Expedition Overland

Overlanding. From the Netherlands to Singapore. A 4WD car, a rooftop tent and two people crazy enough to try their luck on the road. In March 2024 we embarked on an adventure of a lifetime. Driving from our hometown Utrecht in The Netherlands to Singapore. 35.000 kilometers, crossing the entire landmass of Eurasia. Through Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, China and eventually South East Asia. Overland, with our own Toyota 4Runner.

A question we often get is: ‘Why Singapore?’ Well, to be completely honest with you, that’s where the road ends. Or is it? On the 10th of November we finally made it to Singapore! It took us 232 days and it’s been the trip of a lifetime. But we are not ready to go home yet, so we will ship our car to the Middle East and drive home from there. Stay tuned for more. Will you travel with us?

 

Tales from the road:

  • Grand Canyon ChinaOverland Journal Day 118-121: First Impressions of China (Xinjiang)
    Our journey through China begins in the Xinjiang region, offering a fascinating mix of contrasts. While the state control often highlighted in Western media is undeniably present, we’re also introduced to a side of China rarely seen in headlines: […]
  • Overlanding China with your own vehicleOverland Journal Day 117: Border Crossing Into China
    Overlanding China with our own car marks the biggest hurdle of our expedition, requiring extensive preparation well before our arrival. In addition to a visa, self-driving with a foreign vehicle means we also need a Chinese driver’s license, Chinese […]
  • Charyn Canyon, KazakhstanOverland Journal Day 110-116: Kazakhstan
    With just one week left before we need to be in China, we cross the border into Kazakhstan—one of the world’s largest countries. A week is far too short to do it justice, so we focus on the southeastern region around Almaty, nestled between […]
  • Kyrgyz Yurts at Lenin PeakOverland Journal Day 93-109: Kyrgyzstan
    Just a year ago, while camping on a tundra at 4,300 meters altitude in Kyrgyzstan, the spark for this expedition was ignited. Now, we’re back in this breathtaking country—only this time, we’re driving our own car from The Netherlands. How surreal […]
  • Overland Journal Day 82-92: Tajikistan (Seven Lakes and the Pamir Highway)
    It’s a dream come true: driving the Pamir Highway, one of the most legendary roads in the world. This desolate route takes us through bumpy mountain passes, right into no man’s land. With altitude sickness creeping in, we push ourselves to […]
  • Overlanding TajkistanOverland Journal Day 72-81: Tajikistan (Panjakent and Dushanbe)
    In the border town of Panjakent we’re met with incredible hospitality at the car workshop, although they don’t have the car parts we need. Undeterred, we drive through the notorious “Tunnel of Death” to the capital Dushanbe, where we’re welcomed at […]
  • UzbekistanOverland Journal Day 57-71: Uzbekistan
    After 57 days on the road covering over 12.000 kilometers, we arrive in the 13th country of the expedition: Uzbekistan. Leaving the totalitarian state of Turkmenistan brought immense relief, yet lingering paranoia and exhaustion still haunted us. To […]
  • Ashgabat TurkmenistanOverland Journal Day 53-56: Turkmenistan
    How do we even begin to describe our journey through Turkmenistan? For a few days, we felt like we were in a surreal, alternate universe. Turkmenistan is, without a doubt, the most bizarre country we’ve ever visited. Imagine a land where […]
  • Golestan Palace TehranOverland Journal Day 41-52: Iran
    As we approach the 10,000-kilometer milestone after 52 days of travel, our journey leads us to the enchanting country of Iran. Despite initial nerves about exploring this unfamiliar territory, our apprehensions quickly dissolved upon arrival. Iran […]
  • Wild camping under the stars at the beachOverland Journal Day 26-40: Türkiye
    We’ve been on the road for 40 days and covered 7200 kilometers, but we’ve barely scratched the surface of our epic adventure! Our journey has taken us through Türkiye’s diverse landscapes. From the touristy west with beautiful bays to […]
  • Galata Bridge IstanbulOverland Journal Day 17-25: Albania, Greece and Turkey (Istanbul)
    We reached the 5000-kilometer mark and crossed into Asia! Two major milestones for the expedition. Unfortunately, we also visited a few more car repair shops than expected. In this blog you read more about our time at the stunning Albanian coast, […]
  • Durmitor National ParkOverland Journal Day 11-16: Bosnia and Herzegovina & Montenegro
    We drove 3240 kilometers in total. After Croatia, we made our way to Sarajevo. What a beautiful and impressive city. I mistakenly assumed that I would see mostly concrete Soviet apartment buildings. How I was wrong. Instead, we walked through narrow […]
  • Croatia sunset DubrovnikOverland Journal Day 1-10: Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovenia & Croatia
    Ten days ago we departed from our rainy hometown, Utrecht in the Netherlands. So far we have driven 2243 kilometers. Via the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Slovenia we currently find ourselves in Croatia. And most importantly: we also found the […]
  • Toyota 4Runner overlandThe Start Of Our Adventure
    We finally hit the road: we’re 4 days, 1400 kilometers and 4 countries in. We crossed The Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. In this blog you read more about the highs and lows and the life lessons we learned so far. Ultimate freedom […]
  • map overland itinerary netherlands to singaporeOur 4×4 Overland Itinerary From The Netherlands to Singapore
    When I Googeled for the first time: “Is it possible to drive from the Netherlands to Southeast Asia?”, the answer was: “No, nearly impossible.” I refused to take no for an answer and spent my nights reading the requirements […]

Thanks to our sponsors ♡

OPC Classics
Car enthusiast Peter de Pous sells unique and classic cars. Mostly Porsches, but every now and then he also gets his hands on other interesting cars – including our Toyota 4Runner! Peter made sure that the car was in good condition when he handed over the keys.

Bookaway
Bookaway is your travel partner for transportation tickets: a ferry, bus, minivan or train ticket is just a screen tap away. They were so excited about our trip, that they decided to make a financial contribution and provide us with tickets for public transportation during the trip.