On your own motorcycle to Nepal

EUROPE
This beautiful motorcycle journey starts with wonderful steering through the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Great nature accompanies us in the Slovak Carpathians. Enjoy authentic villages, winding mountain roads, and wonderful cultural heritage. We spend the night in Bratislava and Budapest before we drive on to Romania. Here we drive on, according to Topgear, the most beautiful road in Europe: the Transfăgărășan. In the winter months, this pass is closed due to the snow, at the end of May the pass is usually open again. If this is not the case, we will have to make a detour. Then follow a beautiful route through Bulgaria before we arrive at the border with Turkey.



TURKEY
When we drive from Edirne to Istanbul, we cross the bridge over the Bosphorus and drive the first kilometer in Asia. After a day in Istanbul, we drive into the gigantic hinterland of Turkey. Turkey has a very good infrastructure. So we have to adapt our choice of route to the distances to be covered daily. We cover the large distances on the main roads, while we also follow as many smaller back roads as possible. In any case, the overnight stays are small and not touristy. Safranbolu is a Unesco-protected city. Because the interior of Turkey is very worthwhile, we go via Trabzon along the coast of the Black Sea. This is where a beautiful route to the border with Georgia begins.

GEORGIE
Immediately after the border, we take another narrow road that leads into the hills. Georgia is the land of ancient civilizations and classical monasteries and churches. It is the first country to officially declare the Christian faith the state religion. Georgia is also the country with one of the 14 official language writings in the world. Although the Roman alphabet is often used, all inhabitants can read and write the ancient script. During this trip we drive into Georgia twice. The first time from Turkey. We then turn directly to the border with Armenia. The second time we come from Armenia and stay two nights in the capital Tbilisi.
 

ARMENIA
From Georgia, we enter Armenia. Armenia is competing with Georgia for the title of the world's first Christian state. Here too you will find many old churches and monasteries. We drive along Lake Swan to the south and stay a night in the quiet capital Yerevan. Armenia borders Iran with a narrow piece of land. This is a mountainous area with only a few roads. We stay one more night in a mountain village before we wind our way to the border.
 

IRAN
Are we allowed to enter Iran with larger than 250 cc motorcycles or not?  First it was allowed, then it wasn't. And the last status is that it is allowed again.  In Iran, we drive for three days through the mountains and the coast to the busy capital Tehran. Here we stay for a day to explore the city, such as the main market and the former American Embassy. You will find that the Iranians are one of the most friendly and hospitable people on earth. After the capital, we drive to the east of the country. The distances between accommodation options in Iran are large. So it is a full long day to the border with Turkmenistan through alternating high mountains with endless winding roads and dry plains as foothills of the desert.



TURKMENISTAN
Probably the most special country on this trip. Of all the Stan countries, this is the least known and most inaccessible country. This is also the only country on the route where a support car and local guidance are mandatory. The border crossing to Turkmenistan will be one of the most difficult of this journey. Officials determine the estimated number of kilometers that will be traveled in the country based on our route. This distance is converted to the number of liters of fuel we need for this. They then determine the difference in fuel price per. liters between the Netherlands and Turkmenistan and this is then multiplied by the number of liters. The resulting amount is the payment to be made to the officials. This extensive border procedure will take some time.

Not far from the border is Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. We stay two nights in Ashgabat. This somewhat bizarre city is definitely worth a visit. The great statue of the great leader must of course be seen, as well as the beautiful mosques. It is probably the whitest city in the world because its buildings are made of white marble according to the law. The next day we drive through the Karakum desert to the village of Derweze. We are often warned about camels on the road, and we are sure to see a few. Near Derweze you will find a peculiar crater that was created during drilling for natural gas in 1971. The ground under the rig collapsed, creating a large hole with a diameter of about 70 meters. To prevent the emission of toxic gas, it was decided to burn the gas. To this day, the fire continues. The locals call it "Gateway to Hell".

From Derweze we continue our journey through the desert and then north to the border with Uzbekistan.

UZBEKISTAN
We say goodbye to our Turkmen driver of the support car. After picking up all the papers, we drive through the lowlands to the city of Samarkand. This city also played an important role in the silk caravans of time. Then a flat route through the narrow part of the country, and we arrive in the capital Tashkent. There is a lot to see in Tashkent. Old mosques reminiscent of the Silk Road and you can easily spend a whole afternoon there. Through the hilly landscape, we will drive further east and stay in Fergana, before reaching the border with Tajikistan.
 

TAJIKISTAN
The Pamir Highway was built by the Russians as a defense against the advancing British colonial forces from the south. The road runs along the border with Afghanistan through one of the wildest and most remote areas on earth. After two nights in Dushanbe, we start the hardest part of the journey. Hotels are limited here, and we regularly sleep in people's homes. In this empty desert, with its very hospitable people, there are not many tourists here. In the rugged, rugged mountains, far above the tree line, we drive on the Pamir Highway. We will stay at a reasonable altitude for at least ten days before heading back down to Kyrgyzstan. This is quite a difficult part of the journey, it takes us to a unique motorcycle travel destination, one of the last remaining natural secrets on Earth!



AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan? Yes, Afghanistan. At the moment, the security situation is such that we expect to get through the country without any problems. If the situation changes, we will of course adjust the route, this applies to all countries on the route. We enter the country from Tajikistan. We drive over the friendship bridge to the other side and are then in special Afghanistan. You immediately notice that the people are very friendly and helpful. The border procedure will take some time. Then we drive our first kilometers in Afghanistan. The first nights we spend in Kunduz. The route to Kabul is long. The first part is well-paved and flat. As soon as we enter the mountains, the road is bad. Also in the many tunnels, the road is bad and full of holes. We will take a long time on this part. After the last pass, the asphalt starts again. Along the way, we will have to stop several times at checkpoints. Passports and visas are checked and there is a chat. Always stay friendly and stick to the rules as far as you can. It's important to wear long pants, avoid taking pictures of women (if you see them at all), and alcohol is strictly prohibited. After a day in traditional Kabul, we drive to Peshawar in Pakistan in one day. You will think back to Afghanistan with a very different image than you came. It is a fascinating country, with a very hospitable friendly population.
 

PAKISTAN
We enter the country via the beautiful Kyber pass. Pakistan is a lot busier and more chaotic than Afghanistan. A lot of Afghans live in the border area, which you can see from the clothing style. After Peshawar, we leave the mountain area and the Tribal zone, as they call it in Pakistan, and drive to the capital Islamabad for an overnight stay and then directly to Lahore. Here we visit the fort before we drive across the border with India.

INDIA
Just across the border is the town of Amritsar. This is the capital of the Sikh religion. The city is home to the Golden Temple. We have built it in a day to visit it. Through the lowlands, we drive towards the northeast. We drive into the low parts of the Himalayas. Via beautiful mountain roads, we arrive at the border with Nepal.

NEPAL
In Nepal, we stay two nights in a small village to experience daily life. Then we drive through the low Tarai to the center of the country and then climb into the mountains to Pokhara. Here we will stay for a day before driving to our final destination Kathmandu. Kathmandu is a nice city, we stay here for three days. We need a day to arrange the shipment of the motorcycles.