Exploration
Journey through Johan’s incredible adventures across remote and challenging terrains. Share your suggestions and help chart the course for his next expedition.
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Alaska Walkabout
Hiking is a fantastic way to travel. It is slow, you experience a lot, and you get to sleep in the wilderness. After climbing Mt McKinley, the highest mountain in North America, Johan and his friend Nicolas Gafgo decided to go out for a hike a very long hike. Johan estimates the walkabout to be…
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Antarctic Research Expedition
For many years, Johan Ernst Nilson has been producer and cinematographer for TV productions in the Arctic, Antarctica, North West Passage and the Magnetic North Pole. Swedish Polar Research Institute and Discovery Channel were behind the assignments, and the expeditions resulted in many documentaries and photo exhibitions. After a few expeditions, he understood he could…
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Antarctica Sailing Expedition
The Arctic and Antarctic waters are some of the hardest in the world, with high waves, strong currents, and ice-cold water. To make it even more interesting, there are icebergs floating around, and getting into land can sometimes be the most dangerous part of the trip. On my way to Antarctica, I decided to do…
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Arctic Dogsled Race
The Arctic is constantly changing. The landscape changes from minute to minute, while Antarctica looks the same. The High Arctic is as scary as it is interesting; it’s really Heaven and Hell in the same location. In 1999, Johan was asked to join a dogsled race in the Arctic, starting in Norway and 400 km…
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Bike Sweden to Sahara
May 16th 1994, was a day that changed my life. That was the day I started biking from Stockholm to Africa after a bet with my friend Rikard. The question was, could a guy with the lowest grade in school gymnastics bike across Europe? Well, after 52 days and 6,500 km, I lay down in…
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Borneo Photo Expedition
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in the Malaysian Sabah District of North Borneo was founded in 1964, to rehabilitate orphan orangutans. The site is 43 sq km of protected land at the edge of Kabili Sepilok Forest Reserve. Today, around 60 to 80 orangutans live free in the reserve. Johan Ernst Nilson visited the centre while…
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Flying Boat from Sweden to Africa
The Flying Boat Expedition must be one of Johan Ernst Nilson’s biggest challenges. This was by far the least physical one, but just because it wasn’t physical doesn’t mean it wasn’t complicated. Country by country, Johan had to fight against regulations, bureaucracy, and government. The first problem that came up when planning the flight over…
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Jetski Over the Atlantic
In 2001 Johan Ernst Nilson was asked to produce an expedition with Jetski over the Atlantic. His role was Expedition Leader, Support Boat Leader and Film Producer. At first Johan Ernst Nilson turned down the proposal but changed his mind when National Geographic was interested in producing the documentary together with Johan. The expedition started…
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Kayak Sweden to Morocco
When Johan biked across Europe to Africa, he often looked at the guys kayaking the same route, and he remembered saying to himself that he was going to try that when we got home. Well, Mount McKinley came up and he really didn’t get the time to practice until one day when his friends discussed…
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Kite across Greenland
To plan for everything is impossible, but you have to plan for as much as possible. Before Pole2Pole I knew that there were many things that would be completely new to me, like snow kite and polar crossings. I had already spent a lot of time in polar regions like Antarctica, the Arctic and Northwest…
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Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco, meaning “White Mountain”, is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. It rises 4,810 m (15,781 ft) above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence. It is also sometimes called La Dame Blanche (the White Lady). For many years, Johan…
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Mount Aconcagua
Aconcagua, 6,960.8 m (22,837.3 ft). Johan Ernst Nilson has done two expeditions to Aconcagua, on which they had to turn around the first time and the second time to reach the summit. The Polish Glacier Traverse route crosses through the Vacas valley, ascends to the base of the Polish Glacier, and then traverses across to…
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Mount Carstensz
Carstensz Pyramid is situated in the western central highlands of Papua and is the highest mountain in Oceania, 4,884 m (16,024 ft). It’s also the highest point between the Himalayas and the Andes and the highest island peak in the world. Puncak Jaya was named ‘Carstensz Pyramid’ after the Dutch explorer Jan Carstenszoon, who first…
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Mount Elbrus
Mt Elbrus is the highest mountain in Europe, but that is not what they taught us in school. There are many questions regarding the Seven Summits and where to climb what. Is it Mt Blanc or Mt Elbrus in Europe? Is Papua New Guinea a part of Australasia etc. Just to avoid any discussions Johan…
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Mount Everest
Mt Everest is not only the highest mountain in the world, at 8,848 metres (29,029 ft), but it’s also one of the most dangerous places on Earth. In 2007, Johan Ernst Nilson stood on the summit of the world, and once again, Johan realized that the Impossible can be made Possible! The most difficult tasks…
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Mount Kilimanjaro Summit Concert
The origin of the name Kilimanjaro is not precisely known, but a number of theories exist. European explorers had adopted the name by 1860 and reported that “Kilimanjaro” was the mountain’s Kiswahili name, but according to the 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopedia, the name of the mountain was “Kilima-Njaro.” It is also claimed that…
