Revolution Cycle will cover over 30,000km and pass through 30 countries in four continents. Satellite tracking will plot our location on the map above so you can keep up to date on our progress.

The route was chosen with two objectives in mind, to include as many places of interest and beauty as possible, and to fit with the criteria for a circumnavigation.

Sometimes we all need a reminder of the truly amazing places in the world. Here is a taste of some of the natural and man made wonders that we will encounter and document on our long cycle home.

The Iguazu Falls, Argentina

The Iguazu Falls lies on the border between Brazil and Argentina and consists of about 270 individual waterfalls along 2.7km of the Iguazu River making it the widest waterfall in the world. Legend has it that a god planned to marry a beautiful girl named Naipí, who was the daughter of a local chief. But instead she fled with her mortal lover Tarobá in a canoe. In rage, the god sliced the river creating the waterfalls, and turned the two lovers into rocks at the foot of the falls, condemning them to be flogged for eternity.

Although the falls are not directly on our route across South America, we felt that the opportunity to see these magnificent falls could not be missed so we'll be taking a bit of a detour.

Petra, Jordan

Petra is an archaeological site that is carved into the bare rock of a cliff on the slopes of Mount Hor in Jordan. Enclosed by towering rocks and watered by a perennial stream, Petra not only possessed the advantages of a fortress but also controlled the main commercial routes in the area.

The area is visited by flash floods and archaeological evidence demonstrates the Nabataeans controlled these floods by the use of dams, cisterns and water conduits. Thus, stored water could be employed even during prolonged periods of drought, and the city prospered from its sale. In 2007, Petra was named one of The New Seven Wonders of the World.

The Gobi Desert, Mongolia

The Gobi is a large region of desert in Southern Mongolia and China and will potentially will be one of the toughest sections on our route, being deemed by many as "one of the most inhospitable places on earth". The Gobi is a rain shadow desert formed by the Himalaya Mountain range blocking rain-carrying clouds from reaching it. It measures over 1500 kilometers from southwest to northeast and 800 km from north to south, which makes it the fourth largest desert in the world.

Much of the Gobi is not sandy but is covered with bare rock, which will make it easier for us to cycle across. The Gobi is a cold desert, and it is not uncommon to see frost and occasionally snow on its dunes, which is blown by the northwesterly winds from the Siberian Steppes. These winds cause the Gobi to reach extremes of temperature like no other, ranging from –40oC in winter to +50oC in summer. Even within 24hours, the temperature can change by as much as 32oC.

Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu is a pre Colombian Inca city located at 2430m altitude on a mountain ridge in Peru. It is probably the most familiar symbol of the Inca Empire and is often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas".

Machu Picchu was constructed around 1450, at the height of the Inca Empire, and was abandoned less than 100 years later, as the empire collapsed under Spanish conquest. Although the citadel is located only about 50 miles from Cusco, the Inca capital, it remained unknown to the conquistadores. It consequentially remained untouched until modern times unlike many other Inca sites.

The construction of Machu Picchu uses the classic Inca architectural style of polished dry-stone walls in which blocks of stone are cut to fit together tightly without mortar. The Incas never used the wheel in any practical manner and how they moved and placed enormous blocks of stones is a mystery. The general belief is that they used hundreds of men to push the stones up inclined planes. In 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of The New Seven Wonders of the World.

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

Salar de Uyuni is located 3650m high in the Bolivian Andes and at 10,582 square kilometers is the largest salt flat in the world. Some 40,000 years ago, the area was part of Lake Minchin, a giant prehistoric lake. When the lake dried, it left behind two modern lakes, Poopó Lake and Uru Uru Lake, and two major salt deserts, Salar de Coipasa and the larger Uyuni.

Salar de Uyuni is estimated to contain 10 billion tons of salt, of which less than 25,000 tons is extracted annually. The miners here work from dawn to dusk and most of them do not take a lunch break in order to take advantage of time, getting energy by chewing coca leaves. Every November, Salar de Uyuni becomes the breeding grounds for three species of South American flamingo.

Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in China that was built, rebuilt and repaired between the 5th and 16th centuries to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire. The Great Wall is the world's longest man-made structure, stretching approximately 6400km along the southern edge of Inner Mongolia.

Transporting the materials required for construction was difficult, so builders always tried to use local resources. Stones from the mountains were used over mountain ranges, while rammed earth was used for construction in the plains. The wall has watchtowers at regular intervals, which were used to house troops and to send smoke signals.

Communication between the army units along the length of the Great Wall, including the ability to call reinforcements and warn garrisons of enemy movements, was of high importance. Signal towers were built upon hilltops or other high points along the wall for their visibility.

Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt

The Pyramids of Egypt, among the largest constructions ever built, constitute one of the most potent and enduring symbols of Ancient Egyptian civilization, and mankind's ability to think big. It is generally accepted by archaeologists that they were constructed as burial monuments associated with royal solar and stellar cults.

The Great Pyramid in Giza is the last remaining "Seven Wonders of the World" and is located in a complex of smaller pyramids along with the Great Sphinx. The Giza pyramid field took about 400 years to build.

The stepped sides of these pyramids were once smooth and would have formed perfect triangles but the soft limestone casing has worn away faster than the harder structure behind.

Colosseum, Italy

The Colosseum is an amphitheatre situated in the centre of Rome, Italy built between 70 and 80AD. It is the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Roman Empire and is one of the greatest works of Roman Architecture and Engineering. In 2007 the Colosseum was named The New Seven Wonders of the World.

Unlike earlier amphitheatres that were built into hillsides, the elliptical Colosseum is an entirely freestanding structure, 189m long, 156m wide and 48m high. The outer wall alone is estimated to have required over 100,000m3 of travertine stone, set without mortar, held together by around 300 tons of iron clamps.

Through the ages it has suffered extensive damage with large segments having collapsed following earthquakes. The remainder of the present-day exterior of the Colosseum is in fact the original interior wall.

Originally capable of seating around 50,000 spectators the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. It remained in use for nearly 500 years with the last recorded games being held in the 6th century, well after the traditional date of the fall of Rome in 476.

Eiffel Tower, France

The Parisian landmark is the tallest structure in Paris and when it was constructed in 1887 was the tallest structure in the world at 324m high. The tower is made of 18,038 pieces of puddled iron (a very pure form of structural iron) that were joined with half a million rivets. Depending on the ambient temperature, the top of the tower may shift away from the sun by up to 18 cm, due to thermal expansion of the metal on the side facing the sun.

It was originally constructed as an entrance arch for a world fair to mark the centennial celebration of the French Revolution. The city had planned to take it down after 20 years but as the tower proved valuable for radio communication, it was allowed to remain intact. The tower was criticized when first built, many calling it an eyesore but it is now widely considered a piece of structural art.

Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator off the coast of Ecuador. They are famed for their vast number of endemic species and the studies by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle that contributed to the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection.

While there are huge numerous species of florae and fauna to be found on the Islands, many are unique to the Galapagos such as the Flightless Cormorant, Galapagos tortoise, Galapagos Penguin and the Marine Iguana which is the only iguana that feeds in the sea.

Lake Baikal

Lake Baikal lies in Southern Siberia in Russia near the Mongolian Border, at 1637m deep it is the deepest lake in the world and also the largest by volume. Its age is estimated at 25–30 million years, making it one of the oldest lakes in geological history.

It is also home to the world's only freshwater mammal, the Baikal Seal. Lake Baikal marks the beginning of the Trans Siberian Highway that will bring us the 4000km to Omsk where we will enter Kazakhstan.

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