“The Amazon river has a newly discovered source. Completed last year and led by West Hansen and documented by award-winning freelance photographer Erich Schlegel, this is the first expedition to paddle from the furthest source of the earth's largest river to the ocean.

The Amazon carries more water to the sea than any other river, and accounts for approximately one-fifth of the world's total river flow. The expedition route began at Lago Acucocha, 13,120 ft. high in the Peruvian Andes and descended the Mantaro River. Previous expeditions have followed the Apurimac River as the Amazon source, but with simple internet mapping, the Mantaro River was found to be 50 miles longer, depending on the time of year.

The 4,225 mile journey took the adventurers through the Amazon’s notoriously tough Class III-V rapids, followed by 3,800 miles of downriver sea kayaking. And just to make things a little harder there is always the threat of pirate attacks on the lawless stretches of the river in Peru and Brazil”. – zReportage

August 11, 2012 – Lima, Peru – Bridge over the Rio Mantaro below Represa Tablachaca (Tablachaca Dam) while on scouting trip of the Rio Mantaro downstream from Huancayo. The expedition team was concerned about the amount of water flow below the dam during the dry season. There was just enough flow to paddle and drag the kayaks until the Rio Mantaro reached the confluence of the Rio Huarpa. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

August 13, 2012 – Rio Mantaro, Peru – Previous Amazon River explorer Piotr Chmielinski, far left, leads the group on a scouting trip along the Rio Mantaro at the confluence of the Rio Huarpa downstream from Huancayo. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

August 17, 2012 – Alpamarca, Peru – Amazon River explorer Piotr Chmielinski, left, and David Kelly, Amazon Express white water team manager, go over detailed topographic maps.at Lago Acucocha. Lago Acucocha is the headwaters of the Rio Mantaro and possibly the headwaters of the Amazon River. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

August 17, 2012 – Alpamarca, Peru – Raft and white water kayaks of the Amazon Express expedition set across Lago Acucocha after searching for the dry season source of the Amazon River. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

August 17, 2012 – Alpamarca, Peru – Amazon Express team member Jeff Wueste of Austin, Texas, sleeps off altitude sickness on the shore of Lago Acucocha while expedition members scouted for the dry season source of the Amazon River. Team member John Maika, also from Austin rests in the background. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

August 17, 2012 – Alpamarca, Peru – The Milky Way and stars swirl above the Amazon Express expedition on this time exposure at base camp on Lago Acucocha. Lago Acucocha may be the dry season source of the Amazon River. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

August 18, 2012 – Alpamarca, Peru – Amazon Express team members from bottom, Rafael Ortiz, of Mexico, Jeff Wueste, of Austin, Texas, John Maika, of Austin, Texas,and expedition leader West Hansen, of Austin, Texas, come out of Laguna Acucocha into the outflow canal that begins the Rio Gashan. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

August 18, 2012 – Alpamarca, Peru – Amazon Express expedition leader West Hansen, of Austin, Texas, negotiates the boulders down the Rio Gashan. The Rio Gashan flows out of Laguna Acucocha, near the west season source of the Amazon River. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

August 18, 2012 – Alpamarca, Peru – Amazon Express white water team member Rafael Ortiz, of Mexico, and expedition leader West Hansen, of Austin, Texas, portage their kayaks through a snow storm shortly after the start of white water kayaking out of Lago Acucocha. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

August 19, 2012 – Alpamarca, Peru – A herd of alpacas stroll by the Amazon Express expedition base camp at Laguna Acucocha. Amazon Express expedition began its source to sea journey here, at Laguna Acucocha near Alpamarca, Peru 13,120 ft / 3,999 m elevation. Snowmelt from the Andes mountains above these two lakes is possibly the wet season source of the Amazon River. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

August 19, 2012 – Alpamarca, Peru – Amazon Express white water team members Rafael Ortiz, of Mexico, and expedition leader West Hansen, of Austin, Texas, paddle down the Rio Gashan. Rio Gashan flows out of Laguna Acucocha, near the west season source of the Amazon River. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

August 19, 2012 – Peru – Amazon Express white water team member Tino Specht, of the U.S., carefully maneuvers his kayak a under barbed wire fence stretched across the Rio Gashan after leaving Lago Acucocha. The barb wire fences are from pasture boundaries that cross the river. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

August 19, 2012 – Laguna Acucocha, Peru – Amazon Express white water team member Tino Specht, of the U.S., squeezes under a low bridge on the Rio Gashan just below Laguna Acucocha, on a four month paddling expedition down the Amazon River from the source in the Peruvian Andes toward the Atlantic Ocean. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

August 19, 2012 – Alpamarca, Peru – Amazon Express white water members Juan Antonio De Ugarte, of Peru, Rafael Ortiz, of Mexico, West Hansen, of the U.S., and Tino Specht, of the U.S., paddle down the Rio Gashan after leaving Lago Acucocha. Lago Acucocha is possibly the dry season source of the Amazon River. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

August 19, 2012 – Alpamarca, Peru – Amazon Express expedition leader West Hansen, of Austin, Texas, bends over with exhaustion after dragging his white water kayak along the Rio Gashan for several miles between Alpamarca and San Pedro de Racco as guide Mauro Ezquivel follows behind. Hansen pulled his boat for most of the day due to the low water in the river. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

August 20, 2012 – Tombillo, Peru – Amazon Express white water team manager David Kelly passes up a kayak to Juan Antonio De Ugarte after the white water team's unscheduled stop. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

August 24, 2012. – Rio Mantaro, Peru – Amazon Express white water team members Tino Specht, of the U.S., right, and Juan Antonio De Ugarte, of Peru, drive their raft through rapids in the Rio Mantaro. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

August 25, 2012 – Rio Mantaro, Peru – Amazon Express white water team member Simon Yerov, of Chile, carries his kayak through a cactus field up from the Rio Mantaro. Yerovi was feeling very ill from the contaminated river water. Two other white water members also became ill that night. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

August 31, 2012 – Campo Armino, Peru – Amazon Express expedition leader West Hansen, of Austin, Texas, and Raft Guide Juan Antonio De Ugarte, of Peru, paddle toward the huge blast of water released from the pipes coming out of the mountain at ElectroPeru. Water from Rio Mantaro is piped 19.8 km down through the mountains from Tablachaca Dam to Campo Armino, forming Peru's largest hydroelectric complex creating 900 megawatts of power. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

September 5, 2012 – Rio Gashan, Peru – Amazon Express expedition leader West Hansen drags his kayak through Inca ruins, including these stone grain wheels along the Rio Gashan in the Andean highlands of Peru. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

September 5, 2012 – Santa Isabel, Peru – Amazon Express expedition leader West Hansen drags his kayak through the shallows of the Rio San Juan by a herd of alpacas. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

September 5, 2012 – Sacrafamilia, Peru – Amazon Express expedition leader West Hansen drags his kayak by Amelia Ayala De La Rosa washing her clothes on the banks of the Rio San Juan. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

September 5, 2012 – Huaraucaca, Peru – Amazon Express expedition leader West Hansen paddles in the Rio San Juan past the Tajo Alberto mine. Mines along the Rio San Juan and Rio Mantaro extract copper, lead, and zinc. Mine waste has been a large contributor to contamination in the rivers. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

September 7, 2012 – Rancho Ocac Condorvado, Peru – Amazon Express expedition leader West Hansen paddles the Rio Mantaro arriving at Rancho Ocac Condorvado. Ranch is owned by Antonia Bao de Trujillo. Hansen paddled these isolated sections by himself. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

September 19, 2012 – Peru – Amazon Express expedition in Peru. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

September 21, 2012 – Rio Mantaro, Peru – Amazon Express expedition raft guide Juan Antonio De Ugarte of Cuzco, Peru guides the raft through rapids on the lower Rio Mantaro as white water kayakers follow. From back left, expedition leader West Hansen and Daniel Rondon Casos. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

October 26, 2012 – Baia de Marajo, Brazil – Amazon Express expedition team members West Hansen, Jeff Wueste and Ian Rolls paddle toward the mouth of Baia de Marajo, the end of their four month paddling expedition down the Amazon River toward the Atlantic Ocean. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/zReportage via ZUMA Press)