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 โ 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
Included Services of your expedition leader/driver Use of our own custom-built expedition vehicle and equipment Diesel, mechanics, shipping and any other costs relating to the vehicle Ferry 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 vehicle Local transportation costs from Beijing to Sydney
Guide
At least 1 driver/guide is provided.
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 wouldnโt 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 8ร4 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 360ยฐ 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.
Meals
Eating well is a very important factor on our expeditions and good food is vital for everyoneโs 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 dayโs 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. Donโt 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.
Not included:
Flights
We do not provide any flights. You can expect to pay around ยฃ160 for all flights from Singapore to Indonesia and from Indonesia to Australia.
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. Europe Dachau concentration camp, Germany Free Hangar 7 (Red Bull Museum), Salzburg Free Mozartโs House, Salzburg ยฃ8 Hop-on-hop-off bus tour & Danube River cruise, Budapest ยฃ20 Draculaโs Castle, Transylvania ยฃ6 Bucharest walking tour Free Tsarevets Fortress, Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria ยฃ2 Turkey Blue Mosque, Istanbul Free 3 day Istanbul Museums pass ยฃ20 Underground Cistern, Istanbul ยฃ5 Bosphorus boat cruise, Istanbul ยฃ12 Gallipoli museum ยฃ4 Gallipoli sites tour Free Troy Ruins ยฃ5 Ephesus Ruins, Selcuk ยฃ8 Pamukkale calcium pools ยฃ6 Ilhara Valley Walk, Cappadocia ยฃ5 Ballooning, Cappadocia ยฃ100 Zelve open air museum, Goreme ยฃ5 Underground city, Cappadocia ยฃ5 Belly-dancing evening, Cappadocia ยฃ20 Sumela monastery, Black Sea Coast ยฃ5 Georgia Gonio Fortress, Batumi ยฃ1 Sataplia National park ยฃ2 Bagrati Cathedral, Kutaisi Free Vardzia cave Monastery complex ยฃ1 Narikala Fortress, Tbilisi Free Ananuri Fortress Free Kazbegi day hike Free Armenia Genocide Museum, Yerevan Free Erebuni Fortress & Museum, Yerevan ยฃ2 Cascade Museum, Yerevan Free Khor Virap Monastery, Mt. Ararat Free Haghpat Monastery, Debed Canyon ยฃ2 Azerbaijan Sheki Caravanserai Free Khanโs Palace, Sheki ยฃ2 Palace of the Shiranshas, Baku ยฃ2 Carpet museum, Baku ยฃ3 Gobustan petroglyphs, Caspian Sea ยฃ3 Mud volcanoes, Caspian Sea Free Turkmenistan Saparmurat Hajji Mosque, Ashgabat Free Hike to Darvaza Gas Crater Free Jeep to Darvaza Gas Crater ยฃ10 Konye Urgench ruins ยฃ5 Uzbekistan Khiva highlights pass ยฃ12 Bukhara walking tour Free Registan, Samarkand ยฃ7 Tajikistan Hike round lake Iskander Kul Free Pamir Highway Free Kyrgyzstan Yurt stay, Lake Song Kol Free Horse riding (per hour), Lake Song Kol ยฃ3 Jeti Oghuz hike Free Kazakhstan Tamgaly petroglyphs ยฃ10 Cable Car, Almaty ยฃ3 China Uighur Old Village, Turpan ยฃ4 Jiaohe ruins, Turpan ยฃ4 Mogao caves, Dunhuang ยฃ25 Rainbow mountain day trip ยฃ20 West end of Great Wall, Jiayuguan ยฃ6 Bingling Si caves ยฃ5 Terracotta Warriors, Xian ยฃ15 Pingyao city pass ยฃ15 Forbidden City, Beijing ยฃ6 Great Wall, Beijing ยฃ5 Panda bear center, Chengdu ยฃ7 Kunming petrified stone forest ยฃ20 Laos Slow boat to Luang Prabang ยฃ20 Royal Palace Museum, Luang Prabang ยฃ2 Tubing, Vang Vieng ยฃ10 Kong Lo Cave tour ยฃ7 Vietnam Perfume River Boat Trip, Hue ยฃ2 Hue Ancient Citadel ยฃ3 Japanese Bridge, Hoi An Free Vinpearl Island waterpark, Nha Trang ยฃ15 Booze cruise, Nha Trang ยฃ10 Mui Ne half day tour ยฃ6 Kitesurfing (per hour), Mui Ne ยฃ40 Mekong Delta day tour, Ho Chi Minh City ยฃ10 War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City ยฃ3 Cu Chi Tunnels excursion ยฃ15 Cambodia Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21), Phnom Penh ยฃ3 Killing Fields, Phnom Penh ยฃ4 Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda, Phnom Penh ยฃ3 National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh ยฃ2 Angkor Wat (One Day/Three Day Pass), Siem Reap ยฃ15/40 Thailand Grand Palace, Bangkok ยฃ5 National museum, Bangkok ยฃ3 Bridge On The River Kwai Day Tour ยฃ20 Boat dive, Ko Samui ยฃ50 Beach dive, Ko Samui ยฃ20 4 day PADI dive course, Ko Samui ยฃ200 Malaysia Georgetown walking tour Free KL viewing tower, Kuala Lumpur ยฃ10 Melaka duck tour ยฃ15 Singapore Singapore Sling at Raffles ยฃ10 Singapore Zoo ยฃ15 Hop on hop off bus tour ยฃ15 Indonesia Borobudur, Yogyakarta ยฃ10 1 day scooter hire, Bali ยฃ10 1 day island tour, Bali ยฃ20 Learn to surf half day, Bali ยฃ30 Australia Jumping crocodiles, Kakadu ยฃ20 Katherine Gorge boat cruise ยฃ40 Uluru day tour ยฃ130 Coober Pedy opal mining tour ยฃ10 Katoomba day pass ยฃ30 Harbour Bridge climb, Sydney ยฃ130
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 cardโs 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 โ Telephone: +1 866 884 3556, www.allianztravelinsurance.com If 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.
Others
Personal travel insurance Personal spending money (ยฃ100 โ ยฃ120 per week recommended) Visas & Letters of Invitation (approximately ยฃ1000 depending on nationality) Lunches Meals while staying in hotels/guest houses/hostels Accommodation upgrades Entrance fees to optional sites and parks Any optional activities Any flights (approximately ยฃ160 worth of flights expected) Tent, roll mat, sleeping bag & pillow
Start planning your experience
Itinerary of your trip London To Sydney Group Overland Tour
- Day 1 Day 1-12: Europe
Day 1-12: Europe
- Day 2 Day 13-25: Turkey
Day 13-25: Turkey
- Day 3 Day 26-39: Georgia & Armenia
Day 26-39: Georgia & Armenia
Experience Style
Mixed
There will be challenging activities such as hiking, biking, canyoning and trekking, but youโre also going to have other means of transportation and relaxed moments to just chill.
Accomodation level
Medium
This accommodation includes essential services like a hot shower, electricity, and a nice and comfy bed.
Experience Type
Small Group
Youโll be accompanied by a small group of travelers just like you.
Physical Rating
Basic
Almost everyone is fit for these activities. Every hike or physical exercise last less than 30 minutes, such as paragliding and horseback riding. Please ask about specific conditions.
Age range
Min: 18 / Max: 80
Age range allowed for this experience.
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