Exploring The Globe By Road: Is It Possible?

The idea of travelling the world by road is an enticing prospect for many. In the past, it was a challenge reserved for the most intrepid explorers, but today, anyone with enough time, money and good health can attempt it.

There are several ways to go about it. One option is to book an arranged overland trip with a specialist company, which will take care of the logistics for you. These trips can be expensive, but they offer a stress-free way to see the world. Another option is to combine different modes of transport, such as trains, buses and boats, to create your own itinerary. This requires more planning but gives you the freedom to go at your own pace and explore off-the-beaten-path places.

There are several famous overland routes that you can follow, such as the Silk Road through Central Asia, the Hippie Trail through the Middle East, or the Cairo to Cape Town route in Africa. You can also create your own route and travel at your own pace.

One couple, for example, decided to convert their own campervan and drive it around the world, starting and ending in the UK. They spent three years on their trip, driving through Europe, North America, South America and Asia. They had to deal with border disputes, visa issues and vehicle breakdowns along the way, but they also had the freedom to explore places that interested them and meet new people.

Another couple spent 13 months travelling to 35 countries on five continents, including Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. They too had to deal with challenges, such as culture shock and illness, but they also had incredible experiences, like trekking to Everest Base Camp in Nepal and exploring the temples of Bagan in Myanmar.

So, if you're thinking of travelling the world by road, it is possible. But be prepared for a long, challenging and expensive journey. The rewards, however, are well worth it.

The Mongol Rally: London to Mongolia

The Mongol Rally is an intercontinental car rally that starts in Europe and ends in Ulan-Ude, Russia. The inaugural rally took place in 2004, with six teams participating, four of which completed the course. The race starts at Goodwood Circuit in the United Kingdom, with other starting points in Western European countries such as France, Italy, and Spain.

The rally initially ended in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, but due to punitive costs and taxes associated with vehicle imports and disposal, the route now passes through Mongolia and concludes in Ulan-Ude, Russia. The total distance covered is approximately 8,000-10,000 miles (13,000-16,000 kilometres), and most teams complete the rally within three to four weeks.

There are no set routes, and participants are free to choose their own paths. However, there are some suggested routes. Teams typically converge at a launch party in Prague before heading towards Moscow, Kyiv, or Istanbul. Some adventurous teams have ventured as far north as the Arctic Circle and as far south as Iran, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan.

The final leg of the rally takes the surviving vehicles into Mongolia before finishing in Russia. This leg is challenging and uncomfortable, with common issues including vehicle damage, robberies, and minor injuries. As the rally has gained popularity, the number of car accidents and hospitalisations has increased.

The Mongol Rally is not a race, and there is no support team provided. Teams must be self-sufficient and make their own arrangements for accommodation, maintenance, and fuel.

There are three fundamental rules for the rally:

• Vehicles must adhere to a 1200cc engine limit, with a preference for engines under 1000cc.
• Teams are unsupported and must rely on their own resources.
• Teams are required to raise a minimum of £500 for charity.

The entry fee for the 2007 rally was £650 per team, with a minimum charity donation of £1000 per vehicle and a refundable vehicle deposit of £500. The entry fee covers the cost of organising the event, with any remaining funds donated to charity.

The Mongol Rally is organised by "The Adventurists," who emphasise that racing on highways is illegal. The event is designed to embrace the unknown and encourage participants to get lost, navigate unpredictable terrain, and create their own adventures.

While the rally offers a unique and exciting experience, it is important to approach it with caution. There have been reports of injuries and, in 2010, a British participant died in a road accident in Iran.

The Darien Gap: Panama to Colombia

The Darién Gap is a 100-mile-long area of swamps and mountainous jungle that separates Panama and Colombia. It is the only land route connecting Central and South America, and therefore a key part of the Pan-American Highway, which runs uninterrupted from Alaska to Argentina. However, there is no road through the Darién Gap, and the area is largely undeveloped. The terrain is diverse, with the Colombian side dominated by the Atrato River delta, creating a flat marshland, and the Panamanian side characterised by mountainous rainforest. The area is inhabited by indigenous groups, including the Embera-Wounaan and Guna peoples.

The Darién Gap is known for its difficult terrain and extreme environment, with frequent heavy rains and flash floods, dangerous wildlife, and tropical diseases. The journey through the Darién Gap is strenuous and dangerous, and many migrants have died attempting to cross it. Aside from natural threats, violent crime is also prevalent, with migrants facing robbery, rape, and human trafficking at the hands of criminal groups, including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the Gulf Clan, a paramilitary group and Colombia's largest drug cartel.

Due to the lack of a road connection, travellers and migrants must hike through the Darién Gap or use small boats or traditional watercraft such as pirogues. The hike can take ten or more days and is challenging even for those in good physical shape, with frequent river crossings, steep mountains, and dense rainforest to navigate. The journey is made even more difficult by the lack of law enforcement and medical support in the area.

In recent years, the Darién Gap has become one of the heaviest migration routes in the world, with hundreds of thousands of migrants, primarily from Venezuela, Haiti, and Ecuador, crossing through it to reach the Mexico-United States border. In 2023, a record number of over 520,000 migrants crossed the Darién Gap, more than doubling the number from the previous year. The increase in migration is driven by factors such as economic insecurity, political upheaval, violence, and climate change.

The Pacific Ocean: Asia to Australia

The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering about 46% of the Earth's water surface and about 32% of the planet's total surface area. It is bounded by the continents of Asia and Australia in the west and the Americas in the east.

The Pacific Ocean separates Asia and Australia from the Americas. It can be subdivided by the equator into the North Pacific and the South Pacific. Extending from the Antarctic region in the south to the Arctic in the north, the Pacific reaches its greatest width at about 5°N latitude, stretching approximately 19,800 km from Indonesia to the coast of Colombia.

The Pacific Ocean was named by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan during the Spanish circumnavigation of the world in 1521. He encountered favourable winds when he reached the ocean and called it 'Mar Pacífico', which means 'peaceful sea' in Portuguese.

There are about 25,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands can be divided into three main groups: Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia. Micronesia lies north of the equator and west of the International Date Line and includes the Mariana Islands, the Caroline Islands, the Marshall Islands, and the islands of Kiribati. Melanesia, to the southwest, includes New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomon Islands, Santa Cruz, Vanuatu, Fiji, and New Caledonia. Polynesia stretches from Hawaii in the north to New Zealand in the south and also encompasses Tuvalu, Tokelau, Samoa, Tonga, the Kermadec Islands, the Cook Islands, the Society Islands, and Austral Islands.

While it is possible to fly over the Pacific Ocean when travelling from the United States to Asia, it is not possible to drive between these two landmasses.

The Darién Gap: Colombia to Panama

The Darién Gap is a 100-mile-long area of swamps and mountainous jungle that separates Panama and Colombia. It is known for its remoteness, difficult terrain, and extreme environment, with a reputation as one of the most inhospitable regions in the world. The Colombian side is dominated by the river delta of the Atrato River, which creates a flat marshland at least 80 km wide. The Panamanian side, in contrast, is a mountainous rainforest, with terrain reaching from 60 m in the valley floors to 1,845 m at the tallest peak, Cerro Tacarcuna, in the Serranía del Darién.

The Darién Gap is inhabited mostly by the indigenous Embera-Wounaan and Guna peoples, with a reported population of 8,000 among five tribes in 1995. The only sizable settlement in the region is La Palma, the capital of Darién Province, with roughly 4,200 residents; other population centers include Yaviza and El Real, both on the Panamanian side.

Owing to its isolation and harsh geography, the Darién Gap is largely undeveloped, with most economic activity consisting of small-scale farming, cattle ranching, and lumber. Criminal enterprises such as human and drug trafficking are widespread. There is no road across the Darién; Colombia and Panama are the only countries in the Americas that share a land border but lack even a rudimentary link. The "Gap" interrupts the Pan-American Highway, which breaks at Yaviza, Panama, and resumes at Turbo, Colombia, roughly 106 km away. Infrastructure development has long been constrained by logistical challenges, financial costs, and environmental concerns; attempts failed in the 1970s and 1990s. As of 2024, there is no active plan to build a road through the Gap, although there is discussion of re-establishing a ferry service and building a rail link.

Consequently, travel within and across the Darién Gap is often conducted with small boats or traditional watercraft such as pirogues. Otherwise, hiking is the only remaining option, and it is strenuous and dangerous. Aside from natural threats such as deadly wildlife, tropical diseases, and frequent heavy rains and flash floods, law enforcement and medical support are non-existent, resulting in rampant violent crime, and causing otherwise minor injuries to ultimately become fatal.

Despite its perilous conditions, since the 2010s, the Darién Gap has become one of the heaviest migration routes in the world, with hundreds of thousands of migrants, primarily Haitians and Venezuelans, traversing north to the Mexico–United States border. In 2022, there were 250,000 crossings, compared to only 24,000 in 2019. In 2023, more than 520,000 passed through the gap, more than doubling the previous year's number of crossings.

The Bering Strait: Russia to Alaska

The Bering Strait, which separates Russia and Alaska, is an enticing prospect for adventurers wishing to travel the world by road. At its narrowest point, it is only 85 kilometres across, and a ferry could cross it in two hours. However, the icy waters of the strait present a significant challenge, and political issues further complicate matters.

The Bering Sea is one of the most treacherous bodies of water globally, with shallow depths, volatile weather, and extremely cold temperatures. Strong currents and short, powerful waves make navigation difficult. The strait's weather is unpredictable, with limited visibility due to thick cloud cover and frequent storms. These conditions make it challenging to gauge an ideal crossing time.

Despite these dangers, some adventurers have attempted to cross the Bering Strait by foot, kayak, or boat. However, it is virtually impossible for Westerners to obtain permission to arrive on the Russian shores legally. Those who have tried have faced deportation and even arrest.

One alternative is to cross via the ice bridge that forms across the strait during winter. For a few weeks each year, the channel fills with enough ice to make a passage possible. However, the ever-shifting floes and the risk of being crushed by icebergs or falling into the freezing waters have defeated all attempts so far.

In 2008, UK resident Steve Burgess became the first person to cross the Bering Strait in a land vehicle. Instead of attempting a crossing via the ice bridge, he waited for the ice to melt and floated his Land Rover across with the aid of large floats and a propeller. The trip took 50 days, and Burgess had to take refuge on Little Diomede Island due to adverse weather conditions.

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