An intrepid team of NZ and Brit explorers claim to have discovered the real source of the Nile - thereby extending the river's length by 66 miles (107km), Reuters reports.

During their 80 day, 4,163 mile (6,700km) "Ascend the Nile" jaunt, Briton Neil McGrigor (pictured centre) and New Zealanders Cam McLeay (right) and Garth MacIntyre (left) followed the Nile from the Med through five countries, eventually reaching the spot at which they claim the mighty watercourse is born.

En route, they suffered attack by rebels in northern Uganda, huge rapids, and croc attack. The final leg of the journey saw them yomping through 43 miles (70km) of dense Rwandan rainforest following the Akagera river system to its "longest point" - where GPS finally pinpointed the Nile's true source.

McGrigor said on Friday: "It's an awesome achievement by the whole team. The planning and preparation has all paid off. My thanks go to everyone who has made this possible and especially the guides and local people who are with us now at the source.” ®

Related stories

• Chinese invade Antarctica (30 March 2006)
• 'Now that we have a map, let's start colonizing outer space' - expert (17 March 2006)