SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — Two French adventurers reached the end of an epic walk from their hometown to Shanghai on Saturday, after nearly a year and a half crossing 16 countries almost entirely on foot.

Tired but delighted, Loic Voisot and Benjamin Humblot embraced as they stood by the river on the Bund promenade, the Chinese financial hub’s distinctive skyline glittering in the background.

Voisot, 26, and Humblot, 27, set off from Annecy in southeastern France in September 2024.

Yearning for a “great adventure,” they wanted to visit China but without flying, to avoid contributing to the harmful environmental impact of the aviation industry.

“We’re having a hard time believing it’s real, that we’ve done all that on foot, that we’re finally here, after having thought of Shanghai for so long,” a weather-beaten Voisot told Agence France-Presse.

“I think first and foremost we’re proud, especially of having dared to do this... We weren’t sure we’d make it, but we told ourselves we’d try it out.”

The pair spent 518 days on the road, crossing a distance of about 12,850 kilometers and taking rests every five or seven days.

They walked around 45 kms a day, except for a brief cross into Russia by bus for safety and logistical reasons.

Around 50 people gathered at the start point of the final 10-km stretch of their odyssey.