Seasoned adventurer James Ketchell’s latest challenge took him deep into the Amazon jungle in Brazil in search of the latest off-the-beaten-track experience for travel company Rare Adventures.
Throughout the two-week trip James wanted to share the amazing sights of the Amazon via social media, but with no connectivity in the area, he needed a satellite communications service that could work in the tough conditions of the jungle and cope with the intense and constant humidity.
Using Inmarsat’s IsatHub service he was able to connect his smartphone to Inmarsat’s 3G global, reliable network to access social media, email, WhatsApp family back home, and stay up-to-date with current affairs.
Simple and easy-to-use, the service is accessed by a control app on a smart device and Addvalue’s Wideye iSavi terminal – roughly the size and weight of a paperback book – to enable you to use your phone or tablet to seamlessly talk, text, access the internet and apps, independently of cellular or fixed networks.
Crossing rivers, cutting water vines, making fires and capturing crocodiles – IsatHub made it possible for James to capture it all on camera and post on Twitter and Facebook in real-time.
“Battling 95% humidity and a jungle so thick and dense that you can easily get lost in a matter of minutes, it required a lot of mental strength to survive the Amazon’s harsh environment that leaves you fatigued and exhausted,” said James.
“However it was a once-in-a-lifetime trip that took me to a part of the world that not many get to see and I wanted to be able to share every step of the experience with others and show them one of the most stunning places on Earth.”
Having rowed a boat across the Atlantic, climbed Mount Everest and cycled around the world, the trip to the Amazon was a relatively straightforward assignment for James, often referred to as the ultimate triathlete.
His next adventure, however, looks set to be even more demanding – an Atlantic crossing in a pedalo in January 2016!
