Martin Walsh

Antonio De la Rosa on his prototype stand-up paddle board. Photo: Posovisual Antonio de la Rosa’s attempt to paddle the Northwest Passage began slowly when 40kph winds left him sheltering in place just a short distance from his start point at Cape Liverpool on Bylot Island. The 57-year-old Spaniard’s attempt at a full, solo crossing of that long and difficult Arctic passage uses a unique craft.

In 2025, Stef Gebbie set out across Canada on horseback, moving east to west. Starting in the Maritimes near New Brunswick, the 26-year-old Australian made it as far as Ontario’s Manitoulin Island before a family tragedy forced her to go home for a time. Keen to continue the expedition, Gebbie headed back later that year to kayak from Manitoulin Island to the Manitoba border, passing through Lake Superior, Thunder Bay, and then the Path of the Paddle (a water trail through northwestern Ontario).

In this series, we consider the 10 largest islands in the world from the perspective of an adventurous traveler looking for new possibilities. Since there are no new continents to discover and a growing shortage of unclimbed mountains, modern adventurers often focus on lists. Projects involving or linking the 10 largest islands in the world are a great start. Today, #3: Borneo Split between Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia, Borneo is the third-largest island in the world.