Kuwaiti solo traveler becomes first Arab to visit all countries, both Poles
As first Arab to visit every country and reach both the North and South Poles, Alshuaib enters a rare group of individuals to achieve this feat.
The Times Kuwait Report
On 3 April, 2025, Kuwaiti citizen Bader Alshuaib became the first Arab to visit every country and reach both the North and South Geographic Poles. The last destination in his marathon global trip was a visit to Pyongyang, North Korea, as part of the foreign delegation allowed to participate in the city’s annual marathon.
With North Korea’s borders closed to general tourism since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Alshuaib was the only Arab member of the first Western group allowed entry since the lockdown. The milestone visit marks the final stop in his extraordinary journey to visit every country in the world—a goal he began in 2020.
As the first Arab to visit every country and reach both the North and South Geographic Poles, Alshuaib enters a rare group of individuals who have achieved this feat.
Worldwide, around 400 travelers have been verified as having visited every country, and fewer than 100 claim to have reached both the North and South Geographic Poles. This places Alshuaib among an elite group to have achieved this rare feat.
