Author of multiple books, National Geographic Explorer, Ex-CNN Bureau Chief, vagabond traveling the world right now ... more at chipwalter.com
Joined March 2009
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301 Photos and videos
Jun 11
We struck northwest for Aït Benhaddou, a mud-brick fortress baked into the Moroccan desert like something Martian. It doesn’t merely look old—you feel it in your bones. More on this outpost in the newsletter: chipwalter.com/newsletter #TravelStories #Morocco #AitBenhaddou #Sahara
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May 31
A few years ago, I had the incredible chance to explore Chauvet Cave for @NatGeo! Only the 2nd journalist to witness 36,000-year-old art up close. Feel the cave through this short video! Exclusive content & updates: chipwalter.com/newsletter #CaveArt #NatGeo #ChauvetCave
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May 29
Forty-three degrees. Cloudy. A biting wind blows hard off the Strait of Magellan with the steady rhythm of a metronome, pushing the sea into long gray waves. I walked along the Punta Arenas docks anyway. #Wind. More Field Notes. chipwalter.com/newsletter. #Patagonia #PuntaArenas
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May 27
I’ve watched the sun melt into the Sahara with Cyndy, stood under the hard brilliance of the Atacama stars, watched a wild storm sweep in over the Straits of Magellan—but have I really absorbed those experiences? Keeping the World at Bay. Field Notes: chipwalter.com/newsletter
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May 26
Just as my book Last Ape Standing came out, @NatGeo handed me the assignment of a lifetime: write a story on the origin of human art.
The highlight? Becoming only the 2nd journalist ever permitted inside this 36,000-year-old beautifully preserved cave. 🧵👇
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May 26
Follow along to see my own exclusive video from deep inside the cave, plus rare footage of how scientists cloned the site to protect it.
Get the full story, video drops, and 60,000 miles of misadventures in the newsletter: chipwalter.com/newsletter #Archaeology #HumanEvolution
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May 21
It’s hard to destroy your darlings. You become attached to them. Morgan Adam’s grandparents didn’t survive #Doppelgänger. They were so alive, so interesting, they were pulling the novel off course. So they had to go. You can meet them at chipwalter.com/newsletter. #BookOuttakes
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May 11
Will we become the "new Neanderthals"? Explaining the term #Cybersapiens—the next stage of human evolution. We don't just need tech; we need to be amplified. Explore these ideas in the thriller Doppelgänger: chipwalter.com/doppelganger #AI #SciFi #Transhumanism
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May 6
I followed Rayna through a narrow archway and two flights of stone steps into the bowels of the riad. The kind of down where you start wondering if you’ll be reissued later under a different name... A Fish Out of Water - Encounters in a Hammam. More at chipwalter.com/newsletter
ALT The first set of stairs descending into the Hammam at Riad Kalaa
ALT The second set of stairs descending into the Hammam at Riad Kalaa
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Apr 30
Have you ever stood somewhere that made you feel completely insignificant in the best way possible? More Vagabond postcards here: vagabond-adventure.com/postc… #PhongNha #VietnamTravel
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Apr 28
At the temple beside the great stepwell of Chand Baori, I watched a young woman kneeling before the Hindu god Shiva—the destroyer who makes way for renewal. What was she asking for? A child? Relief for a sick parent? A different life? More about this at: chipwalter.com/newsletter
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Apr 16
There is a particular sting when someone smart takes apart a book you’ve lived inside for years. Because they’re careful. My agent read Version 2 of White Out and did what good agents do. He went after structure. After spine. After pressure. More info at chipwalter.com/newsletter.
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Apr 14
The train wasn’t moving. It stood outside the station in the silence of the Vietnamese morning. Faraway mountains. Brilliant green rice paddies stretching out in a vivid carpet. A single man stood near. I wondered … what was he thinking? More info here: chipwalter.com/newsletter
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Apr 14
Hello from Paro, Bhutan. A calm town with dramatic landscape. It was rainy, but we were undaunted. We climbed the Tiger’s Nest (a hanging series of Buddhist Temples), scaling the steep path in the downpour in a bit more than an hour. More at: vagabond-adventure.com/postc…
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Apr 1
I interviewed a scientist once who said something offhand that I never managed to file away properly. He was talking about pattern, how we humans aren’t really a creature so much as a living pattern. It struck me, like good research does. More info here: chipwalter.com/newsletter
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Mar 28
Slowly, I awoke, wondering – was this a metaphor for the human race? Could the human race win this battle? Could all people in the world live a good, worthy and dignified life? Or were some doomed to sink back into the quagmire? More information here: chipwalter.com/newsletter
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Mar 25
Most books don’t begin where you think they do. Often they don’t start with an idea or a plot or even a sentence. They bubble up from the subconscious—from a place that won’t quite leave you alone. A question that refuses to be silenced. More on that here: chipwalter.com/newsletter
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Mar 24
Kirtipur’s central square is defined by its Hindu temples, some dating back centuries. At the Bagh Bhairab Temple, ancient traditions of sacrifice and prayer remain a rhythmic, daily part of life for the local community. #VagabondAdventure #Kirtipur #BaghBhairab #Nepal
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Mar 24
Exploring Kirtipur, a former seat of Newari kings preserved for its traditional architecture. Despite deep morning shadows, the village reveals a glimpse into local life, from historic red-brick homes to quiet encounters with residents. #VagabondAdventure #Kirtipur #Newari #Nepal
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Mar 23
Kirtipur "hangs" on a ridge, preserved by the Newari people for traditional farming. From this elevation, one can see the Himalayas, the mountains that serve as the horizon for the ancient high-altitude trade routes. #VagabondAdventure #Kirtipur #Nepal #Himalayas #ScenicView
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