Route

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The Hippie Tail-- Gone but not forgotten!
Through Europe-- The expensive bit!
The Venice-Patras Ferry-- Avoid the Balkans..quick way to Turkey
Turkey-- More to it than you think you know
Iran-- Ancient civilisation & modern desert
Pakistan--Land of the Pure
India--End of the Road! Or is it?
Route Summary--List of towns passed thru!

The Hippie Trail of the Swinging 60's
The 'classic' journey is via Zagreb, Belgrade, Sofia and on to Istanbul.  From here the intrepid peace and free love enthusiasts headed to Ankara, crossing into Iran at Dogubayazit, then to Tehran and to Mashad, crossing into Afghanistan and onto Kabul.  By now they were puffing happily on cheap cannabis, and all was well with their world!  How things change.  Mr Bush and 'Mr' Bin Laden and his friends, the Taliban, seem to have altered the situation somewhat, although the cannabis remains cheap and available, as do AK47's and landmines.
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Through Europe
Across the EU
We travelled from Den Haag, in Holland, to Luxemburg  to fill up with cheap diesel on the motorway services (their fuel taxes are lower).   Luxembourg merged into Germany and then we entered Austria.  Land of neat countryside, instant fines and fat policemen.  Austria can only be described as a 'regime'.  Rules and regulations.  Discipline.  Where every non Austrian is considered to be suspicious.  Where the spirit of the European Union only seems to apply to Austria!  As we later did with Serbia, our attitude was that we had to cross it, but didn't have to spend time or money there!  Sorry Austria, your attitude offended us!  Onward and upward so to speak, over the Alps and into Slovinia. (Click here for the cheaper and quicker alternative most people use nowadays)
The Balkan Experience
Now I have heard it said that the most boring country in Europe is Belgium.  Obviously these people have never been to Slovinia.  Dramatic scenery? No. Picturesque?  Not quite.  Ordinary? Yes.  In fact when we later checked our passports, it was revealed to us that we had spent over 24 hours in little Slovinia, but neither of us could actually describe any of it!  Next on the list was Croatia.  Pretty in places, rugged in others, with beaches and restaurants and campsites galore.  First taste of the 'sea-side'!  A good place to spend a few days psyching yourself up for the impending  'Balkan Experience'!  Bosnia & Herzegovina was next.  Turing inland from Metkovic, it is only an hour's drive to the border.  Again the omnipresent que of trucks which you simply overtake, and stop outside the collection of huts that is the border post.   As B&H south of Mostar is occupied by Croatians, (civilian, police, and military) the real bosnia does not really start until you get north of the old town.  Heading up the road brings you eventually to Sarajevo.  A cosmopolitan, historically rich town, well worth the effort of reaching.  Heading towards Pale brings you into Serbian Bosnia, or 'Republika Serpska' as they like to call it.  Following the road to Gorazde, and towards the Yugoslav border brings you to a 3.5 metre tunnel.  Beware!  If you are driving a truck make sure it fits!!  At the Yugoslav border, be prepared for hostility from the guards on the B&H side.  They effectively forced us into Yugoslavia against our wishes as soon as we arrived at the crossing point.  This despite the fact it was 2200hrs and a very dark night.  It was as we entered Serbia, that we were told we had to pay US$220 for insurance, or go back!!  Not a prospect we relished, as in we got the impression the guards on the B&H side would probably not let us in again!!  After a few hours drive, Montenegro is next, and from here, Kosovo.   Despite having recently suffered civil war, Kosovo is racing ahead to re build itself and to assert its independence from Serbia/Yugoslavia.  Despite what the diplomats and the TV news reporters tell you, Kosovo has no intention of going back into Yugoslavia!  From Kosovo it is but a few hours drive into Macedonia.  Toll roads here, but they lead you back to the EU border of Greece.   Head for Thesalonika and follow the nice new, almost deserted motorway to Turkey.
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The Venice-Patras Ferry
As you head south towards Slovinia, the autobahn signs will direct you to Venice.  From here, Minoan Lines will, for about E319 one way, transport a private vehicle and 2 people to Patras in Greece.  This is for a camper 6-8 metres long, and two people travelling 'deck', and is the cheaspest option. No food or accommodation is included in this price, but 'on board camping' is allowed!   Be warned.  Food, drink, and any item bought on the boat is very expensive.  No naked flames are allowed on the vehicle decks, so our truck's kitchen could not be used, but next time, an electric boiling ring, and lots of cold food will be on the agenda!  21 hours later  and the journey is over.  Hey Presto! Greece!  No Yugoslavia, and a good saving on time and fuel.  Next stop the Greek beaches, then on to Turkey.

Please refer to Blue Star Ferries for current Ancona-Patras schedules.

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Turkey
European Turkey is several hours drive from Itanbul and the legendary crossing place into Asia (Minor).  Not much to hold the Intercontinental Traveller, so you will find Istanbul your first real experience of Turkish culture. I'll leave it to the travelogues to describe this city.  It is one of our favourites and holds a wealth of interest.  At least a week, two if you can!
Our route took us then across the mighty Bosporous, and into Anatolia.  Down towards the tourist Ghettos of  SW Turkey.  Spending weeks exploring the fabulous coast line running east, then on up into Cappadocia, and Konya.  City of Islamic Mystics.  Southwest again to the Kurdish regions, through Adana of kebab fame and north east, eventually to Diyabikir, Van, Tatvan and over the Arrarat Mountains to Dogubayazit (know to some as 'Dogbiscuit'!)and the Iranian border.  Sounds easy doesn't it?  Not far if you say it quickly!
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Iran
Leaving Noah's Ark (Mt. Arrarat) behind us, good roads swiftly take us across the much warmer desert landscape of northern Iran, to the sprawling urban jungle of Tehran.  Poor signposting and crazy traffic congestion.  Unless you are going to an Embassy, or to see the Jewel collection in the vaults of the Central Bank, no reason to linger.  Heading south past the tomb of Ayatollah Khominee, we make our way to the holy city of Qom.  Brackish drinking water, and impressive mosques.  The main attraction here is the tomb of Fatima, sister of Imam Reza, one of the great Imams of the Shi'ah Muslims.
Usually overlanders take the direct route to Kashan, Yazd and Kerman, to transit Iran.  However, missing Esfahan, Shiraz and Persopolis   is sheer folly.  The ancient site of Persopolis features heavily in the history of western civilization, whilst the tomb of Cyrus the Great (founder of the great Persian Empire) at nearby Pasargadae and the sheer beauty of Esfahan are unmissable.  It is at some point on this 'detour' you come to the conclusion that the Persian Gulf coast is so near, it is worth visiting!  The isolated desert beaches (spaced between the oil installations) are reward a plenty for the effort.  This route puts Bandar Abbas well and truly on your agenda.  Nothing here but a sprawling port, from which it is possible to take a car ferry to Dubai.  (EU passport holders need no visa!)  An onward passage to Bombay is available, but why miss the most challenging and beautiful part of the journey?  Balochistan is part Iranian, part Pakistani, and all desert.  Its enchanting beauty is matched only by its harsh environment!   At Bandar Abbas, make sure you have enough water for several days.  Water is scarce and there's a thousand kilometres to go before you get to Quetta.  Even then there's another thousand or more to go before you get to the Indus and plentiful supplies. Plenty of villages and a few towns in between, where you can always fill up, but always have one eye on your water levels.  Leaving Zaheydan behind, you head for the border at Mirshaveh/Taftan.
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Pakistan
An couple of hours or so sees you across the Pakistan border and heading out towards Dalbandin, the next town on the route.  This is tough country.  Mountains, heat and desert as far as the eye can see.  You can feel the potential deadliness of the place.  Forget the Marlborough country image, this is real ‘badlands’.  The smooth tarmac ribbon of a road that slid beneath your wheels in Iran has given way to a patched and neglected highway that looks and feels as though it was built by the British, then just left to its own devices.  In fact there is a derelict railway running parallel to the road at one point that fits that description exactly!  The road gets steadily worse, until you find yourself picking your way at walking pace through the potholes that are interspersed with the sand dunes that flood over onto the road.  Happily, the situation improves a little as you proceed, and by Padak, the road surface is fairly predictable, but still poor.  From Padak to Quetta.  Capital of Balochistan, and district HQ for a bundle of government agencies.

Just before reaching Quetta, the road forks, and you can head South for the wonderful Bolan Pass, and Sind Province on the way to Karachi.  Infamous for kidnapping of foreigners, Sind is home to peasants, extremists, and helpful policemen.  Always stay in towns, or at police posts at night.  If you take the Northern option, Loralai is the next town ‘en route’, another wild west frontier style town, set in the ‘tribal area’ of Pakistan.  Up over the mountains and DG Khan, with its nuclear power plant, greets you on the edge of the green and pleasant Indus plains, across which you continue, to Musafaghar.  After which, Multan, steeped in history, and bursting with activity is worth a day or so, until you head on up towards Islamabad.

A very worthwhile detour at this point, is the Lal Suhanra National Park, just east of Bahwalpur.  Virtually devoid of tourists, but still offering basic facilities, this area is home to some of the most colourful and spectacular of  Pakistan’s wildlife.  Ornithologists in particular will find this place a virtual Paradise on Earth!  Fishermen too can find some fabulous sport, provided they go through the official channels, and not risk imprisonment by going poaching!

Lahore is at the southern most end of Pakistans M2 motorway.  It runs nearly 400 kms up to Islamabad, and is one of the best roads you will ever drive on!  The service areas are clean well attended and serve very good food.   A few kilometres east of Lahore is the Waggah Border over which you must pass to enter India.  Again laden with history and legend, Lahore is probably the most interesting of all Pakistans cities.  Palaces, museums, the fort, all go to create a historical wonderland!

Isalamabad, capital city, boring modern sprawl, with its grid pattern streets and its host of unorthodox Mosques, is a good base to visit the northern attractions of Rawalpindi, Peshawar, the Khyber Pass, and of course, if China is your destination, the Karakorum Highway.

Back down the M2, and once more through Lahore with its thick polluted air, east to the end of this particular road at the Waggah Border.  India.
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India
From here the choice of itinery is yours.  And what a choice.  North to the Himalayas, the Roof of the World and Nepal, or down to the tropical South.  Maybe East to Calcutta and the Bay of Bengal, or to the South West’s Malabar Coast.  Months of travel through this vast land will leave much of it undiscovered.  A whole lifetime would not be enough!  Temples and elephants, curries and cocnuts.  A feast of fish and rice, backed by endless white beaches.  Colourful saris and dusty villages.  Life seems endless in this noisy and tumultuous land.

Then of course, we have to do it all again to get back home!!  No problem, right?
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Route Summary.

Austria to Thesalonika via ferry
  Salzburg
  Villach
  Venice
  Patras
  Corinth
  Athens
  Larisa
  Thesalonika

Austria to Thesalonika via Yugoslavia
(not recommended at all!)
  Salzburg
  Villach
  Ljubljana
  Metlika
  Zagreb
  Karlovac
  Split
  Omis
  Metkovic
  Mostar
  Jablanica
  Sarajevo
  Pale
  Gorazda
  Priboj
  Prijepolji
  Bijelo Polje
  Pristina
  Deneraj Jankovic
  Skopje
  Negotino
  Bogorojca
  Thesalonica

Thesalonika to Tehran
  Thesalonika
  Alexandroupolis
  Kesan
  Tekirdag
  Istanbul
  Golcuk
  Bolu
  Ankara
  Beyburt
  Agri
  Erzerum
  Dogubayazit
  Maku
  Tabriz
  Zanjan
  Qazvin
  Tehran

Tehran to Bam via The Persian Gulf
  Qom
  Neyzar
  Esfahan
  Shah Reza
  (Persopolis)
  Shiraz
  Bandar e Busher
  Hadakan
  Gavbandi
  Bandar e Lengeh
  Bandar e Abbas
  Kahnuj
  Bam

Tehran to Bam direct
  Qom
  Kashan
  Yazd
  Kerman
  Bam

Bam to Amritsar
  Zaheydan
  Taftan
  Dalbandin
  Quetta (Quetta-Loralai not recommended for trucks over 5 tons)
  Loralai
  Dera Ghazi Khan
  Musafaghar
  Lahore
  Islamabad (optional)
  Lahore
  Atan (Waggah border)
  Amritsar

Welcome to India!