British adventurer Karl Bushby is nearing the end of his extraordinary journey to become the first person to walk an unbroken path around the world. Beginning on November 1, 1998, from the southern tip of Chile, Bushby has trekked over 47,000km across four continents, 25 countries, six deserts, and seven mountain ranges. Now he is starting his final year on the road.
His odyssey, known as the Goliath Expedition, has spanned 26 years, with approximately 13 years spent actively walking and the remainder consumed by bureaucratic challenges, pandemics, visa restrictions, and financial difficulties.
The route. Image: Karl Bushby
Two rules
Bushby has two self-imposed rules: he cannot use any form of transportation on his route, and is not allowed to go home until he is finished. Logistical problems have occasionally forced him to put his trek on hold for up to three years and fly to Mexico or elsewhere to cool his heels. But always, he picked up where he had left off and did not use anything but his two feet on the route itself.
His path took him through multiple conflict zones, including the infamous Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama. Crossing the 320km stretch of jungle took him two months and included an 18-day detention in Panama before he was allowed to proceed.
Continuing northward, Bushby crossed Central America and entered the United States in 2002, eventually reaching Alaska in 2005. In March 2006, he achieved a significant milestone by crossing the Bering Strait on foot with French adventurer Dimitri Kieffer. The duo spent 14 days navigating a frozen 241km section to cross into Siberia, a supremely difficult task over broken, swiftly moving ice. Here, Russian border authorities detained them for not entering at an official port.
Crossing the Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama. Photo: Karl Bushby
Difficulties in Russia
Bushby’s progress through Russia was slow due to visa restrictions. He had to leave the country every 90 days, since his tourist visa only allowed him to stay in Russia for 90 days of every 180 days.
In 2008, his journey came to a standstill. He lost sponsorship for a few years and could not travel to Russia, so he set up camp in Mexico until he found more funding. In 2011, he resumed his trek, once again in 90-day stints. Then in 2012, he was denied a further visa, and in 2013, he received a five-year entry ban from Russia.
Determined to continue, Bushby headed to the U.S. and walked 4,800 km from Los Angeles to the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., to protest the decision. His efforts weren’t wasted. In 2014, the ban was lifted, and he once again found himself in Russia. From there, he continued through Mongolia, where he joined with other adventurers (including Angela Maxwell, also on a solo walk around the world) to trek across the Gobi Desert with camels.
The Silk Road. Photo: Karl Bushby
After 1,130km, several disagreements fractured the group, and Busby continued into China by himself. In 2018, he crossed Kazakhstan and then made his way through Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Here, his journey came to a premature halt when he could not secure a visa to his next country, Iran. The pandemic also set in around this time. He once again retreated to Mexico.
An odd Plan B
In 2022, facing insurmountable obstacles in Iran and Russia, Bushby devised an odd plan B for someone who had spent well over a decade walking. He was going to swim across the Caspian Sea with Angela Maxwell, but even this plan took two years to pull together.
Reunited with Angela Maxwell. Photo: Karl Bushby
Bushby and Maxwell flew to Bukhara, Uzbekistan, and walked across the Kyzylkum Desert to the Caspian Sea. With limited swimming experience, they embarked on the 288km swim from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan in October 2024. Over 32 days at sea, they spent 27 days swimming through dangerously rough seas and high winds. Safety boats accompanied them. They swam for three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon and slept aboard the boats.
But swimming was not the hardest part of this challenge. Bushby admitted, “I’m definitely not a swimmer, nor do I like swimming.” For both of them, this was completely outside their comfort zone.
For the last six months, Bushby has been picking his way from Azerbaijan to Turkey. Speaking to Turkiye Today, he said, “Other travelers told me Turkey would be one of the most beautiful and welcoming places. And they were absolutely right. People constantly invited me into their homes…The hospitality has been amazing.”
The Caspian Sea team. Photo: Karl Bushby
One year more
Now he is just days away from Istanbul and is trying to secure permission to cross the Bosphorus, “It’s only 1.5 kilometers, but it’s symbolic,” he explained. “Crossing it would bring me from Asia into Europe, the final phase of the journey. From there, I’ll walk across Europe and reach the Channel Tunnel in France, eventually walking back home to the UK.”
Once he crosses the Bosphorus, he is confident it will only take him one more year to get back to the UK. “It’s been hard being away. And the U.K. has changed so much — I left when Tony Blair was Prime Minister. Since then, we’ve had five or more PMs. I might not even recognize home when I get there.”
