7. The Dark Star Cave Explorers, Uzbekistan – Adventurers in the Void

The last to receive our title of ‘Awesome Adventurer(s)’ goes to a team rather than an individual. First discovered by Russian explorers in 1984, so far the Dark Star cave on the Afghan-Uzbekistan border has seen eight missions come and go without ever reaching the cave’s ‘end’ – if indeed there is one! These expeditions have found 11 miles of tunnels to date, with the deepest plunging to an incredible 3,000 feet below the earth’s surface. The team is made up of scientists and expert cavers for whom just getting to the cave is an adventure in itself.

The cave’s explorers first face a two-day hike through the remote Boysuntov mountain range and then, depending on the entrance they use, a scary abseil down to the cave’s opening at 12,000 feet above sea level. And then the fun really begins… Descending into the Dark Star is a true journey into the unknown – we’re talking Jules Verne kinda stuff. The size of the cave and the mystery of its furthest depths are such that National Geographic has called it the ‘Underground Everest’. Those who explore it are, you might say, nothing short of modern day Mallorys, Irvings, Tenzings and Hillarys.