the wrong branch, they’ll be heading over a 25m waterfall.
Adrian is entranced by Kongou Falls, and only when the team delicately sit him down and explain that he would very likely drown, which would be awkward, does he agree to move on. Photo: Screenshot
They work their way down the river looking for rapids that will not kill them immediately. On the way, they get advice from Juste Parfait Zangonga, a local expert, on how to not be killed by elephants, gorillas, crocodiles, vipers, or hippos.
The next rapids, Mingouli, are less maze, more rollercoaster. The Send team can finally start living up to their name. Between first descents, they paddle past a family of elephants and get devoured by insects.
First descent down a tricky section of Mingouli. Photo: Screenshot
Win some, lose some
Kouata Mango, section three, is where Mattern finally gets to send a massive waterfall. The team agrees that this one is less likely to kill him badly, and over the side he goes.
Tsengue Lelendi, the final set of rapids, rounds out the trip. The laconic Kaleb takes a look at one particularly rough section and tells our narrator that the rapid is unrunnable. The rest of the team spends a long time debating it, anyway. Lo and behold, he’s right. After scouting with drones, mapping every angle, and discussing the route at length, they agree to skip a section of the rapid. The chain will still have just a few missing links left.
“A part of this river will remain untouched,” Arnaud concludes, “as it should, probably.”
Red Bull doesn’t allow embeds, but you can watch the full film here.
