Here's why the longest walkable route on Earth has never been completed

Technology has made the world smaller and more connected than ever before while the pandemic, which brought traveling to a screeching halt, only accelerated the adoption of tools for communication. But the inability to get on a flight and see the world during the lockdown has only encouraged people to explore uncharted territory in its aftermath.

It has put the spotlight on places that humans have not dared to explore even in the 21st century, and among them is a route between Cape Town in South Africa to the port town of Magadan on the eastern side of Russia, a voyage no has taken to date.

It's truly surprising that even in today's world with the younger cohorts being extremely enthusiastic for adventures, this journey has not been completed by any soul. Going the distance is a mammoth task simply because of the staggering distance of 14,334 miles, or 23,068 kilometers. It also passes through more than 17 countries and crosses multiple mountains and deserts.

The revelation of this route took the internet by storm and was shared across popular travel platforms. But even after it created a buzz on the internet, nobody dared to take up this challenge since the risks are endless.

"It’s not that walking this distance is impossible,” said Jeffrey Weinstein, a medical operations supervisor at Global Rescue.

"But there’s a big difference between something being doable and something being accomplishable. There are just so many complicating factors to this trek, it would be extremely unlikely anyone would be able to accomplish it," he added.

For starters, there is no way one can get visas on arrival for all the 17 countries that they'll be crossing during the journey. "You can’t just stroll into a new country," Weinstein noted."You need to go to a border crossing and you’ll likely have to go off route," he explained. Moreover, packing for such a trek is next to impossible and the possibility of buying gear on the go is scary, considering that one might end up in the middle of nowhere during the journey. "You’re going to be traveling through vast areas of nothingness," Weinstein said, "and probably for weeks at a time."

Yes, the route does exist as it appeared on Google Maps, and maybe you have an estimated 187 days to spare, but there is absolutely no way you can be prepared for this journey as planning it can be a complicated task. "The amount of pre-planning and logistics that would have to go into this are huge," Weinstein added. “It’s an absolute logistical nightmare."

Apart from this, the route also goes through several conflicted zones such as Syria and Sudan, while the terrain adds to other problems like extreme weather changes and animal attacks. For instance, Zimbabwe is known for being the home to deadly species, while South Sudan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for armed robberies and assaults. This explains why the route has remained the road less taken, at least for now.