Rebecca McPhee » ExplorersWeb »

At the end of June, Karlis Bardelis, 34, became the first person to row from South America to Asia. The Latvian left La Punta, Peru in July, 2018 and reached Pontian, Malaysia, one year and 11 months later — 715 days, to be precise.

He stopped at seven islands and contended with sharks, gales and some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. In all, he rowed over 26,000km. The mammoth solo row is just one leg of his plan to circumnavigate the entire world using only human power. His challenge is now on pause due to the travel restrictions currently in place.

» ExplorersWeb spoke to Karlis Bardelis about his record-breaking row and his ongoing circumnavigation.

» Follow Karlis Bardelis and his adventures at his website Bored of Borders

This page was last updated on 2020.08.12