British traveler Karl Bushby, who is journeying around the world strictly on foot, entered Türkiye through the Sarp Border Gate on the Georgian border on Feb. 5.
The 55-year-old adventurer began his Türkiye tour in the Kemalpaşa district of Artvin, aiming to complete it in three months.
On his first day in Türkiye, he walked approximately 20 kilometers (12.43 miles) to reach the town of Hopa, northeast Türkiye.
Speaking to an Anadolu Agency (AA) correspondent, Bushby explained that he set out on his mission, called the Goliath expedition, in 1998.
Bushby’s goal is to walk across the entire world solely by foot, without using any vehicles.
Detailing his journey, he said: "Today marks 9,584 days. I believe that means I have been walking for 26 years and three months. This has been an incredibly challenging journey. There were times when I couldn't walk due to factors like social and financial crises, visa restrictions and pandemics."
Since he does not use transportation, Bushby has crossed oceans and seas by swimming or navigating through ice.
He described such remarkable experiences as walking across the Arctic Ocean from Alaska to Russia over ice or, most recently, swimming across the Caspian Sea.
As for his route within Türkiye, Bushby stated that he would reach Samsun as his last stop along the Black Sea before heading south over mountains and highways toward Istanbul.
After Istanbul Bushby is planning to head to Greece via Edirne and continue into Europe.
The adventurer said that he prioritizes traveling during the daytime and explained certain issues he faces at night, such as struggling to find a place to sleep and often having to rest by the roadside.
"Finding a sleeping spot on the route in Türkiye is quite difficult since there are cliffs and the sea," he noted.
Bushby also mentioned how there was a support boat where he could sleep when he was swimming over the Caspian Sea.
"Similarly, when I crossed the Bering Sea from Alaska to Russia, I slept on ice. That is a different story altogether. After sleeping on the ice, you move for 12 hours straight," the traveler stated.
Bushby said he feels happy on the road and is eager to reach Istanbul as well as "see beautiful landscapes along the way in Türkiye."
According to him, the road conditions are quite good, and the weather isn’t terrible. “As long as I find a place to sleep, I don’t think I will have any major problems. If the roads are good, I am happy," assured Bushby.
However, he expressed concern about getting permission to cross the Bosporus by swimming or using a bridge on foot, which might be a bit of a challenge.
The traveler has 6,200 kilometers remaining, which will take nearly a year to complete before reaching his home in the United Kingdom, according to Bushby’s official website, West Bound Horizons.
The Goliath expedition faces three major challenges, or "gaps": the Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama, the Bering Strait between Alaska and Siberia, and the Channel Tunnel between France and the U.K. Bushby has already crossed the first two gaps and is now nearing the final one.
