In a sweltering blacksmith workshop in central Kazakhstan, 76-year-old Sarsenbay Kotyrashov wipes sweat from his brow as he shapes a glowing piece of iron. The craft he has practised since childhood has given him more than a livelihood—it has forged the endurance that now carries him across continents.
“There is a Kazakh verse: ‘I’m as soft as iron and as white as coal,’” he says with a chuckle. That mix of toughness and lightness defines his late-life adventure.
Kotyrashov spent most of his life in the Ulytau region, a remote area known for its steppe and ancient mausoleums. He never travelled far until 2022, when he decided it was time. “I had never travelled far in my life. But it is never too late to travel. Age doesn’t matter,” he insists.
That year, he set off from his native Ulytau and walked the entire length of Kazakhstan—8,000 kilometres in six months, from the southern borderlands to the Caspian shore at Aktau. The journey convinced him he could go further.
From the Caucasus to the Great Wall
His first international trek began in Atyrau, western Kazakhstan. He crossed into Russia, walked through the Caucasus, and reached Istanbul. The encounters with new cultures and landscapes only sharpened his appetite.
By then, he had adopted the nickname Ulytauman, after his home region. His distinctive image—a lean figure in a hat, pulling a suitcase plastered with stickers from every place he visited—turned him into a social media sensation. Strangers stopped him for selfies and posted his progress online.
Next came China. Starting from Oskemen in eastern Kazakhstan, he walked through Russia’s Altai region and Mongolia before arriving in Beijing. He posed for a photo on the Great Wall, a milestone he recalls with pride.
In 2026, Kotyrashov secured funding and a Schengen visa, then walked through five European countries. He began in Belgrade, Serbia, and continued through Hungary, Austria, and Germany before reaching Paris—roughly 3,000 kilometres in 53 days. The route took him through the heart of the continent, past villages and cities that left a lasting impression.
“Once, I spent three and a half days out in the wilderness without food or water,” he recalls. “It turns out a person can endure it. If you have the will and desire to live, you can endure anything.”
His signature leather hat has been his companion on every journey. “I’ve travelled through five European countries wearing this. Now, God willing, I’ll conquer America next,” he says with a grin.
Kotyrashov’s next challenge is a transcontinental walk across eight US states in 2027, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The trek is part of a larger ambition: to enter the Guinness World Records by covering more than 40,000 kilometres on foot after turning 75.
“I don’t consider myself old,” he says, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. “Until I complete this plan and make it into the Guinness World Records, I won’t consider myself old.”
His journeys have also drawn attention to Kazakhstan’s vast landscapes, a country that is increasingly looking outward—whether through trade links with Europe or its ambitions in technology. Kotyrashov’s own trek across Europe echoes that spirit of connection, one step at a time.
