Video: Explorer Louis-Philippe Loncke Discusses Lake Titicaca Exepdtion At TEDxFlanders

Last year, explorer Louis-Philippe Loncke, along with Gadiel Sanchez Rivera aka "Cho", spent 38 days circumnavigating Lake Titicaca by kayak. That body of water, which falls on the border of Peru and Bolivia, is considered the highest navigable lake in the world, and yet no one had ever completely paddled its shores before. Recently, Lou-Phi appeared at TEDxFlanders to share his story about that expedition. The video below is his presentation. It offers all kinds of insights into what they found on their journey, and the logistics of kayaking in the Andes.

TitiKayak Debrief: Circumnavigating The Highest Navigable Lake In The World By Kayak

Back in August and September I posted a couple of time about the TitiKayak expedition. For those who don't recall, that was the attempt by Belgian adventurer Louis-Philippe Loncke and Peruvian explorer Gadiel "Cho" Sanchez Rivera to become the first people to circumnavigate Lake Titicaca by kayak. The lake, which is located at 3812 meters (12,507 ft) in altitude and falls along the border of Peru and Bolivia, covers an area of 8372 sq. km (3232 sq. miles) and is widely considered to be the highest navigable lake in the world. Lonke and Rivera set out to paddle 1100 km (683 miles) around Titicaca's parameter while taking photographs if its shoreline and GPS coordinates of its current position. The hope is that the data will allow researchers to study the impact of climate change on the lake in the years to come by having baseline numbers to compare their readings to.

The expedition actually wrapped up in late September but due to busy schedules and other commitments, it has taken a bit of time to upload the photos from their journey and share details of what it was like out on the water. All told, it took Lou-Phi and Cho 38 days to paddle around the lake, staying close to the shore for most of the way. Stopping frequently to take photos and gather GPS data, the two men were meticulous in their approach and stuck closely to their plan as much as they could. They did run into some issues when attempting to cross the border into Bolivia, as law enforcement at the checkpoint between the countries were reluctant to let them pass, in part because they had never seen a kayak before. It took two days to sort out the paperwork, but eventually it came together and the adventurers were allowed to continue on their way.


Dealing with immigration officers were the least of their worries however and there were plenty of other challenges to keep them on their toes. For starters, August and September are winter months in the Southern Hemisphere and this was one of the coldest winters in recent memories. The boys faced freezing temps for much of the way and the Puno region through which they traveled received its highest amount of snowfall in the past 30 years. Cold temperatures, snow and a big lake don't always make for the best of conditions.

The primary focus of the expedition was to not just paddle around its shores but to also survey the health of the body of water. What Loncke and Sanchez Rivera discovered is that Titicaca is facing some serious challenges. The water was littered with garbage and is contaminated by chemicals and sewage dumped into into it from the surrounding communities. In short, the lake faces some major issues in the future and with no regulation or proper water treatment in place, it is going to get much worse before it ever starts to get better.

You can read more about the expedition and the team's experiences on the TitiKayak blog. You can also review the photos they took along the way in their Photo Inventory. All of the images have been uploaded and organized, but GPS coordinates have not been matched to them just yet. That is a big job that will be completed sometime early next year, completing the full data set of the inventory.

Congrats to Lou-Phi and Cho on completing this amazing adventure. Great effort on both the exploration and environmental front.

5000 Mile Project: Couple Running The Length Of South America

On July 28, David and Katharine Lowrie set out on a run like no other. The pair have hit the road to run the length of South America. Yes, you read that right. They are planning on running south to north across the entire continent and they're doing so to raise awareness and funds to protect the wildlife that lives in threatened areas there. Their expedition is aptly named the 5000 Mile Project, as that is the distance that they will cover before they are through. (That's roughly 8046 km for most of the world.)

The began their epic adventure last month by setting off from Punta Arenas, Chile, the southernmost settlement in South America. They'll now work their way north through Patagonia, crossing between Chile and Argentina as they go. Eventually they'll cross into Bolivia before continuing on to Brazil, where they'll face one of the biggest challenges to the expedition – a crossing of the Amazon Rainforest. If successful there, they'll emerge into Venezuela and finish the journey with a run to the Caribbean coast.

The Lowrie's hope to wrap up their journey approximately a year after they started. That seems rather ambitious considering the difficult miles that lie ahead. The couple aren't just out on the road running unencumbered. They're pulling specially designed carts behind them that carry all of their gear and supplies as well. David and Katharine are hoping to cover roughly the length of a marathon each day (26.2 miles/42.1 km), which is a challenge but highly feasible while on roads. But once they hit the Amazon, things will be completely different and much more difficult in general.


The husband and wife team have undertaken the 5000 Mile Project to raise funds for Asociacion Armonia, BirdLife International and Conservacion Patagonica. The hope is to collect enough money to help fund the purchase of threatened habitats in South America to protect the wildlife that lives there. As part of the project, they are also recording the various animals they see along their run including the many bird species that inhabit the continent.

Their efforts don't end there however. They've also launched the BigToe Classroom which contains lesson plans and projects for teachers to use with their students to get them engaged with conservation projects as well. There is even a way to contact David and Katharine and set up a video conference call with them directly from the road.

You can learn more about the 5000 Mile Project in an interview that the couple did with Explorers Web earlier in the week. You can also follow along with David and Katharine's blog or on Twitter and Facebook.

Video: Experience Imagination In South America

To truly get a sense of South America, filmmakers Clemens Krüger, Vincent Urban & Stefan Templer traveled its length in a classic Land Rover, wandering through Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil. Along the way they captured some striking images from road and compiled them in the amazing video you'll find below. Those images are sometimes haunting, sometimes enchanting and always compelling. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Really beautiful footage.

Video: Crazy Urban Downhill Mountain Bike Race Caught On Helmet Cam

The Red Bull Descenso del Condor is a crazy downhill urban mountain bike race that is held in La Paz, Bolivia each year. Riders scream through the streets, fly off jumps, roll down stone steps and otherwise go places that they probably shouldn't. It is a wild ride to say the least, and is best experienced in a video like the one below, which was captured on helmet cam. The video gives us a good idea of what the riders have to contend with as they fly through the course.

Personally, I think I'll stick to the trails, but it definitely is fun to watch. There was more than one occasion where I was expecting the rider to take the road or some other obvious path, only for him to go in an entirely different direction. This one may not be for the faint of heart.

Three Women Backpackers Hiking The Length Of South America

Three American women have set out on quite an adventure, as they look to hike nearly the entire length of South America, south to north. Along they way, they've been chronicling their journey on the aptly named eat hike sleep hike blog.

Two of the ladies, Sarah Field and Trinity Ludwig, first met at summer camp when they were just 13 years old. They remained friends after that, and continued to attend the same camp together for the next several years. Eventually, they joined the staff and connected with Shelley Brook, and the three have stayed in constant contact ever since. When Trinity got the idea of making this South American hike, Shelley was quick to join the expedition and it wasn't exactly difficult to talk Sarah into coming along either.

The women started in Ushuaia, Argentina last October and plan to spend the first six months of their trek exploring that country and Chile. Their complete route can be found here, and also includes visits to Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela too. In their most recent blog updates, the trio reported that they have passed from Lanín National Park in Argentina and have now moved into Chile for the first time.

Reading through their blog posts, it seems they're having a wonderful time in South America, although as you might expect, not everything always goes as planned. Still, this is a fantastic adventure, and it is wonderful to read about their experiences and their love for travel.

Thanks to Scott Ireland for sharing this great story. Much appreciated my friend!