Swiss adventurer Loic Cappellin is now 200km away from completing a human-powered journey from Scandinavia to French Guiana. Cappellin started out in early 2025 by skiing through northern Sweden and Norway.
He then cycled 7,000km across Europe to the Mediterranean, where he crossed to Morocco, and then trekked and cycled through the desert to reach the Atlantic coast in early October.
Cappellin, 26, had originally planned to join a boat team in southern Morocco, but he arrived at the coast earlier than expected and decided to spend an extra month at sea by first crossing the Mediterranean.
Sailing the Atlantic
The Swiss adventurer had no prior sailing experience, so he joined an experienced sailor with a modern catamaran and set off from France on October 15. They made a beeline for the Canary Islands, where a new crewmate stepped in for the Atlantic crossing.
Progress was smooth until their autopilot failed between Gibraltar and Lanzarote.
“There were only two of us on board, and we had to manage five days of sailing by taking turns at the helm every two hours. It was only my second week at sea. Night sailing, in particular, required constant vigilance: dense maritime traffic, changing winds, and fatigue management,” Cappellin told ExplorersWeb.
Photo: Loic Cappellin
“One incident involving a fishing boat not visible on our radar was especially intense,” he added. “In hindsight, this phase was extremely instructive and helped me truly understand the realities of sailing.”
The sailing leg concluded on December 18 after just over two months. The Atlantic leg was largely uneventful, except for a failed generator. The pair made land in the Caribbean’s Grenadine Islands before heading north to Martinique. Cappellin had hoped to charter another boat to French Guiana but had to fly there instead.
Preparing for the rainforest
Once in French Guiana, which is 97% covered by forest, Cappellin started preparing for the final leg, a solo, unsupported 200km trek through tropical rainforest from the village of Saul in the heart of the country, to a large commune on the coast called Regina.
French Guiana lies on the northern coast of South America. Image: Wikipedia
He spent January immersing himself in an environment in which, like sailing, he was inexperienced.
“I carried out three separate outings, totaling around 15 days of immersion,” said the young Swiss adventurer. “The beginning was particularly challenging. The rainforest was an environment that genuinely terrified me. Even though I had been there before, I had spent very little time in it.”
Photo: Loic Cappellin
Cappellin started from Saul earlier this week, on February 3. The first 20km of Cappellin’s trek is on an established trail; then he heads off into dense rainforest. He has brought a packraft for water travel if required, but is cautious of the risks of boating solo in river rapids.
“The main risks I’m planning for are injuries from a bad fall, snake or spider bites, falling trees, and potential accidents with the packraft.”
Saul is surrounded by dense Amazon rainforest, and can only be reached by air. Photo: Wikipedia
“It is an extremely demanding environment that requires constant focus. To give an idea, over an eight-hour day of continuous movement, I progress between five and seven kilometers depending on the terrain. Off-trail travel is slow, but physically and mentally very engaging.”
A large spider Cappellin encountered during his preparation. French Guiana is home to over 500 different species of spiders. Photo: Loic Cappellin
The Swiss adventurer hopes to take 15 days to reach the coast of French Guiana and end his cross-continental journey from Norway to the Amazon.
