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Travel Uncharted

Uncharted Backpacker is a travel blog focusing on the remote corners of our planet. Hear the untold stories, explore lost worlds, get travel writing/photography tips, and discover fascinating cultures. Travel this incredible world with me to the parts unknown.

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About me

Hi! I’m Stephen, an award-winning travel writer/photographer. I am an adventurer who has been traveling the world for over fifteen years. My passion is traveling to the parts unknown and telling the stories of those who call these remote regions home. From chaotic bazaars in Afghanistan, to living amongst hunting nomads in the high Arctic, my adventures have no limit and they have only just begun.

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Latest Posts

Svaneti, Georgia Travel Guide

December 16, 20212 comments

Svaneti, Georgia  It’s what pushes us as travelers to reach such far-flung destinations. The allure of the unknown, delving into the flavors of unique cultures, or the chance to tell a new story that will become an integral part of your identity.  The Svaneti region is in a...

Where I've Been

Top Regions

  • 7 Continents visited
  • 120 Countries visited
  • 500 k Miles traveled
  • 12 Years traveling
  • 219 Stories written
Well, that concludes my scuba diving and first stops in Mexico. Now, I am off to find new adventures in Colombia! A huge thanks to @salty_endeavors for my incredible diving in Cozumel and to Aydin at @thecenoteguy for showing me a once in a lifetime experience Cenote diving.....(Aydin, I am hooked now. You will be seeing me again soon) Mexico is a country full of adventures to be had, Many people book a resort and forget that Mexico is a country with a plethora of unique cultures, landscapes, and stunning nature. Travel differently next time, and delve deeper into this incredible place! 🇲🇽 #Mexico #travelmexico #scuba #scubadiving #ssi #padi #paditravel #underwaterphotography #droneoftheday #dji #earthscope #earth #passionpassport #folkscenery #sonyalpha #travelinspiration #travelphotography
Over the past few weeks, I have been exploring Mexico's coastal regions with @salty_endeavors , the marine diversity here is astonishing, and the diving has been spectacular. Racking up over 20 dives In two weeks I can say that I blown away by nature here. Our oceans are under threat, all species are being affected by climate change and the warming of our oceans. Its we the people who can make a difference. Support the fishing industries less, don't just pick your litter up, but clean up others. The most important thing we can do overall is educate. Educate those who don't understand and be persistent with those who are ignorant to the subject. We have one planet and one ocean, let's work together to protect this paradise. 🐟 🐠 🐡 🐋 🐳 🇲🇽 #ocean #oceanlife #oceanphotography #droneoftheday #dronephotography #dronepics #drone #dji #djiglobal #scuba #scubadiving #whales #mexico #mexicotravel #protectourplanet #padi #paditravel #ssi
"I came to Yucatan as a tourist six years ago. I had heard about Cenote diving, and I was curious. After my first dive in the Angelita Cenote, my life changed. Everything I knew felt different, and all I wanted to do was dive in Cenotes, a life altering experience. " These are the words that Ayden, the founder of @thecenoteguy said to me on our way to the Angelita Cenote. Descending into the dark blue depths of what the Mayans believed to be the entrance to the under realm was something in all my years of traveling I have never felt before. Nearing 100 feet into this new realm, a cloud emerged with a graveyard of trees protruding the doorway to the underworld. This is where it happened. Ayden gave me the signal to decend below the cloud, which is also known as the Halocline, a place where salt water meets fresh water. Entering the cloud, an instant biological response of panic sets in. You can see only the last glimpse of light dissipate before you. Finally, I entered darkness. Below the cloud, I floated amidst nothing above or below. As if death had finally befallen me, no sounds, no light, a place where you no longer exist. Emerging back through the cloud to the Cenote graveyard, things changed. As if tripping on hallucinogenics for the first time, life felt different. On the surface my fellow Divers @michael_now_ and @paul_seatonic could only smile as we were speechless. #mexico #cenote #angelitacenote #mexicotravel #scubadiving #scuba #cavediving #paditravel #padi #lonelyplanet #travelinspiration #earthscope #earth #sonyalpha #mayanriviera #yucatan
Today, let's dive deeper into the smaller ocean world. When you become a certified Scuba Diver, it's always exciting to be in search of big fish and sharks! Trust me, in saying this, there is an exciting world right before your eyes. You only need to look closer. Those who take time to look deeper will find a colorful world full of life. Here, smaller creatures maintain a delicate ecosystem, often working closely with the large fish who come here to feed and be cleaned. 🐟 🐠 🐡 Diving here in Cozumel with the amazing @salty_endeavors 🇲🇽 #oceanphotography #oceanlife #ocean #oceanlife #earth #earthscope #eartpix #padi #paditravel #scubadiving #scuba #passionpassport #sonyalpha #lonelyplanet #underwaterphotography #ourplanetdaily #mexico #cozumel #mayanriviera #yucatan
These three photos are among my favorite in my first couple days of diving with @salty_endeavors here on the island of Cozumel in Mexico's Yucatan. The waters are crystal clear, and the reefs are teeming with life. 🏝 🇲🇽 Right now, it is Eagle Ray and Bullshark season. They come for colder waters at this time of year for about three months. 🐟 🐠 There are plenty more photos to come! Hopefully, I can snag a few photos of some sharks in the coming days. 🦈 If you enjoy these photos please take one thing from them. Protect our nature by never putting plastics in the ocean. These photos will not be possible if we continue to polute our oceans. 📷 Shot on - Sony A7rIV 📷 Lens - 16 -35 2.8 @sonyalpha @mexicotravelchannel @paditv #mexico #mayanriviera #yucatan #cozumel #mexicotravel #ocean #scubadiving #underwaterphotography #diving #divinglife #padi #earth #earthscope #earthpix #wildlifephotography #oceanlife #oceanphotography #paditravel
Back to traveling again! I have been in Mexico for over a week now. Starting in Puerto Vallarta, I spent five days visiting my parents and exploring the stunning mountainous region of Jalisco. The coast is also famous for whale watching, and (spoiler alert) I may have photographed many of these beautiful creatures with my drone... but that's coming up in the next post, so stay tuned. Now, I am heading to Cozumel for a week of diving with @salty_endeavors before diving the Cenotes of Yucatan with @thecenoteguy Lots of adventures to come in one of my favorite countries, Mexico! 🇲🇽 #Mexico #puertovallarta #drone #djiglobal #droneoftheday #dronepics #dronephotography #fromwhereidrone #ourplanetdaily #discoverearth #goexplore #travelpassion #adventuretravel #lonelyplanet #travelinspiration #Jalisco
It's been a wild year of travel. Starting off in Italy and Egypt before heading off to Scotland, Norway, and the Arctic with @poseidonexpeditions Lastly, I went to the Faroe Islands one of my new favorite world destinations with @greengate_incoming This year, I also did something a bit different. A friend of mine @alxxvisuals came to Canada, and we explored so many new areas here at home in the Canadian Rockies. For all the others of you who know me at my Spice shop @thespicemerchant.ca I can assure you the coming year will bring tons of new spices from around the world! What's next for me? I'm staring off the year with a bang! Heading to Mexico to do some scuba diving photography, then off the Colombia with @mattkutcher After Colombia, I'll be in Antarctica again with @poseidonexpeditions before exploring more of Central America with @chelseaminjaro Although it was a great year for me, it also came with plenty of challenges to overcome. I hope 2023 is successful and, more importantly, fun for all of you! Keep traveling, everyone. #travel #travelalberta #banffnationalpark #Canada #canadianrockies #travelphotographer #travelphotography #earthscope #earth #lonelyplanet
I haven't posted in awhile, why? I've been working! When I am not working as a travel photographer I am at home here in Canada working at my Spice Business that I own. I figured, first post in awhile should correlate with this! Matera, Southern Italy. Not only a beautiful travel destination I want to go back to, but also a place where I get many of the Italian spices I sell at my shop @thespicemerchant.ca 📷 - Sony A7rIV #sonyalpha #italytravel #italy #italia #stayandwander #roam #beautifuldestinations #eartpix #ourplanetdaily #discoverearth #goexplore #travelpassion #adventuretravel #lonelyplanet #travelinspiration #lightroom #roamtheplanet #passionpassport #travelshots
Having had the privilege to travel to so many places, I find myself getting a more jaded outlook. What should impress me, ends up feeling like somewhere familiar. Every now and then a destination shocks me however. The Faroe Islands, set in the middle of the North Atlantic, a series of emerald green gems featuring waterfalls seamlessly defying physics, soaring mountains making my limited knowledge of geology question, how is this even possible? Simply put, the Faroe Islands are a mind f@#k. The people who call this place home, decendents of Vikings have coincided with nature, building Villages with grass roofs for decades. It's a sight to behold and honeslty a place I want to return back to. Traveling with - @greengate_incoming 🇫🇴 ⛰️ 🐑 🐏 #visitfaroeislands #faroeislands #dji #djiglobal #droneoftheday #dronephotography #djimavicpro #fromwhereidrone #dronepics #faroeisland #earthscope #earth #folkscenery #passionpassport #lonelyplanet