London To Sydney Group Overland Tour

Guide

At least 1 driver/guide is provided.

Meals

Eating well is a very important factor on our expeditions and good food is vital for everyone’s health and well-being so we always strive to prepare healthy, wholesome and plentiful meals.We will be cooking a lot of meals from our own kitchen on the truck. When we are camping we usually eat breakfast and the evening meal from the truck. For lunch we usually stop at a cheap local restaurant giving you a chance to taste the local fare too. Lunches are at your own expense. When we are staying in hotels/guest houses/hostels (usually in cities) we do not provide any meals at these times.When it comes to shopping and cooking we will divide ourselves up into groups of 3 or 4 people (depending on group size) who will shop for and prepare the day’s meals and clean up at the end. This will work out that you roughly get to cook once a week (depending on numbers).Fresh food is generally available daily so we try and eat meat and vegetables for every main evening meal. We do also cater for vegetarians but we cannot cater for fussiness. In these group situations everybody must appreciate we cannot cater for individual likes and dislikes.Don’t worry if you are not a gourmet cook as your crew are also always there to give advice.Cleanliness plays an important role throughout this expedition and your crew will make sure an acceptable level of general hygiene is maintained throughout your journey to ensure the wellbeing of the group.

Others

IncludedServices of your expedition leader/driverUse of our own custom-built expedition vehicle and equipmentDiesel, mechanics, shipping and any other costs relating to the vehicleFerry tickets (when travelling as a group)An average of 2 meals a day while camping (usually breakfast and the evening meal)All accommodation costs (approx. 35% camping, 65% hotels/guest-houses/hostels)National Park entry fees when we enter as a group with our vehicleLocal transportation costs from Beijing to Sydney

Transport

All transport except flights is provided on this trip. We will be travelling in a purpose-built Madventure overland vehicle for approximately 50% of the time on this expedition. A standard bus simply wouldn’t be able to tackle many of the roads we travel on. For the other 50% of the time (from Beijing to Sydney) we will be travelling on local buses, boats, trains and ferries, as well as a private vehicle in Australia.The overland vehicle we use is a custom-built 8×4 Scania expedition truck which can accommodate up to 36 people although most of our expeditions travel with approximately 25 people.Comfort and safety is of course a big factor during expeditions of this length and nature so all our vehicles have high-backed coach seats with safety belts. The seating is on the upper level of the vehicle giving you an almost 360° view of the surrounding scenery.Our vehicles are designed to allow sufficient luggage storage and are also equipped with lockers to keep all your all your gear safe.Our long range diesel and water tanks ensure our self sufficiency in remote areas and the equipment we take with us is also of vital importance. In case of a breakdown we are equipped with a good selection of spare parts as well as a comprehensive tool kit to undertake any necessary repairs on our own as and when we need to.There may also be times when we get stuck in the sand or mud when travelling off road so all necessary recovery equipment such as sand mats, cables, ropes, shovels and pickaxes are also on board.We spend a lot of nights around the campfire so we take along good axes and saws for the times when we have to replenish our wood supply.We usually carry 500 litres of treated drinking water and we are equipped with a good kitchen which includes all cutlery, plates, cups, pots and pans, utensils, gas cooker, BBQ grate, etc.Comfortable fold up chairs are provided for outdoor seating and we also have a large tarpaulin to keep us dry on those rainy days.Our vehicles have USB ports for charging any of your personal travel equipment (by USB only)We carry solar showers and a toilet tent with us for those times when we are bush camping without amenities.We carry a comprehensive first aid kit for emergencies but we do recommend you bring your own for general use.

Accommodation

You will spend 35% of your time on this expedition in your tent camping and 65% of your time staying in local hotels, guest houses and hostels.Quite often we will camp by ourselves out in the bush or in the desert and other times we will use designated campsites with amenities. The majority of our bush camp locations are usually very scenic and we always strive to find the perfect spot on the banks of a river, overlooking a canyon, behind a dune in the desert, etc. but sometimes we just have to camp wherever we can find a spot.From past experience on expeditions of this length and nature we have found that people prefer to supply their own tents as they are then not forced to share and they can pick a tent that suits their needs. As a general rule, try and choose a good quality lightweight and waterproof free-standing tent that is easy to erect, take down and carry.When we are not camping (usually in cities) we always try to use decent, clean budget hotels, guest houses and hostels, however, taking into consideration the sometimes unpredictable nature of this expedition and the remoteness of some of the areas we visit, please be aware that in some circumstances we just have to take what we can get – good or bad. When staying in hotels/guest houses/hostels you can expect to share your room with other expedition members of both sexes.In many of the places we stay there are upgrade options available so should you prefer not to camp or you just want some time alone you can often rent yourself a private room at your own expense.There is no camping on the Beijing to Sydney section of this tour so you can send your tents home from Beijing if you like.

Others

Personal travel insurancePersonal spending money (£100 – £120 per week recommended)Visas & Letters of Invitation (approximately £1000 depending on nationality)LunchesMeals while staying in hotels/guest houses/hostelsAccommodation upgradesEntrance fees to optional sites and parksAny optional activitiesAny flights (approximately £160 worth of flights expected)Tent, roll mat, sleeping bag & pillow

Flights

We do not provide any flights. You can expect to pay around £160 for all flights from Singapore to Indonesia and from Indonesia to Australia.

Insurance

It is compulsory that every person who travels with Madventure obtain travel insurance for the complete duration of the tour. Proof of travel insurance must be shown before joining a tour.You may be covered under your credit card’s travel insurance so it might be worth checking with your credit card provider first.There are various travel insurance companies to choose from and a Google search will bring up a vast selection but for a comprehensive reliable policy that includes Covid Cover and Medical Repatriation we recommend a London based company named Campbell Irvine, Telephone: +44 20 7938 1734, https://microsite.campbellirvinedirect.com/madventure/. They are familiar with what we do so if you mention Madventure and the tour you are travelling on they should be able to provide excellent cover for you.For people based in North America a company called Allianz offers good cover – Telephone: +1 866 884 3556, www.allianztravelinsurance.comIf you choose to obtain your travel insurance through another company please ensure you read the small-print and make sure your policy includes Covid Cover and Medical Repatriation.

Optional

Below is a list of the most popular optional excursions along with the most recent prices. Prices can of course change and are not controlled in any way by Madventure so please use the list below as an approximate guide only. EuropeDachau concentration camp, Germany FreeHangar 7 (Red Bull Museum), Salzburg FreeMozart’s House, Salzburg £8Hop-on-hop-off bus tour & Danube River cruise, Budapest £20Dracula’s Castle, Transylvania £6Bucharest walking tour FreeTsarevets Fortress, Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria £2 TurkeyBlue Mosque, Istanbul Free3 day Istanbul Museums pass £20Underground Cistern, Istanbul £5Bosphorus boat cruise, Istanbul £12Gallipoli museum £4Gallipoli sites tour FreeTroy Ruins £5Ephesus Ruins, Selcuk £8Pamukkale calcium pools £6Ilhara Valley Walk, Cappadocia £5Ballooning, Cappadocia £100Zelve open air museum, Goreme £5Underground city, Cappadocia £5Belly-dancing evening, Cappadocia £20Sumela monastery, Black Sea Coast £5 GeorgiaGonio Fortress, Batumi £1Sataplia National park £2Bagrati Cathedral, Kutaisi FreeVardzia cave Monastery complex £1Narikala Fortress, Tbilisi FreeAnanuri Fortress FreeKazbegi day hike Free ArmeniaGenocide Museum, Yerevan FreeErebuni Fortress & Museum, Yerevan £2Cascade Museum, Yerevan FreeKhor Virap Monastery, Mt. Ararat FreeHaghpat Monastery, Debed Canyon £2 AzerbaijanSheki Caravanserai FreeKhan’s Palace, Sheki £2Palace of the Shiranshas, Baku £2Carpet museum, Baku £3Gobustan petroglyphs, Caspian Sea £3Mud volcanoes, Caspian Sea Free TurkmenistanSaparmurat Hajji Mosque, Ashgabat FreeHike to Darvaza Gas Crater FreeJeep to Darvaza Gas Crater £10Konye Urgench ruins £5 UzbekistanKhiva highlights pass £12Bukhara walking tour FreeRegistan, Samarkand £7 TajikistanHike round lake Iskander Kul FreePamir Highway Free KyrgyzstanYurt stay, Lake Song Kol FreeHorse riding (per hour), Lake Song Kol £3Jeti Oghuz hike Free KazakhstanTamgaly petroglyphs £10Cable Car, Almaty £3 ChinaUighur Old Village, Turpan £4Jiaohe ruins, Turpan £4Mogao caves, Dunhuang £25Rainbow mountain day trip £20West end of Great Wall, Jiayuguan £6Bingling Si caves £5Terracotta Warriors, Xian £15Pingyao city pass £15Forbidden City, Beijing £6Great Wall, Beijing £5Panda bear center, Chengdu £7Kunming petrified stone forest £20 LaosSlow boat to Luang Prabang £20Royal Palace Museum, Luang Prabang £2Tubing, Vang Vieng £10Kong Lo Cave tour £7 VietnamPerfume River Boat Trip, Hue £2Hue Ancient Citadel £3Japanese Bridge, Hoi An FreeVinpearl Island waterpark, Nha Trang £15Booze cruise, Nha Trang £10Mui Ne half day tour £6Kitesurfing (per hour), Mui Ne £40Mekong Delta day tour, Ho Chi Minh City £10War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City £3Cu Chi Tunnels excursion £15 CambodiaTuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21), Phnom Penh £3Killing Fields, Phnom Penh £4Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda, Phnom Penh £3National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh £2Angkor Wat (One Day/Three Day Pass), Siem Reap £15/40 ThailandGrand Palace, Bangkok £5National museum, Bangkok £3Bridge On The River Kwai Day Tour £20Boat dive, Ko Samui £50Beach dive, Ko Samui £204 day PADI dive course, Ko Samui £200 MalaysiaGeorgetown walking tour FreeKL viewing tower, Kuala Lumpur £10Melaka duck tour £15 SingaporeSingapore Sling at Raffles £10Singapore Zoo £15Hop on hop off bus tour £15 IndonesiaBorobudur, Yogyakarta £101 day scooter hire, Bali £101 day island tour, Bali £20Learn to surf half day, Bali £30 AustraliaJumping crocodiles, Kakadu £20Katherine Gorge boat cruise £40Uluru day tour £130Coober Pedy opal mining tour £10Katoomba day pass £30Harbour Bridge climb, Sydney £130