For a discussion of what constitutes a circumnavigation, please see this page.

Erden became the first person in history to complete a solo human-powered circumnavigation of the earth on 21 July 2012 in Bodega Bay, California, United States. The journey had started from Bodega Bay a little more than five years earlier on 10 July 2007.  The modes of transport included a rowboat to cross the oceans, a sea kayak for shorelines, a bicycle on the roads and hiking on trails, along with canoes for a few river crossings. The route he followed was 66,299 km (41,196 mi) long, crossed the equator twice and all lines of longitude, and passed over twelve pairs of antipodal points, meeting all the requirements for a true circumnavigation of the globe. This was recognized by Guinness World Records as the “first solo circumnavigation by human power.”

To see the above map in Google Earth, please click here where the red line represents the actual circumnavigation course and the green line the antipodal track.

This Summary Document provides details of the circumnavigation journey.

ANTIPODAL PAIRS ACHIEVED

1. (S16.10176,E044.40579) by Madagascar, (N16.10176,W135.59421) ESE of Hawaii

2. (S12.37600,E040.14403) in Mozambique, (N12.37600,W139.85597) SE of Hawaii

3. (S11.14864,E031.87672) in Zambia, (N11.14864,W148.12328) SSE of Hawaii

4. (S04.33445,W016.20405) on the South Atlantic, (N04.33445,E163.79594) near Kosrae

5. (N03.51445,W035.06006) north of Natal, (S03.51445,E144.93994) near Bam island

6. (N19.82118,W083.15139) on the Caribbean, (S19.82118,E096.84861) on the Indian Ocean

7. (N19.83241,W082.97989) on the Caribbean, (S19.83241,E097.02012) on the Indian Ocean

8. (N19.82748,W083.02486) on the Caribbean, (S19.82748,E096.97514) on the Indian Ocean

9. (N19.82806,W083.02055) on the Caribbean, (S19.82806,E096.97945) on the Indian Ocean

10. (N19.82798,W083.02273) on the Caribbean, (S19.82798,E096.97727) on the Indian Ocean

11. (N20.03665,W083.42335) on the Caribbean, (S20.03665,E096.57665) on the Indian Ocean

12. (N20.08717,W083.51607) on the Caribbean, (S20.08717,E096.48392) on the Indian Ocean

Erden expanded his plans for a circumnavigation by human power to include climbing the tallest mountain on six different continents respectively as a tribute to his friend and fellow adventurer Göran Kropp, died while they were rock climbing together in September 2002.

Eruç named the expedition the Six Summits Project. He summitted three of the peaks: Mount McKinley (also known as Denali) in North America on 29 May 2003 before he began his solo circumnavigation, then Mount Kosciuszko in Australia and Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa during the circumnavigation in 2010 and 2011, respectively.

His plans to climb the remaining three mountains, Mount Everest in Asia, Mount Elbrus in Europe and Aconcagua in South America, were thwarted as of 12 March 2023 after Myanmar and China declined visas citing security and pandemic restrictions. Given funding shortfalls and political concerns, there is no intention at this time to pursue the remaining three summits.

The work began on a documentary film called Castaway with Purpose as of 2013 which will feature his 2007-2012 circumnavigation.