Magellan-Elcano circumnavigation

There had been trade between Asia and the Mediterranean region for centuries via the Silk Road, and around 1300 Marco Polo went east and wrote of the riches there. Then around 1500, many ocean voyages of discovery were launched. In 1492 Christopher Columbus first sailed to the Americas, trying to reach China. In 1498, Vasco da Gama made the first voyage on the Cape Route, reaching Asia by going south and east around Africa. Twenty-odd years later Magellan went the other way, south and west around South America.
Ferdinand Magellan (Portuguese: Fernão de Magalhães; Spanish: Fernando de Magallanes) was born in northern Portugal (depending on the source near Porto or Vila Real) around 1480. He enlisted in the Portuguese fleet at the age of 25, spending years in India and participating in the Portuguese conquest of Malacca in 1511. Back in Portugal he eventually fell into disfavor with his superiors including the king. As a result of this, Magellan moved to Spain.
The Spanish were interested in finding a way to India and the Spice Islands by sailing westwards; this had been the objective of Columbus' voyages two decades earlier. The Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 split up the world between Spain and Portugal awarding the latter virtually all of the Old World. Portugal controlled many ports on the Cape Route, so a route via South America would be far better for Spain.
Together with cosmographer Rui Falero (who backed out just before the expedition left Spain) Magellan presented his plans to the king of Spain. In March 1518 they were named captains and Commanders of the Order of Santiago, equipped with ships and supplies and granted great benefits from the upcoming trip including an island for each one, monopoly of the discovered route for ten years and a fifth of the gains of the voyage.
The departure, originally scheduled for July, took place on August 10, 1519 from Seville and a little more than a month later the ships set out from Sanlúcar de Barrameda into the Atlantic. There were about 270 men and five ships in the fleet, Trinidad, San Antonio, Concepción, Santiago and Victoria. Trinidad was the flagship and commanded by Magellan himself. The crew consisted of people from many different southern and central European countries, perhaps most notably the Venetian scholar Antonio Pigafetta, who served as Magellan's assistant and wrote an account of the voyage. The expedition was named Armada de Molucca, the Fleet of Molucca, as its objective was to reach the Moluccas, or Spice Islands. Victoria would be the only ship to complete the circumnavigation, with only 18 crew members aboard.
Magellan himself died in combat on Mactan Island in the Philippines a little more than halfway into the journey. Lapu-Lapu, the local leader who killed him, is still regarded as a national hero in the Philippines. The trip onward to the Spice Islands and back to Spain was commanded by Juan Sebastián Elcano, native of Getaria in the Basque Country. A soldier and later a merchant captain, he joined the expedition as a subordinate officer. After the demise of captains and officers during the trip, Elcano was the commander who completed the circumnavigation and was awarded a coat of arms by the Spanish king, together with a pension. However, Elcano returned to the seas in 1525 as one of the commanders of the even more unlucky Loaísa expedition, whose goal likewise was to get to the Spice Islands via America, and died of malnutrition in July 1526 somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.
Elcano's male heirs did get the promised island; they were given the hereditary title Margues de Buglas, and "Buglas" is an obsolete name for the large and fairly rich Philippine island now known as Negros. The title has survived into the 21st century; the current Margues lives in Silay, a scenic town in Negros Occidental province with many old Spanish buildings.
English privateer Sir Francis Drake made the first circumnavigation under continuous command, from 1577 to 1580.

If you want to make the trip as similar to Magellan's as possible, using a boat is the way to go; a sailboat does not require fuel and would be more like the original voyage than a powerboat. Digital nomads (people who work while travelling) could cruise on a sailboat that circumnavigates the world over several years and perhaps earn enough to cover their costs.
Sailing your own ship around the globe is much easier now than in Magellan's time, especially if you avoid the difficult passages through the Straits of Magellan and round the Cape of Good Hope by using the Suez and Panama canals (on the other hand, that means considerable backtracking or missing out many points along the route). However it is still a major undertaking; it requires plenty of prior sailing experience, and a lot of money, preparation and time. A description of such a project and its risks is beyond the scope of a travel guide, though our Cruising on small craft article covers some of the basics.
For most travellers flying will be easier and safer; a Round-the-world flight may be appropriate. Be aware that this trip will entail destinations away from major international airports. To save miles on your round-the-world ticket (should you opt for one), use it for longer flights only and travel "locally" by budget airlines or overland. An alternative might be to choose a round-the-Pacific flight to reach many of the itinerary's destinations and book other flights for the rest of the route.
Many destinations on this route are prone to severe weather during certain times of the year – the tropics have rainy seasons and typhoon while the Austral winter (Northern Hemisphere summer) in the southernmost part of South America means snow and windchill. Weather-wise, the optimal time to make this trip would maybe be starting in February or March; assuming you want to make the trip in 3-4 months or less (of course the trip can be made in just a couple of weeks rushing from place to place).
Present day sights related to this journey as well as route and vehicle suggestions for getting from place to place along the expedition's voyage in the present day are written in italics in the itinerary below.

The expedition started and ended in Seville, a city that is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Guadalquivir river. Some accounts regard Sanlúcar de Barrameda at the mouth of the river as the start and ending point of the journey.
Seville has its own airport and the one in Jerez de la Frontera is the closest passenger airport to Sanlúcar de Barrameda. However, it is also possible to fly to an airport with better flight connections such as Madrid-Barajas Airport, Malaga or even Lisbon and travel the last section by bus, train or rental car.
==Go==

1519

• . The expedition set off from Seville, at the time the Spanish center of trade with the New World, sailing down the Guadalquivir River. It took a few days downstream to Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

. As they reached the coast, they were stopped by the authorities who had doubts a Portuguese would have gotten the Spanish king's authorization for this journey. It took five weeks before they were allowed to continue.

Once on the Atlantic, they were followed by the Portuguese Navy sent out by the Portuguese king, who weren't at all happy about the Spanish attempt to colonize and trade in "their" hemisphere of the world. Magellan managed to evade the Portuguese ships before arriving in where they replenished their supplies.

26 September 1519 – Leaving the Canary Islands. The ships set out on the Atlantic. They passed the islands on October 3rd, and crossed the Equator on November 20th.

, south of Recife is the first place in the Americas Magellan arrived at.

• . Today one of South America's highlights and easily accessible by bus or plane from Recife, in 1519 "January River" was but a small settlement that had been discovered by Europeans in 1502 (a city by that name wouldn't be founded here until almost half a century later). Magellan replenished his supplies and sailed on, now encountering some bad storms where the ship Santiago was damaged.

1520

• . In early January the ships arrived at the River Plate and spent a few weeks exploring the region, hoping to find a passage to what is now known as the Pacific Ocean. There is a legend that the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo got its name from one of the members in Magellan’s expedition exclaiming "Monte vide eu" (I see a mountain) when seeing Cerro Hill just west of the current city. However, given that the city was founded about 200 years later, it’s possible that it was some other mountain elsewhere on the coast he saw.

• . The expedition sailed along the coast, hoping to find a passage. In one area they found plenty of penguins instead, and named it Bahía de los Patos or "Bay of the Ducks".

• (Patagonia). With the southern winter approaching, the expedition decided to overwinter in a place Magellan named Puerto San Julián, today a town of about 6,000 inhabitants. However, the crew had grown tired of the trip into nowhere and a mutiny broke out on three of the ships on April 1. Magellan managed to take control over the situation, and executed the leaders of the mutiny but spared many of the participants (including Elcano) as he could not afford to lose too many crew members. Later, Francis Drake would also overwinter here on a round-the-world trip and suffer a mutiny.

• . Setting off from Puerto San Julián, after two months of exploring the coast, they passed a peninsula they named Cabo Virgenes – the southeastern tip of today's Argentine Patagonia. They then entered what today is known as the Strait of Magellan (originally they named it "Estrecho de Todos los Santos", Strait of All Saints). Ships were spread out in order to find the best route. One of the ships, San Antonio, mutinied on Nov 20 and sailed back to Spain where it would arrive half a year later. Its crew of about 50 was jailed, but freed later when the survivors of the round the world trip arrived and told about the hardships of the voyage.

• . After 38 days of sailing through the strait, the expedition, now consisting of three ships, reached open seas again. Magellan named this ocean Mar Pacifico (Pacific Ocean), as the ocean was so quiet and calm compared to the awful winter storms the expedition had had to endure in the southern Atlantic and the strait.

1521

• 21 January 1521 – Sharks Islands (). The first European to sail across the Pacific, Magellan of course had no idea how large this ocean was. He expected it to take one month to sail across it, while it in reality took three. There were several islands relatively close to the route where they could have replenished their supplies but they had no clue about them and missed them all. The expedition stumbled upon some of the uninhabited Line Islands. As there was nothing to get from these coral atolls (hence named Islas Infortunadas, Unlucky Islands), food and fresh water supplies started running low and the crew had to resort to eating rats.

4 February 1521 – San Pablo Island ( or ). The expedition encounters yet another atoll, it's unclear whether this was today's Vostok Island or Flint Island.

. Arriving in Guam in the Mariana Islands group, the expedition finally gets fresh fruit, water and fish. First believing that they've arrived at the northern end of the Spice Islands, they later to their disappointment learn it wasn't true. While in Guam, the ships are boarded and looted by natives, wherefore Magellan names the island group Islas de los Ladrones, "Islands of the Thieves".

• – Eastern Samar, . Magellan's crew were the first Europeans to arrive in the Philippines, and Guiuan is the first place they visited.

. Two days later they arrived at the island of Homonchon, just south of Guiuan. Unlike on Guam, they were warmly welcomed by the natives who brought them fresh food, spices and wine. A setback was that the cartographers measured that they had traveled so far west that they had entered the Portuguese Hemisphere (according to the Treaty of Tordesillas). Nevertheless, the treaty also allowed a party to establish trading posts in the other hemisphere, providing that the particular land was previously unclaimed and the explorer managed to make treaties with the natives. This prompted Magellan to make alliances and treaties with all local chiefs he met.

. Sailing southwest they arrived at the island of Limasawa, where the slave Enrique in Magellan's expedition was able to communicate with the locals. It is unclear where Enrique originally came from (he was captured in Malacca), but this fact makes it possible that he was the very first person to circumnavigate the world. On March 31, the first mass in the Philippines was held here.

. Arriving in Cebu, Magellan struck up more alliances with local chiefs. Magellan managed to convert Chief Humabon and 2,000 locals to Christianity and promised to make Humabon the superior ruler over the region. Local chiefs agreed to this, except for one – Lapu-Lapu.

• (Lapu-Lapu). A joint force of 49 of Magellan’s crew and some natives from Humabon's and other tribes attacked Mactan Island to force Lapu-Lapu to accept Humabon's (and the Spanish King's) superiority. The attack is a disaster; the attackers soon discovered they were far outnumbered by Lapu-Lapu's warriors (numbering up to 1,500) and coral reefs prevented the ships from getting within gun range of the island. Magellan died in battle and his body was taken as a war trophy by Lapu-Lapu, never to be seen again.

2 May 1521 – Leaving the Visayas. With Magellan dead, the relations between the locals and remaining Europeans soured quickly. Afraid that the Europeans now would try to conquer the domain of Humabon and kill him, natives poisoned several crew members including João Serrão, captain of Concepción and leader of the expedition after Magellan's death, but the expedition members managed to fight their way out and sail away. Meanwhile the slave Enrique escaped from the Europeans and there are no records of him afterwards. As the crew had been decimated to the point that there weren't enough men for three ships, Concepción, the least seaworthy of them, was burned in the waters near Bohol. The two remaining ships sailed west, still searching for the Spice Islands.

. The westernmost island of the Philippines, called the "Land of Promise" by the chronicler Pigafetta. The crew was very happy to find an island to replenish their food stock. Here they met some Moro (Filipino Muslim) pilots who guided them onwards through the shallow waters.

. The expedition reached Brunei and stayed there for 35 days. They were impressed by the wealth of the rajah who however wasn't interested in their goods.

• , Moluccas. Sailing back around Borneo and through the Sulu Islands off Mindanao, the expedition now consisting of 115 men and two ships finally reached the Spice Islands about two years and two months after they left Spain.

. Victoria made a final stop in the Spice Islands. Ambon (Pattimura Airport) is a short plane hop away from Ternate.

1522

• . Victoria made a stop in Timor (it's not clear where on the island) before heading southwest into the Indian Ocean. The Indonesian western half of the island (El Tari airport) is accessible via Makassar. Getting to East Timor entails a long detour, flying either via Singapore or via Jakarta and Bali.
• 6 April 1522 – Trinidad sailed east. After a few months of repair, the flagship Trinidad left Tidore, aiming to sail back to Spain the same way it came. It proved to be a bad decision; as they weren't familiar with the wind patterns of the Pacific, they drifted north almost all the way to Japan. When they managed to return south, the barely seaworthy flagship was captured by the Portuguese and sank in a storm while anchored. Four of Trinidad's crew made it back to Spain several years later.

• . The crossing of the Indian Ocean took a toll on the crew, just like the crossing of the Pacific. Victoria started taking in water. Moreover they ran out of salt, so fish and meat spoiled quickly in the tropical climate. Pumping water out of the ship while living on water and rice, the exhausted crew entered the Atlantic four months after leaving Timor.

, Cape Verde. From Africa's southwestern tip, they sailed north along the coast. Desperate to get supplies and slaves to man the pumps (tens of the ship's crew had died from scurvy and disease since they left Asia), Elcano sailed to the Cape Verdean island of Santiago, which was a Portuguese colony, probably landing in the old capital of Cidade Velha. He pretended to be arriving from the Americas, and managed to get some supplies. On Cape Verde they were puzzled that the local calendar was one day ahead of the ship's (they'd lost one day by sailing around the world westwards). By accident, however, the Portuguese learned that the ship was carrying cloves and cinnamon and thus was part of the mysterious Spanish expedition to Southeast Asia. Elcano managed to escape, leaving 13 men behind, including Pigafetta. Everyone eventually managed to get back to Spain.

• . About three years after leaving, the expedition consisting of just one ship and a crew of 18 arrived in Spain.
• . Sailing up on the Guadalquivir River, they reached Seville on September 8, 1522. Elcano and the survivors were hailed as heroes.

Aftermath

The expedition itself was a disaster; of the crew of 270, more than 200 perished including all the five original captains. They also brought back just one shipload of (very valuable) spices. Nevertheless they also brought back valuable information about parts of the world Europeans had never visited before and the size of the Pacific Ocean and therefore the size of the Earth itself. While the Spanish didn't get a foothold in the Spice Islands, Magellan's trip nevertheless helped establish the Philippines as a Spanish colony in Asia, accessed through Central America.

This itinerary takes you through several parts of the world. Some countries on the trip have high crime rates (Brazil, South Africa), and severe weather and tropical diseases are a risk in many places. If you're doing the route by boat, the area around Mindanao is infested with pirates. Consult the individual country guides for precautions.