The Magellan–Elcano circumnavigation, taking place between 1519 and 1522, was the first recorded journey around the world. This itinerary describes their route, from Spain to South America, across the southern Pacific Ocean to Oceania, Southeast Asia, across the Indian Ocean to Africa, and along Africa's west coast back up to Spain.
Of the five ships and 270 men embarking on the journey, only one ship with 18 men aboard finished the trip; some other men straggled back later, but none of the ships. One historian has claimed that making this journey with 16th century technology was riskier than landing on the moon with 20th century technology.
There had been trade between Asia and the Mediterranean region for centuries via the Silk Road, and around 1300 Marco Polo went east and wrote of the riches there. Then around 1500, many ocean voyages of discovery were launched. In 1492 Christopher Columbus first sailed to the Americas, trying to reach China. In 1498, Vasco da Gama made the first voyage on the Cape Route, reaching Asia by going south and east around Africa. Twenty-odd years later Magellan went the other way, south and west around South America. Ferdinand Magellan (Portuguese: Fernão de Magalhães; Spanish: Fernando de Magallanes) was born in northern Portugal (depending on the source near Porto or Vila Real) around 1480. He enlisted in the Portuguese fleet at the age of 25, spending years in India and participating in the Portuguese conquest of Malacca in 1511. Back in Portugal he eventually fell into disfavor with his superiors including the king. As a result of this, Magellan moved to Spain.
The Spanish were interested in finding a way to India and the Spice Islands by sailing westwards; this had been the objective of Columbus' voyages two decades earlier. The Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 split up the world between the Spanish and Portuguese Empires, awarding the latter virtually all of the Old World. Portugal controlled many ports on the Cape Route, so a route via South America would be far better for Spain.
Together with cosmographer Rui Falero (who backed out just before the expedition left Spain) Magellan presented his plans to the king of Spain. In March 1518 they were named captains and Commanders of the Order of Santiago, equipped with ships and supplies and granted great benefits from the upcoming trip including an island for each one, monopoly of the discovered route for ten years and a fifth of the gains of the voyage.
The departure, originally scheduled for July, took place on August 10, 1519 from Seville and a little more than a month later the ships set out from Sanlúcar de Barrameda into the Atlantic. There were about 270 men and five ships in the fleet, Trinidad, San Antonio, Concepción, Santiago and Victoria. Trinidad was the flagship and commanded by Magellan himself. The crew consisted of people from many different southern and central European countries, perhaps most notably the Venetian scholar Antonio Pigafetta, who served as Magellan's assistant and wrote an account of the voyage. The expedition was named Armada de Molucca, the Fleet of Molucca, as its objective was to reach the Moluccas, or Spice Islands. Victoria would be the only ship to complete the circumnavigation, with only 18 crew members aboard.
Magellan himself died in combat on Mactan Island in the Philippines a little more than halfway into the journey. Lapu-Lapu, the local leader who led the forces that killed him, is regarded as a national hero in the Philippines. The trip onward to the Spice Islands and back to Spain was commanded by Juan Sebastián Elcano, native of Getaria in the Basque Country. A soldier and later a merchant captain, he joined the expedition as a subordinate officer. After the demise of captains and officers during the trip, Elcano was the commander who completed the circumnavigation and was awarded a coat of arms by the Spanish king, together with a pension. However, Elcano returned to the seas in 1525 as one of the commanders of the even more unlucky Loaísa expedition, whose goal likewise was to get to the Spice Islands via America, and died of malnutrition in July 1526 somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.
Elcano's male heirs did get the promised island; they were given the hereditary title Margues de Buglas, and "Buglas" is an obsolete name for the large and fairly rich Philippine island now known as Negros. The title has survived into the 21st century; the current Margues lives in Silay, a scenic town in Negros Occidental province with many old Spanish buildings.
English privateer Sir Francis Drake made the first circumnavigation under continuous command, from 1577 to 1580.
If you want to make the trip as similar to Magellan's as possible, using a boat is the way to go; a sailboat does not require fuel and would be more like the original voyage than a powerboat. Digital nomads (people who work via the Internet while travelling) could cruise on a sailboat that circumnavigates the world over several years and perhaps earn enough to cover their costs.
Sailing your own ship around the globe is much easier now than in Magellan's time, especially if you avoid the difficult passages through the Straits of Magellan and round the Cape of Good Hope by using the Suez and Panama canals (on the other hand, that means considerable backtracking or missing out many points along the route). However it is still a major undertaking; it requires plenty of prior sailing experience, and a lot of money, preparation and time. A description of such a project and its risks is beyond the scope of a travel guide, though our Cruising on small craft article covers some of the basics.
For most travellers flying will be easier and safer; a Round-the-world flight may be appropriate. Be aware that this trip will entail destinations away from major international airports. To save miles on your round-the-world ticket (should you opt for one), use it for longer flights only and travel "locally" by budget airlines or overland. An alternative might be to choose a round-the-Pacific flight to reach many of the itinerary's destinations and book other flights for the rest of the route.
Many destinations on this route are prone to severe weather during certain times of the year – the tropics have rainy seasons and typhoon while the Austral winter (Northern Hemisphere summer) in the southernmost part of South America means snow and windchill. Weather-wise, the optimal time to make this trip would maybe be starting in February or March; assuming you want to make the trip in 3-4 months or less (of course the trip can be made in just a couple of weeks rushing from place to place).
Present day sights related to this journey as well as route and vehicle suggestions for getting from place to place along the expedition's voyage in the present day are written in italics in the itinerary below.
See also: Seville#Get in
The expedition started and ended in Seville, a city that is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Guadalquivir river. Some accounts regard Sanlúcar de Barrameda at the mouth of the river as the start and ending point of the journey.
Seville has its own airport and the one in Jerez de la Frontera is the closest passenger airport to Sanlúcar de Barrameda. However, it is also possible to fly to an airport with better flight connections such as Madrid-Barajas Airport, Malaga or even Lisbon and travel the last section by bus, train or rental car.
The first attraction related to the journey, and the Age of Exploration in general, is the General Archive of the Indies in Seville. This archive of documents related to the Spanish Empire was set together in 1785.
To reach Sanlúcar, you can take the bus or travel by rental car. While you are there, check out the memorial to the survivors of the expedition.
Modern travelers can either backtrack to Seville or Jerez de la Frontera and fly from there to Tenerife, or take the bus to Cadiz and ferry (weekly departures) to Tenerife.
From Tenerife, you can get to Recife via Las Palmas and Sal and take a bus to Cabo. The city features an old town center with Dutch-style urban planning, some forts, the historically significant Olinda right next door, and like much of coastal Brazil, sights related to the Atlantic slave trade which took place in the centuries following this journey. Recife, interestingly, has a modern art museum named after the 20th century graphical artist Aloísio Sergio Magalhães — unclear if he's related to the explorer. In Recife you can also find the 16th century Convento Franciscano de Santo Antônio, described as one of the most beautiful baroque churches in Brazil, and the Museum of the Northeastern Man describing the life of Native Americans in the region.
To continue your journey, first go back to Recife. From there you can choose between three hours on a plane or 48 hours on the road (bus with transfer in Salvador or rental car) to reach Rio de Janeiro.
The modern traveller can take the plane or bus from Rio down to Montevideo, onwards to Colonia and its stunning old town, cross the Rio de la Plata by ferry to Buenos Aires and continue from there by bus along the coast. If you are in a hurry, fly from Rio to Buenos Aires and on to Rio Gallegos to access points mentioned later in this itinerary. There are no Magellan-related sights here (though there are a great many other sights from the colonial era), as he wasn't the first European explorer to reach this far. That honor goes to Juan Díaz de Solís who was killed by natives upriver four years earlier.
Most likely this is today's Cabo dos Bahias. This nature reserve is particularly famous for the Magellanic penguins(Spheniscus magellanicus), which Magellan was the first European to describe.
The winter was harsh and food supplies scarce. During the stay in Puerto San Julián, they encountered natives of the Patagon tribe. Around 2 m tall, they were regarded as "giants". During the winter, the repaired Santiago was sent out to find the passage. It was wrecked during a storm in the Santa Cruz River (divers recovered the wreck in 1985), but many crew members managed to get back to Puerto San Julián. As this town is several hundred kilometers from the nearest airport, spending several hours on the road is unavoidable even if you fly, so it's probably easiest to just take a bus from Buenos Aires or possibly a rental car. The 2,250-km trip will take about 36 hours. While you're there, don't miss the replica of Magellan's ship Victoria.
Modern day travelers can travel around by bus or rental car. If you opt for the former, you will likely just get to Rio Gallegos by regular bus and need to take a tour or taxi out to the cape. Rio Gallegos is a hub for travel around the region so it's likely possible to cruise on the strait by boat from here (or take a side trip to Ushuaia, a place sometimes called the southernmost town in the world). The town also has a naval museum, where you can learn about the seas of Southern Patagonia. From Rio Gallegos, continue by bus to Punta Arenas on the Chilean side of Patagonia. On the city's central square, there's a statue of the captain pointing towards the strait and in the Museo Nao Victoria you can see replicas of the Victoria, HMS Beagle and other famous ships that have sailed the region as well as old maritime equipment. From here you can get at least to Cabo Froward and possibly even deeper into the strait. A few kilometers outside the city, there's a nature reserve named after Magellan, as is indeed the whole southernmost region of Chile (Región de Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena).
For the 21st century traveller, the Trans-Pacific leg is much more comfortable and safer, even for those sailing their own (modern and well equipped) boat. Those who fly have a choice to make: stick close to Magellan's route by visiting Pacific islands at which he stopped, or bypass those and just fly to the Philippines. Flying to the islands will be quite expensive unless you can include them as part of a round-the world or round-the-Pacific flight.
You can get to Puka-Puka (part of the Tuamotu Islands of French Polynesia) by flying from Santiago to Easter Island, on to Papeete, Makemo and finally Puka-Puka.
These small atolls are still rather inaccessible, and island-hopping in Oceania often entails infrequent and hugely expensive flights.
To continue from Puke-Puka, backtrack to Papeete and fly to Guam via Tokyo. Travellers who choose to skip the uninteresting atolls can reach Guam by flying from Punta Arenas or another southern Chilean destination up to Santiago and onwards either via the US or via Auckland and Manila to Guam.
From Guam, fly via Manila to Tacloban, which is the transport hub of its region, and take a minibus to Guiuan. Suluan is reportedly a three-hour boat ride from there. It is possible either to get a direct Manila-Tacloban flight or to travel Manila-Cebu-Tacloban.
Homonchon is reportedly accessible by boat from Guiuan.
Unless you travel by boat, you need to backtrack from Guiuan to Tacloban, take another bus down to Maasin from where you can likely get by bus or taxi to the town of Padre Burgos and a boat to Limasawa. Aside from a town named after him, Magellan-related attractions on this island are of religious character. You can find a shrine on the place where the mass was held, as well as the first cross in the Philippines.
For modern day travelers the shortest route is to backtrack to Maasin, and take the ferry to Cebu. Alternately there are ferries and flights from Tacloban to Cebu. In Cebu City you can see Magellan's cross, a wooden cross planted by Magellan now inside an octagonal building near the Basilica del Santo Niño which has a statue of the Holy Child that Magellan gave to Humabon's wife upon baptism. A few decades after Magellan's voyage, Cebu became the first Spanish colonial city in the Philippines and it has many relics of that period, most notably Fort San Pedro.
Today the main city of the island is called Lapu-Lapu, and Cebu City and Lapu-Lapu are the two most important towns in the large urban region Metro Cebu. Lapu-Lapu has the country's second most important airport, Mactan-Cebu International Airport, and a statue of the chief is a tourist sight nearby, with a monument to Magellan close to it. The battle took place where the monuments now stand. The airport has many domestic and international flights. One can reach it via Manila, but many travellers prefer to enter the country via Cebu because that airport has fewer hassles and is nearer the center of the country. If budget permits, the Shangrila luxury hotel is close to the airport and the monuments; in general Lapu-Lapu is full of luxury resorts with beaches and diving expeditions.
Today Bohol is a major tourist destination, especially the resort area of Panglao Island. It is easily reached by ferry from Cebu.
Today, Palawan is a popular tourist destination, especially for divers. There are flights from Cebu or Manila, and ferries from Cebu, Manila or Iloilo City. From Bohol, the quickest route would be to return to Cebu by ferry then fly. Alternately, one could take a shorter ferry ride to Dumaguete, then bus to Bacolod, ferry to Iloilo and another ferry to Palawan.
From Palawan, fly via Manila to get to Brunei. Alternately, fly direct From Puerto Princesa, Palawan, to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, then get another flight or travel along the Borneo coast to Brunei. Also in this day travellers can be impressed by the wealth of the sultan of Brunei for instance in the Royal Regalia Museum and outside the palace.
The crew got lucky this time; just a few days earlier a Portuguese Navy detachment that had been searching for them for two years sailing the shorter route across the Indian Ocean had been expelled from the island by the local rajah and sailed back to Portuguese Malacca. The Spanish expedition got along with the locals much better and a few weeks later the ships were loaded with valuable cloves as well as supplies for the crew. However, when it was time to depart, they noticed that Trinidad was leaking badly and it had to stay behind for repairs. Commanded by Juan Elcano, the slightly smaller ship Victoria continued westwards on December 21 as the sole ship left of the expedition. Today, one should definitely not follow this part of the expedition's sea route. The waters around Mindanao are infested by both radical Islamicists and more-or-less secular pirates, and tourists have been kidnapped and murdered in the area in this century. In particular, the Sulu Islands region is extremely dangerous. If you are travelling by boat, going around the west side of Borneo is much safer, and a stop in Kuching might be interesting. The easiest way to take this leg is by flying to Jakarta and on to Ternate, from where Tidore is just a short boat trip away. Less developed and touristy than Ternate, here you can see Spanish fort ruins, attractions from the sultanate era (including a reconstructed palace) and a memorial to the Magellan expedition. If visiting in June-August, you can also see and smell cloves being harvested and dried.
Getting to the Cape of Good Hope requires several flights, usually starting by flying back to Jakarta and eventually to Johannesburg and onwards to Cape Town on a domestic flight. Singapore Airlines flies from Singapore to Cape Town with a stop in Johannesburg and Dubai Airlines has good connections to both Southeast Asia and South Africa. From Cape Town you can get to the Cape of Good Hope (some 60 km south) by rental car, on a tour, or by taking the train to Simon's Town and hiking, cycling or hitchhiking the last 20 km. As many European explorers had passed this point before, there are no memorials related to this particular expedition. Instead, you'll find the cross of Vasco da Gama, the first European to sail the Cape Route about a quarter century earlier. This is by the way not the southernmost point of Africa: that's in Agulhas National Park, around 400 km further southeast.
From Cape Town, you can fly via Luanda to Praia on Santiago, or alternatively via Johannesburg and Dakar. Cidade Velha is 10 km west of Praia. The town, which was the first European town in the tropics, is made up of colonial buildings and ruins.
To complete the circumnavigation, fly from Praia to Lisbon and take a plane or bus to Seville (with or without a side trip to Sanlúcar de Barrameda).
The expedition itself was a disaster; of the crew of 270, more than 200 perished including all the five original captains. They also brought back just one shipload of (very valuable) spices. Nevertheless they also brought back valuable information about parts of the world Europeans had never visited before and the size of the Pacific Ocean and therefore the size of the Earth itself. While the Spanish didn't get a foothold in the Spice Islands, Magellan's trip nevertheless helped establish the Philippines as a Spanish colony in Asia, accessed through Central America.
This itinerary takes you through several parts of the world. Some countries on the trip have high crime rates (Brazil, South Africa), and severe weather and tropical diseases are a risk in many places. Consult the individual country guides for precautions.
If you're doing the route by boat, there are additional hazards. Both the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa and Cape Horn south of South America are notoriously difficult passages. Also, the area around Mindanao, especially the Sulu Islands, is infested with pirates.