A Out of Eden Walk is an adventure conducted by Paul Salopek as he embarks on a 24,000 mile journey to show the beauty the earth has to hold to the world’s population.

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/projects/out-of-eden-walk/#section-0

One of the adventures a Walk of Eden Walk went on was a trek through Saudi Arabia, Jordan, West Bank and Israel. This trek through the Middle East took place from May 2013 until July 2014. Their journey started in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. At this location, they walked over 60 miles and this was the first urban trek in their adventures. This location has seen a spike in population growth, contributing to the 67 billion dollar construction boom within Saudi Arabia. The city is very comparable to Los Angeles in terms of its urbanization and population. The walk was conducted with the help of Sam Nawar who is a historian of Jeddah and Mohamad Banounan who was their desert guide. Their cities, again, were very comparable to ours here in the United States. They have their morning rush hours, which they got to experience at the beginning of their adventure. They also had coffee shops and playgrounds within their city and much of it was still under mass construction.

You can find more pictures and information about this adventure here.

April 3 of 2016 the team of Out of Eden Walk embarked on a journey through Baku, Azerbaijan. Baku, Azerbaijan is the first oil capital of the world. Baku had been a traveling focal point for adventurers and wanderers leading all the way back to the Stone Age. Throughout history, this port offered fish and shelter for humans crossing through. During the 19th century the city had become the world’s first petroleum capital. Evidence of Baku’s history is littered throughout the city in their historical architecture still up to this day. In Old Baku especially, the beauty of the past is standing strong, remaining a staple in the city’s tourism. Despite the historical evidence throughout the city, the city still has it’s hints of modern urbanization and modern architecture that can be admired alongside the older beauties. 

You can find more information and pictures about this adventure here.

Another one of their adventures they had taken just this month on November 8, 2021 is that they traveled to Gaoligong Mountains in Yunnan, China. This was a stop of the adventure through the Middle Kingdom. The Gaoligong Mountains is considered China’s hotspot of biodiversity. This biodiverse land spans approximately 300 miles of land with about 5,000 species of plants that cover this vast landscape. Of course, this location is just as plentiful when it comes to the diversity of their wildlife. The Gaoligong Mountains have about 700 species of animals that call this beautiful landscape home. Amongst these species of  animals include 154 mammals, 419 birds, 21 amphibians, 56 reptiles and 49 fish. Included in the animals that cover this land there are also approximately 1,690 different species of insects in this area. According to biologists at the Gaoligong National Nature Reserve, there are still so many different species of plants that are discovered every single year. Within the article, they also discuss just how much industrial farming, logging, overfishing, pollution and human-induced climate change is affecting areas such as this one all around the world. 

You can find more information and pictures about this adventure here.