This is the tale of an epic three-month adventure through unexplored jungle terrain – and it might even change your life.

Fuelled by a zest for life and the desire to explore the world around her, Pip Stewart took on a world-first challenge: following Guyana’s Essequibo River from source to sea. With the help of guides from the Waî Waî indigenous community, Pip and her teammates journeyed through the rainforest, facing peril every day as they kayaked rapids, traversed waterfalls and hacked their way through the mountainous jungle of the Guiana Shield, before finally reaching the Atlantic Ocean.

Survival skills and a flesh-eating parasite weren’t the only things Pip took home from the rainforest. From contending with snakes to learning about the value of community, forgiveness and self-belief, in Life Lessons from the Amazon Pip shares many pearls of wisdom that we can all apply to our own lives. Her hard-won insights invite us to embrace the wildness within ourselves and live more every day.

Pip Stewart is a mother, partner, writer and chronic over-thinker. She has a degree in history and politics from Oxford and a master's in journalism from the University of Hong Kong. Pip has cycled halfway around the world and completed a world-first paddle through the Amazon jungle. On one of her adventures she got a bit too up-close-and-personal with a sandfly and found a flesh-eating parasite munching through her neck as a result. After contracting leishmaniasis, Pip now campaigns to raise awareness of neglected tropical diseases. When not writing, she can usually be found outside with her partner, Charlie, and daughter, Willow. Connect and share your own adventures through life: @PipStewart.