London to Darwin
15 April - 8 October 2008
London to Darwin Overland Expedition
Join an expedition of a lifetime! Covering more than 20 countries with the time to explore them in-depth. Small groups for more enjoyment!
26 weeks
COSTS £3140 + £1540 KITTY = £4680
HIGHLIGHTS
- Prague and the Czech Republic
- Transylvania, land of gypsies and Dracula's castle
- Historic Istanbul and the crazy landscapes of Goreme. Our local guide in Goreme shows us it all.
- Fantastic Georgia, friendly people, the home of wine, amazing mountains, great trekking with lots of Christian history. Explore Tbilisi the Georgian capital. Guided tour of Tbilisi.
- Take a dip in the Black Sea.
- Checkout the Stalin Museum in Gori his birthplace.
- Azerbaijan where the oil oozes out of the soil as well as ancient Silk Road caravanserais and the funky city of Baku. Visit the Maidens Tower and the Shirvan Shakh Palace.
- Cross the Caspian Sea.
- Turkmenistan totally wacky. Visit to the Darvas Gas Crater and explore the surreal Ashgabat. We visit the Sunday market one of the best in Central Asia.
- Cross the Karakum Desert.
- Explore the ancient Silk Road cities of Khiva, Samarkand and Bukhara.
- Stay with local families in Yurts, local homes and camp out as we get to know the local people and their customs.
- Visit a silk works in the Fergana Valley
- Host a village party.
- Eat amazing food, we will live the countries through their food and drink. From a shashlyk (meat roasted on skewers over hot coals) in Uzbekistan to one of the many fiery Sichuan dishes in this amazing province of China.
- Visit the stunning lakes of Song Kol and Issyk-kul in Kyrgyzstan.
- Through the Tain Shan Mountains and over the Torugart pass into China. Closed to most overland travellers we get special permission to enter.
- Visit the town of Kashgar with its amazing Silk Road history as well as its place in the Great Game played between Britain and the Russia. We visit the Sunday Market, which is not much changed in more than two millennia.
- Visit the impressive Magao Caves in Dunhuang with their gigantic sitting Buddhas.
- Visit Turpan the second lowest point on earth at 152m below sea level.
- The magical and holy Lhasa with the Potala Palace, once the home of the Dalai Lama. Visit the Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka Palace.
- Tibet and Everest Base Camp and the high roads through the Himalayas
- High altitude mountain lakes, horse riding and trekking.
- Buddhist sites and jaw-dropping palaces.
- Yangtze River, walk the Tiger Leaping Gorge
- Drive one of the highest and remotes roads in the world, visit Yam Dok Lake, Yongbalakang Palace and Mount Meili.
- Explore the towns of Shangrila, Lijiang and Dali and visit the Stone Forest in Kunming.
- Luang Prabat, Angkor Wat and Siem Reap in Laos and Cambodia.
- Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and the Mekong Delta.
- Bangkok, our local guide offers us a unique perspective.
- Top diving and unspoilt beaches, visit the islands of Ko Sumai, Pulau Perhentian Kercil and Ko Lanta.
- Explore the jungle in the Taman Negara National Park with the chance of seeing tiger and elephant.
- The cosmopolitan Singapore and Kuala Lumpur
- Darwin, a stone's throw away from the outback, and the gateway to Australia
This is only scratching the surface, as we travel we will experience so much more.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Service of an experienced crew to lead the expedition. All are experienced leaders, drivers and mechanics and can cook up a storm with the local food!
- Use of the expedition vehicle and all its equipment, designed specifically for this style of expedition.
- All costs relating to the truck including diesel, mechanics, shipping.
- Ferry tickets for ferries on our planned route.
- All accommodation and meals while camping.
- Local guides for Georgia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, China and Tibet ( they add a great dimension). As well as specialist guides in Goreme, Khiva, Bukara and Bangkok.
- Entrance to national parks and sights highlighted in the section above.
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED
- Personal travel insurance.
- Personal spending money.
- Visas (about £500 but depends on nationality)
- Border taxes.
- Optional activities.
- Entrance to sites and parks not included.
- Tips for local guides.
- Meals when in hotels/guesthouses.
- Drinks.
- Any unforeseen contingency route expenses.
- Roll matt, sleeping bag or specialist trekking tent (heavy duty tents included).
- Any flights.
THE COSTS
The cost is split into two simple parts, the Trip
Price and Kitty.
Trip price includes:
- All land transport by expedition vehicle
- All vehicle costs including fuel, tolls, ferries, seaport taxes
- All the vehicle entrances
- Services of three crew
- Back-up, logistical and support from our UK office.
The Trip Price of £3140 is paid to Odyssey Overland in full no less than 8 weeks before departure. This allows us to arrange all the required permits and other vital things for this expedition.
The Kitty of £1540 is the second part of the price and is paid into a central fund on the day of departure. It funds accommodation, camp meals, local guides and activities that the group take part in as a whole. The expedition members and the group leader monitor this. This has been calculated as accurately as possible, but will be updated 2 weeks before the trip is due to depart, no increase is expected. Due to the long lead time before departure it is impossible to be 100% sure. Local inflation and costs vary during the year and so we review the kitty before departure and during the trip. In the unlikely event of an increase this is expect to be by less than £100.
So take the plunge, do your research and book onto an expedition of a lifetime. Remember with only 22 seats available (we don’t ‘rackem and pack em’), its important to book early! This is the ultimate holiday, career break or gap year adventure!