Looking for an overland adventure? (LINK)
August 19th 2007 01:47
Planning a trip to Europe? Why fly when you can drive! Being cooped up in a plane for around 24 hours is enough to make even the best of us lose our smile and patience. Ozbus have come up with an exciting itinerary for the adventure seeker that will see you crossing 20 countries in 3 months.
Starting off in Sydney you make your way down to Melbourne via the Sapphire Coast, which is renowned for its deserted beaches and unspoilt beauty. After a short stop in Melbourne you head off along the Great Ocean Road to Adelaide and the Barossa Valley wine region for a drop or two of some world famous wines. Next on the agenda is the outback town of Coober Pedy, famous for its opal mines before making your way through Alice Springs and on to Uluru. This sacred site has a fascinating history which you can read about in the links provided at the bottom of this post. (Out of respect you are asked NOT to climb Uluru, however the option is there for you to climb should you wish to. Base walks are provided). Your last stop on Australian soil is in Darwin, where you will get to visit Kakadu National Park and then it`s on the plane for a short flight to Timor, where you will be reunited with your Tour Bus as it arrives by sea.
Indonesia is made up of around 13 000 islands, unimagineable beauty that attracts visitors from far and wide each year. Now it is your turn to explore the land as you visit the islands of Flores, Komodo, Sumbawa and Lombok. Some great surf is available here, the odd sighting of Komodo Dragons and maybe the chance to see the changing colours of the crater lakes are just some of the experiences you have to look forward to before you head over to Bali, Java and Sumatra. Sumatra is the sixth largest island in the world and boasts being the home of the world`s largest individual flower, the Rafflesia arnoldii. This flower can grow to an astounding 11kg and has been recorded with a diameter of up to 1 metre. Do not forget to keep your eyes peeled for the Sumatran Tiger. Sadly chances of spotting this animal in the wild are slowly dwindling as they fall victim to poachers and loss of habitat.
Malaysia and Thailand are next on the adventure trail and if the timing is right you may be lucky enough to attend a legendary Full Moon party. After a short visit to Bangkok it is now time to head to Laos, China and Nepal. Some of the amazing sights you have to look forward to here is the Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the deepest gorges in the world. Potala Palace, official residence of the Dalai Lama until 1959, is also on the agenda. Of course you cannot miss Mount Everest on your journey!
Crossing into the colourful lands of India and Pakistan will leave you with long-lasting memories as you lay your eyes on the mighty Ganges River, take in the sights of the Taj Mahal and then head across the Balochistan desert into Iran. Iran and Turkey welcome you to the Middle East, a land known for its war zones and dry desert landscapes. I am sure that your tour guides will steer you well clear of any troubled areas so you do not need to pack your bullet proof vests and tranquilizers for this part of your journey. (Alternative routes are listed for the Tibet and Iran/Pakistan areas should any trouble arise. Just remember that any tours you go on are looking for future business and will not take you anywhere that will endanger your life or theirs. News travels fast and with modern technology you are in instant contact with the lastest updates.)
Europe is next. Crossing through Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany and France you make the final steps of your trip through some amazing landscapes and mysterious cultures before sailing across the Channel to England and the final destination of your trip of a lifetime. All inclusions, routes, prices and necessary travel information are available on the website. The tour is also available London - Sydney and has payment plans available. Need to get back to Aus now? Check back for the return trip via Africa at a later date!
How does the quote go? It`s more about the journey than it is about the destination? You only get one life... make sure you enjoy the ride!
The Oz Bus Website
Uluru
The Dreaming
Wikipedia article on Uluru
Potala Palace photo found here
Potala Palace
How does the quote go? It`s more about the journey than it is about the destination? You only get one life... make sure you enjoy the ride!
The Oz Bus Website
Uluru
The Dreaming
Wikipedia article on Uluru
Potala Palace photo found here
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Comment by katyzzz
Photography Tips
Health Focus
Poetry Lighthouse
MS Paint Art
I'll put it down in my someday soon book. Don't know where the money and time are coming from but who knows, I might get lucky on both counts.
Really good to know about.
katyzzz
Comment by Lara M
Love Speaks
Comment by Lara M
Love Speaks
p/s...sorry to digress...
Comment by Aimzster
Health and Beauty
Reality TV
The Jeepney Stop
Comment by Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
Yeah how g ood does this trip look? 3 months travelling across such wonderful parts of the world would be great! I`m sure you get a lot of time to wander around although large parts would be spent in the bus I would imagine.
Well it costs around $9 000 which sounds like a lot of money but if you are going to travel overseas it will cost near enough that and you would probably only see a few places. Considering the itinerary I`d say that`s money well spent.
ash
Comment by Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
Yeah I reckon this would be the way to go. Last year when I flew to the UK i t was about 42 hours of agonizing travel... I would MUCH prefer to spend the 3 months enjoying the ride!
Congrats on the 10 karma! What a privilege to be your first spot!
ash
Comment by Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
Oh I hear you on the plane travel! It freaks me out to the extreme and there is little to no comfort on such trips, I don`t care what anyone says!!!!
I`m with you on the teleportation... wouldn`t get to enjoy the ride though... and could be interesting - imagine if different parts of your body ended up in different parts of the world, that would be a little scary!
ahs
Comment by reader
Comment by Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
Tell me about it! Sitting still for me is a mission under ordinary circumstances, on a long haul flight it`s just plain torture!
Thanks for the visit.
Ash
Comment by kiwiauthor
What a great post on overland travel, sounds like a trip I could do!! Nice one and very interesting too
Heath
Comment by Lilla
Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
Dream Herald
Better late than never, a chance to catch up with you as you trek across the planet...
I have done three legs of this epic journey myself... including half a trek across America... I say half, because flying inbetween states doesn't count to me.
I have yet to trek across the centre of Australia and experience the wonders of Afrika...these are joys yet to come.
I have done the European one and India though - and (again) part of the Island / Hong Kong / China deal...wow don't I sound well travelled!
The truth is, that I am, although so much is forgotten memories the warm glow of my travels stays and I think you for this great trip down memory lane... in a way I was lucky as there were fewer wars int he middle east when I made the jaunt... I guess now you have to fly over certain parts of that whole area?
I'm going now to trek overland across Afrika with your next post ... that is going to be fun...
*happy travel hugs*
Lilla ...
Ps Isn't it time you took a mini break yourself... maybe fly to Alice Springs and climb Uluru?
Comment by Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
wow! well travelled you most certainly are! I look forward to hearing more of your travel tales because you have certainly seen some exotic places which are all on my To See list - tee hee where isn`t hey? The thing is once you start it`s very difficult to stop. There is so much to see... so much to learn... soooooo much!
Hope you enjoyed the trek across Africa. It was more of a highlights of a few countries really.
I have a trek planned for Nov but it won`t be to Alice Springs.... just yet! I`m a little indecisive about climbing Uluru... I hear that they are trying to get people to stop because it is disrespectful because of its spiritual importance. I`m planning to climb Mt Coolum soon though... and one of the ones on the Glass House Mts range... aren`t they cool?
happy travels
Hugs
Ash