The Ascend the Nile team, whose first attempt was called off last year after a British man was shot by rebels, reached the finishing point on Friday.

They claim to be the first to have travelled the river's length to its "source" in Rwanda's Nyungwe Forest.

Hampshire adventurer Neil McGrigor said it was "an awesome achievement".

Shortly after reaching the source, Mr McGrigor, from Lymington, said: "The planning and preparation has all paid off.

'Crocodiles and rapids'

"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."

The team travelled the vast distance in three 4m (13ft) boats, overcoming obstacles such as "massive rapids, crocodile charges, serious tropical diseases and horrendous logistics".

Mr McGrigor and his New Zealand team mates, Cam McLeay and Garth MacIntyre, claim to have found the true length of the Nile - at least 107 km longer than previously thought.

Lake Victoria, which lies between Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, has generally been considered to be the source of the Nile - though many rivers feed into the lake from surrounding countries.

They restarted their journey from "sea to source" in March, after their first attempt was called off when Steve Willis, a former diplomat, died in an attack in Uganda in November.

Mr McGrigor himself suffered burns in the attack, which happened in the Murchison Falls National Park in the north of the country.