Adventure in the Andes: the Life Cycle biodiversity bike ride

Kate Rawles cycled the length of South America following the spine of the Andes, the longest mountain chain in the world, on Woody, a bamboo bike she built herself with bamboo from the Eden Project in Cornwall. The aim of her largely solo ‘adventure plus’ ride was to explore and champion biodiversity; what it is, why it matters, what’s happening to it and above all, what can be done to protect it. Her route took her through an astonishing range of landscapes and ecosystems, from the Caribbean coast to the classic high, spikey white mountains of the Peruvian Andes.

Throughout the journey she met with those at the frontlines of nature conservation, including a school whose entire curriculum was based on turtles, a project to save the smallest monkeys in the world, local forest champions, anti-gold, copper and lead-mining activists, an ancient, sustainable fishing fleet and a member of the Peruvian senate. Kate returned inspired, shaken and hopeful, convinced that biodiversity loss is as important as climate change and that deep systemic change is needed to tackle these interconnected challenges to people and planet. 

About the speaker

A former university lecturer in environmental philosophy, Kate Rawles now works freelance as an author and activist. Kate is a popular public speaker and runs outdoor philosophy courses, using the power of wild places to explore our relationship with nature and inspire more sustainable ways of living and working. She is passionate about using adventurous journeys to raise awareness and inspire action on our most urgent environmental challenges. Her most recent travels involved building a bamboo bike and cycling it, largely solo, across the length of South America. 

Kate is also an author and her book The Life Cycle; 8000 Miles in the Andes by Bamboo Bike was published in 2023 and her Carbon Cycle book was shortlisted for the Banff Mountain Festival Adventure Travel book award in 2012. Kate is a fellow of the RGS-IBG and a member of the Adventure Syndicate. She grew up mainly in Scotland and currently lives in Cumbria with her partner, Chris, and rescue dog, Carter. She is a keen sea kayaker, hill-walker and book-worm as well as a cyclist.