It’s May 15 and Lake Baikal still has not entirely melted. The ice surface roars and groans, mesmerizing me. Among the most bewitching places we’ve been in Russia, we take our time to rough camp along Lake Baikal but almost lose the drone.
Hop in the Land Cruiser, buckle up and enjoy the windshield views of Russia’s Far East as if you are behind the wheel or riding shotgun. Can you feel the energy of the trusty diesel coming to life at the turning of the key? Enjoy the ride – we have some 2,000 kilometers to go.
Starting the new year in Ais, part 2 of hiking the Jordan Trail leads from Ais, via Dana and Petra to Wadi Rum and Aqaba, totalling the 650 kms adventure on foot.
Half an hour off the asphalt and the wheels go spinning in Russia’s thick, clay-like mud. Friends from Vladivostok join our adventure for the weekend and, for the fun of it, we show them how to do it properly and stupidly: getting stuck.
After two thru-hikes, the Baekdu-Daegan in South Korea and the Jordan Trail, we have learned what hiking gear we need and want and put this overview together for you.
Part 1 of the Jordan Trail hike, which covers 650 kms of trails from north to south Jordan, with the first half starting in Umm Qays and meandering through agricultural countrysides and Ajlun to Iraq al Amir.
Another pleasant surprise on our journey and we wished we had more time to stay and explore. For one day we made the best of sightseeing in Vladivostok.
A flashback to the Dakar Rally’s first event in South America. In the company of Argentineans we found a perfect spot to watch the spectacle.
We are on our way to Jordan to hike the 650-kilometer Jordan Trail, which runs from the far north of Umm Qais to the Red Sea near Aqaba in the south.
What a journey it has been! 9 months, 11 islands, 12,000 kilometers from Kyushu in the south to Hokkaido in the north. We kept you updated through our ‘Where are … Read more
“I’m here to tell you that your husband will be the last to arrive, but he is alive,” Victor said, walking up to me. I laughed. “Yes, I already heard … Read more
Japan kicked us out two months earlier than we had hoped for and anticipated. Customs and immigration (in any country) have nothing to do with each other, which meant that while … Read more
Originally published in 2012 / Updated in October 2017 I could have added this topic to the Frequently Asked Questions. People often want to know if companies are sponsoring us. However, … Read more
I was giving up. I didn’t want to do this anymore. My clothes were soaked with sweat, my legs and arms covered in scratches from overgrowth taller than I was. … Read more
A list of popular books on overlanding by car or motorcycle: around the world, through the Americas, and in Africa, Asia and Europe.
Bolivia’s Death Road is also known as the World’s Most Dangerous Road. We drove it, took pictures, and made a calendar.
Debunking all excuses for not going on an overlanding trip! This free e-book Overlanders Inspired shares stories of overlanders from all walks of life.
We said goodbye to Japan with pain in our hearts. Nine months were not enough to see and experience it all. The country is too large, too diverse, too interesting, … Read more
We are lucky to have a peek into the lives of the Mennonites in Paraguay, in a moderate community as well as a conservative community.
August 15, 2017: Chased from Japan’s inland by a 4-day typhoon and rising rivers, we return to the coast and camp at Okhinohama Beach, one of Japan’s most beautiful beaches. But our visa is running out so we’re spending our last two weeks in Kyushu before returning to South Korea.
July 25, 2017: Shikoku has been welcoming is with rain showers and warm temperatures, with empty beaches, good company of our friends Dan & Kyoko, and our first wilderness campsite in Japan!
June 15, 2017: After a five-week stay with our families and friends in the Netherlands, our days in Japan have been on a rollercoaster. We visited the Toyota Automobile Museum in Nagoya (so awesome that Coen took 200 pictures) and thanks to the Land Cruiser community in Japan we could visit to the Land Cruiser’s factory of birth in Toyota.
What better announcement of spring is there than sakura – the cherry blossom season?
April 20, 2017: We were fortunate enough to stay with Peter Ivy, a glassblower who makes stunning pieces of functional art in his studio in Toyama.
1. Trust people; trust officers. This, and 6 more tips on surviving police checks on the road.
After an hour of fruitless trying piranhas were suddenly flying into the boat. We had hit a school of them and reeled in one after the other. Pablo carefully removed … Read more
March 17, 2017: Fabulous pics of animals we spotted in the heavy snow of Hokkaido.
It’s as awesome as all the travel blogs and sites promise: Sapporo’s Snow Festival.
January 22, 2017: As we weave our way through urbanized Honshu, we stop in Hiroshima, make new friends and kill the clutch in the middle of the highway.
Paraguay has more than enough to offer for overlanders to check it out.
Rocket launches, sloths, winti rituals, gold mines and car rallies are among the experiences that make traveling to the Guianas unique.
December 27, 2016: We packed our backpacks, took a ferry, and hiked on Yakushima Island.
Argentina has many campgrounds but the beauty is that you don’t depend on them. Boondocking is allowed and very common indeed. Many magnificent camping spots are in the back of … Read more
December 14, 2016: We hoped for magic things in our Land Cruiser’s country of birth, Japan, but what is happening is beyond expectation. A look into 4Friendee Auto Workshop.
“To walk nature is to witness a thousand miracles.” ~Mary Davis
November 29, 2016. We make new friends, admire hellish-looking ponds, and have our first car accident in 13 years on the road.
When writing our last newsletter (you can sign up for it here) I was reminiscing about our 6-month stay in South Korea and started thanking people whom had helped us in … Read more
October 22, 2016: Some 230 kms and 17 days of strenuous hiking along the Baekdu-daegan in South Korea. And that’s just a third of the total distance we hiked! Here’s an impression of stage 3 of our great Korean adventure.
Ship your vehicle (or rent a car) and explore some of the best road trips in South America. Here are our 9 favorites.
August 28, 2016: The idea was a quick one-day visa run to Japan. It turned into a 24-hour trip, with enough challenges to fill a blog post.
The GPS is clueless; we trust the instructions of farmers. We have swapped the white beaches of the Atlantic Ocean lined with palm trees for the little-explored Sertão, as the … Read more
August 14, 2016: We sought the Olympic spirit at Seoul’s Olympic Park but melted away in the heat, as we did anywhere else outside aircon spaces. From temples and tombs we moved to massive and fascinating museums.
July 25, 2016; At the southern end of the Baekdu Daegan Trail we started hiking in Jirisan National Park and continued farther north, totaling 135 of of the 735-km trail.
July 11, 2016: A 3-day hike in Seoraksan National Park had us blown away. The views, the trails, the sites along the way, the meetings with Koreans all contributed to a new passion: hiking.
Visit a Brazil few travelers have seen and check out these 10 under-the-radar spots for sightseeing and outdoor adventure.
June 26, 2016: Why drive from Seoul to the East Coast in a couple of hours when you can take oh, let’s say, ten days?
From glaciers to deserts, from the Amazon Rainforest to vast wetlands, and from waterfalls to salt flats, South America has a number of places where you feel how insignificant we, … Read more
What’s the lure of the Pan Americana? I asked a number of overlanders what made them drive (parts of) the Pan American Highway that links Alaska with Ushuaia.
With the Andes Mountains stretching from the far north of Venezuela all the way down to South America’s southernmost point in Argentina, covering seven countries and 4,300 miles in the … Read more
June 10, 2016: After a month of visiting family and friends in the Netherlands we returned to Korea. Back to good companionship, food, and a beautiful country – it feels good being here again.
When traveling from one country to the next, let alone to another continent, it’s hard not to compare. And while doing that, we tend to focus on what we like about the … Read more
April 28, 2016: Checking out the famous cherry blossom, and colorful temples with golden buddha statues, towering gates and frightful guards in scenic mountainous landscapes.
Beach, snorkeling, sunsets, outrigged boats, lazing, reading a book and more while exploring the Philippines by boat.
Mountain runs, hanging coffins, rice terraces, and old colonial towns.
Why we prefer overlanding over backpacking – a reflection on backpacking in the Philippines.
“Guyana? Where is that?” “Guy… what?” “Is that an island in the Pacific?” Clearly, Guyana is not the best-known country in the world, and even among South Americans you’ll find many … Read more
Suriname’s Owru Yari in photos, a unique event in the world.
Architecture, transportation, food and people: there’s enough to see, watch and admire here.
One of things that makes any journey to Venezuela unique is its incredibly kind, helpful and hospitable people…
When studying the map of Venezuela my eye was constantly drawn to one particular corner: that of the Orinoco Delta. The drawback for an overlander: there are no roads or … Read more
Overlanding in Venezuela: making new friends and becoming part of Destinos Inteligentes for a weekend.
Our journey in Argentina took about a year. Here we share a number of stories on our trip.
For those who love off-roading to the back of beyond, add Pauji to your list of road trips in Venezuela.
Our #1 destination in Venezuela: the Gran Sabana. Lots of space, tranquility, off-road and rough camp opportunities.
The Andes Mountains: stunning, friendly, clean, and pleasant temperatures. What’s there not to like?
Staying with indigenous people, welcomed in a workshop, invited to visit hatos and being part of one of the country’s biggest festivals. Yes, we like Venezuela.
Colombia has a zillion opportunities to drive away from the Pan Americana and explore the countryside. Here are our favorite road trips.
Maybe it’s not fair to laugh: we all make mistakes, especially in languages that aren’t our first. And, every once in a while we did come across an attempt to make us … Read more
When we were in Medellín we originally had the idea to directly return to Bogotá. Until we studied the map. “Why not take this loop via Ciudad de Bolívar to Quibdó … Read more
Hey there, do you like this post? Consider supporting us on Patreon so we can continue sharing great content with you. Enjoy the ride! A photo somewhere on the Internet … Read more
Enjoy an impression of Pakistan through road signs, bill boards and other texts found along the way.
The treasure of La Selva Eco Lodge in Ecuador is that you can only reach it by boat, plus watching animal life around the lodge is done by boat as well.
Signboards in Iran are intriguing: the influence of Khomeini is visible, what do all those birds mean, and what about western penetration?
Cali is a city in Colombia known for its salsa and night life. We didn’t see any of this but enjoyed our stay for many other reasons.
The 120-km-long Vía Auca goes deep into the Ecuadorian Amazon. We indadvertedly leave the main road and meet the Huoarani indigenous people.
We crossed the little-used border crossing of San Miguel between Ecuador and Colombia, and drove across Putumayo to Mocoa.
We swap our landcruising adventure for a Galápagos cruise and to see whether seacruising would for us.
We off-road to the wilderness and rough camp at the protected páramo of the Zuleta community in the Andes Mountains at 4,000 meters.
Road Travel in Peru continues with photos on and along the road from Arequipa to Lima via Paracas, plus the Cordillera Blanca and Cajamarca region.
Photos and impressions of Landcruising Adventure from the Bolivian border to the Sacred Valley, Cusco and Arequipa.
Driving from south to north we traverse a couple of national parks in Ecuador. Hiking around volcanoes and crater lakes, and the visit of a deer and fox.
Saraguro is the center of an indigenous community in Ecuador. It’s known for its Sunday Market and we returned on January 6 for its annual Three Kings Celebration.
Our first impressions of Ecuador give reason for despair as well as hope. Who to blame for all the deforestation and can the damage be undone?
Fire works, driving around with effigies and burning them at night, having your body cleansed with herbs and an egg – all is part of New Year’s Eve in Ecuador.
Impressive ruins, mountains without tops, and a beach with sunny weather; a nice mixture in north Peru.
Part 2 on our Travels in Peru: chores & friends in Lima, exploring fantastic mountainous regions and sightseeing in Chavin.
South Peru brings a couple of scary moments: how serious is that tumor, and will the rock tumbling down that vertical wall hit our Land Cruiser?
Sea turtles are among the animals that characterize South America’s wildlife. Where you can see them? We show you a couple of places.
How we’re getting back in shape? From the Hash in Suriname to trail running in Peru to a running event in Arica, Chile. What’s next?
Roughing it in Chile’s most northern desert, on the altiplano. How can that not be a privilege?
The story behind the creation of a photo book featuring Bangladesh, a country of rickshaws, rice & jute, historical wealth, and beautiful people.
One of Peru’s most authentic, dramatic, fun and spectacular festivals: the Paucartambo Festival, with 17 traditional troupes honoring the Virgin of Carmen.
There are millions of pictures of Machu Picchu. What elements did Coen capture on camera?
To get to Machu Picchu you take the train or hike the Inca trail. Are there other options? Oh yes, a backdoor trail with a stop at Cola de Mono Ziplining.
Top travel destinations in Argentina, like Iguazu Falls and Ushuaia, lie in its remotest corners. But there’s more, like Córdoba, San Juan, and Punto Tombo.
Landcruising Adventure in Peru starts at Lake Titicaca, characterized by bucolic scenes, beautiful colonial churches and a Temple of Fertility.
For the second time we return to Copacabana. This time not to get the Land Cruiser blessed but to leave Bolivia and head for Peru.
