BA - The Club - Is there anywhere left to explore?

China

Sir Ranulph Fiennes, arguably the world’s greatest living explorer

I have been to Hong Kong and Tibet, but I’d like to see the real China on an all-engrossing trip before I turn 80. I want go everywhere, from seeing pandas in Chengdu to the Great Wall in Beijing. I’d also like to explore the rural villages along the great Yangtze River.

Photo: Corbis

Grand Canyon River

Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest

This 277-mile long river is the iconic kayaking adventure in America, if not the world. I’ve been training for nearly five years in South America. There’ll be giant, crashing rapids – some 15-feet tall – and you’ve got to hit them just right. I’ll be solo kayaking, but I’ll have a guide behind me who’ll talk me through them via hi-tech radios.

Photo: Getty Images

Northern Sudan

Jason Lewis, the first person to circumnavigate the globe using only human power

They say that 80 per cent of Egyptian-era relics are in the deserts of Northern Sudan. I spent some time there, cycling up the east side of the Nile north of Khartoum, but I’d like to explore the west side, talking to the local people about the area’s fascinating history. The surrounding remote desert is filled with temples, pyramids and statues that you’d normally associate with Aswan in Egypt – but there’s no one there apart from a few sheep and shepherd boys.

Photo: Getty Images

Sailing the Northwest Passage

Liv Arnesen, the first solo unsupported woman to reach the South Pole

I’ve recently learned how to handle a sailboat, so I’d love to explore the Northwest Passage – it is very much on the frontline of climate change – to see its effect on nature and the people living there. I love the stories of the attempts to find this route over the top of North America, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, which gave Europe quicker access to the spice and silk markets of Asia.

Photo: Getty Images

Uganda

Levison Wood, ex-British soldier currently on an expedition to become the first person in history to walk the entire length of the River Nile

The shores of Lake Victoria have attracted explorers since John Hanning Speke discovered it as the source of the Nile in 1858. The country is home to spectacular environments, ranging from the snow-clad peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains to the vast savannahs of the east and dense rain forests of the west.

Photo: Corbis

Myanmar

Ed Stafford, the first man to walk the length of the Amazon River

The fact that much of the country is off-limits to tourists makes Myanmar an explorer’s dream. Getting in can be tough, as there are no trains or buses that connect it with another country. You aren’t even allowed to travel by car or motorcycle across the border. If you want to explore the tropical rainforests that still cover more than half of this curious country, you would have to pull on your boots and walk.

Photo: Getty Images

Baja California, Mexico

Charley Boorman, star of motorcycling adventure Long Way Down

The Baja 1000 is an annual off-road race that takes place on the Baja Californian Peninsula, covering 1,000 miles in 24 hours. Starting from the coastal city of Ensenada, you ride through stunning countryside and end up in the town of La Paz, ready to chill out on the blissful desert-backed beaches by the Sea of Cortez.

Photo: Alamy

Western Papua

Neil Laughton, the first person to pilot a ‘flying’ car from London to Timbuktu

The jungle area of Western Papua is as remote from the so-called civilized world as it gets. It is also home to the remarkable Dani people who are a proud, happy and self-sufficient tribal community.

Photo: Getty Images

Is there anywhere left to explore?

China

Grand Canyon River

Northern Sudan

Sailing the Northwest Passage

Uganda

Myanmar

Baja California, Mexico

Western Papua

China

Grand Canyon River

Northern Sudan

Sailing the Northwest Passage

Uganda

Myanmar

Baja California, Mexico

Western Papua

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