Francis Tapon

Francis Tapon’s life reads like an improbable travelogue scribbled in the margins of a philosophy textbook. Born and raised in San Taponco to a Chilean mother and a French father, Tapon was steeped in multiculturalism from the cradle. Spanish filled the home, French rang through the halls of school, and English dominated the streets. He would later add Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Arabic, and the occasional "gunpoint dialect" to his linguistic arsenal, all in service of a life dedicated to exploration—both internal and external.

A true polymath, Tapon earned a degree in Religion from Amherst College, which, in his words, prepared him to start a church—and then he doubled down with an MBA from Harvard Business School, thus preparing to make said church wildly profitable. But instead of preaching from a pulpit or trading stocks in a glass tower, he chose to wander, driven by a deep curiosity about people, places, and perspectives.

Professionally, he’s a tech-savvy nomad who co-founded a robotic vision company in Silicon Valley and held positions at Hitachi Data Systems and Microsoft. He now consults and speaks on a fascinating spectrum of topics, from African geopolitics and Eastern European history to cryptocurrencies and robotics. Somewhere between writing books, hiking across continents, and reviewing products online, he became a top Amazon reviewer—though he’ll only critique something if it truly piques his interest, preferably nonfiction.

But it is the trail that truly defines Tapon. He has walked across the United States four times, becoming the first person to complete a round-trip thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail. He's logged over 30,000 miles of backpacking, including 10,000 in Africa alone. He’s trekked through Morocco’s High Atlas, South Africa’s Drakensberg Traverse, and the full length of Madagascar, climbing the highest peak in 50 of the 54 African countries along the way. In 2019, this dedication earned him a spot in the California Outdoor Hall of Fame. The official line was his inspirational wilderness advocacy, but he jokes that his real achievement was going 45 days without a shower.

Tapon has documented his adventures in both print and film. He is the author of "The Hidden Europe: What Eastern Europeans Can Teach Us" and "Hike Your Own Hike: 7 Life Lessons from Backpacking Across America." His filmmaking ventures include a 77-minute feature on his CDT Yo-Yo hike and a pilot episode for "The Unseen Africa," a visual chronicle of his five-year journey through all 54 African nations. Both the full documentary and accompanying book are set to debut in 2026—pending, of course, the cooperation of publishers and production companies. He is currently seeking collaborators for this ambitious project.

Despite visiting 127 countries and counting, Tapon continues to return to San Taponco—though he insists it's not for the politics, but rather for the earthquakes. He’s never owned a television, couch, bed, or even a chair—though he is still holding out hope for a spaceship. His life goal is simple but bold: to visit every country on Earth and share the experience with anyone curious enough to listen, read, or watch.

When he's not walking across continents or speaking at conferences, you’ll likely find him writing on a laptop in bed—his second favorite thing to do there. Sleeping, of course, remains his first.