Philipp, also known as don pipolino on Geocaching.com and Instagram, has shared his geocaching adventures since 2010. With over 130 hides and 15,000 Favorite points, his cache hiding expertise and keen eye for geocaching details are inspiring.

Curious about what captures don pipolino’s eye? Get ready to be intrigued as we delve into his geocaching experiences!

Geocaching HQ: What’s your background outside of geocaching? Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I come from Basel, a city in Switzerland that is right on the border with Germany and France. I enjoy being in nature, and my hobbies are hiking and photography. Which I can combine very well with my passion for geocaching.

Geocaching HQ: What’s your username and icon, and what’s the story behind them?

My username is don pipolino and my icon is a cowboy. A friend gave me this name as a joke. First he called me Pipolino, a nickname related to Philipp, and then Don was added. When I started geocaching, a friend chose don pipolino as my username. Since I wanted to be a cowboy as a child, I chose a cowboy as the icon.

Geocaching HQ: How and when did you hear about geocaching?

I first heard about geocaching from friends in early 2010. Then I went with them a few times geocaching. But I never thought I would do it myself. In October 2010, I created an account with a friend. Because we didn’t know what we could do with her little brother on a Saturday. So we looked for a few caches without success 🙂 And then I still got the geocaching fever.

Geocaching HQ: How and where can people find you and your geocaching content?

You can find me on Instagram. I post my adventures at @don_pipolino_. I like to go on hikes or visit beautiful places combined with geocaching. I post photos or videos of my experiences. If you have any questions or need tips, please feel free to write to me.

Geocaching HQ: When did you start documenting your geocache finds on social media? What’s your favorite part of sharing your adventures online?

I’ve been on Instagram since June 2016. I like being able to share my adventures while geocaching with geocachers from all over the world who are on Instagram. This has also resulted in interesting contacts with other cachers.

Geocaching HQ: Your geocaching photo gallery is stunning! Where does your photography inspiration come from?

Thank you very much for the compliment.

I have always enjoyed photography. I’ve had a camera with me for as long as I can remember. I love photographing landscapes, animals and people and I think the results are impressive. Friends of mine say that I take good photos and that I have a good eye for photography. I also think that I can showcase a geocache well when I photograph it.

Geocaching HQ: You have hidden over 100 geocaches; Do you have a favorite and where did you get the inspiration for the hide?

I actually like all of my geocaches and it’s not easy to pick out a favorite. But Hereinspaziert (GC4XCXQ) is at the top of the list; it is also the geocache with the most Favorite points. This is a typical don pipolino cache. It makes many cachers laugh and, because it is placed in the middle of the city of Basel, it is visited by cachers from all over the world.

Most of my caches are spontaneous ideas. I often pass by a place and think that this is a good place to hide a geocache and then I have an idea of ​​what a kind of a cache it should be. If the place is free I will try to create the geocache.

Geocaching HQ: You have over 15,000 Favorite points on your geocaches; what’s the best approach to a creative geocache?

I think a geocache should make geocachers happy and put a smile on their face. Either the geocache is in a beautiful place or it is a creative geocache that surprises the geocachers and remains in their memory.

Geocaching HQ: What finding tips do you have for someone who wants to hide a geocache of their own but doesn’t know where to start?

Find some geocaches first before you’re hiding one. Ask an experienced owner what you should pay attention to when hiding a geocache. Once you’re ready to hide your geocache, have it tested by a geocacher before submitting it for reviewers.

Geocaching HQ: What is something that surprised you about geocaching?

Although I have already found many geocaches, the geocache owners continue to surprise me with new, great geocaches. The owner’s inventiveness seems to be limitless.

The cohesion in the community is also great. I’ve met a lot of great people and made friends through geocaching.