Humanity has conquered the highest mountains, visited the ocean depths, and traveled at impressive speeds on land, air, and sea. However, there is something that will probably stay out of our reach forever: walking the world's longest distance... on foot. No vehicles, no animals. From start to finish, one step at a time. How long is that road? Assuming nothing kills you first, you'll need to invest a couple of years in the journey.
One of the most striking (and why not absurd) images of the year was that of mountaineers lining up to reach the summit of Everest. And it's safe to say that situation will repeat itself. Why? Because we're crazy. Because there are people out there determined not to leave this world without first reaching the planet's highest peak.
Now, instead of going "up", why not go "forward"? I mean covering the greatest distance on foot that this world allows. Some enthusiasts have managed to cross their countries from one end to the other, but this challenge goes much further, and the number of extreme dangers to face might be too great...
The longest walking distance in the world
The adventure begins at L'Agulhas, the southernmost point of South Africa, and ends in the city of Magadan, Russia. That's 23,068 kilometers in total, more than what Google Maps reports. Why? Because the algorithm wants you to take shortcuts, using ferries or other transportation services. To achieve this hypothetical record, you have to make the trip on foot, without vehicles or animals (horses, camels, etc.).
Worse still is Google Maps' estimated time. Ignoring pauses and rests, the algorithm calculates a total of 194 days, or about 120 kilometers a day. The ideal here is to calculate more reasonable values. The video uses as an example 20 kilometers a day (a reasonable distance for someone with some preparation), and projected at that pace, the complete route takes 1,153 days, a little over 3 years.
https://old.neoteo.com/como-funciona-el-canal-de-panama/That is... if you don't die first. You see, the first part of the journey is crossing the entire African continent. From malaria to black mambas, through political instability, ethnic wars, hippos, and the hostility of the Sahara, only to be forced to cross Syria in the middle of a civil war. After Syria comes Turkey and Georgia, and finally Russia... with a huge dose of Siberian winter along the way.
The last stretch to Magadan is known as the Kolyma Highway, which once bore the name "The Road of Bones". The Soviet authorities ordered the use of prisoners from the Sevvostlag labor camp, and the bones of the dead ended up under the road, "mixed" with it.
