A British man recently became the first person to walk the entire 4,000-mile length of the Amazon River. And after hearing about some of the things he encountered en route, we can see why no one else has managed it.

Ed Stafford, 34, set off in April 2008 on his epic quest to become the first known person to walk along the mighty river from Peru to the coast of Brazil.

Along the way, Ed had to dodge vipers, electric eels and scorpions, while resigning himself to suffering hundreds of wasp stings and an estimated 50,000 mosquito bites.

Keep reading for more about Ed's epic journey, complete with a video of its completion.

It wasn't just the wildlife Ed needed to be careful of, he was also imprisoned, chased by bow-and-arrow-wielding locals and wrongly accused of murder ... twice.

Whereas any of this would have had us hopping on the first plane back home, the former soldier persevered in his effort to raise money for charity and increase awareness of environmental issues impacting the river.

Writing on his blog, the adventurer, who spent much of the trek living off a delightful-sounding diet of piranhas, beans and rice, remarked, "The endurance, both mental and physical, has been the thing that's been the most wearing. I've been quite humbled by how much I've had to rely on other people and I've benefited greatly from the generosity of the people I've met along the way."

Upon arriving at Maruda beach on the coast of Brazil, a jubilant Ed ran into the sea accompanied by Gadiel "Cho" Sanchez Rivera, a Peruvian forestry worker who joined him for much of the journey.

As added proof of just how impressive the Amazon source-to-sea challenge has been -- as if it were needed -- famed British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes described the effort as "truly extraordinary."

For more details check out Ed's blog here, and prepare for your daily commute to look even more tiny by comparison.


Last Day of Walking the Amazon. Arrival at the Atlantic Ocean from Walking the Amazon Videos on Vimeo.