Since time immemorial, people have been attracted to distant and mysterious countries, legends about fabulous treasures, legends about the “golden age,” news about a happy and fair life “there, beyond the horizon.” Already in ancient states, rulers and generals equipped expeditions to search for new sea and land routes, and sent armies to conquer tribes and peoples of “unknown lands.” Later, kings and sultans, merchants and scientific communities tried to push the boundaries of the known world, to look into the remote corners of the planet. But not all of the desperate sailors and explorers returned to their homes. This book tells about the discoveries and amazing destinies of great travelers and explorers of different eras and countries. The reader will meet among the heroes of the book Herodotus and Strabo, Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta, Afanasy Nikitin and Francisco Pizarro, Hernan Cortez and Ermak, Erofei Khabarov and Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, Nikolai Przhevalsky and Miklouho-Maclay, Robert Peary and Roald Amundsen.