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Char Is Far

the journey begins where the road ends

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    • Africa
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    • Europe
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      • Romania
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  • Overlanders lined up at the Chinese border
    Overlanding

    Carnet de Passage Explained: The Ultimate Guide for Overland Travel

    September 17, 2025 / 1 Comment

    If you’re planning your first big overland trip or dreaming of vanlife routes far off the beaten track, sooner or later you’ll bump into that mysterious document: the Carnet de Passage. It sounds fancy and bureaucratic, especially in French, but really it’s nothing more than a passport for your car or motorbike. When we first learned we needed one for our overland expedition, we had about a thousand…

    Read More
  • Driving to Thailand
    Asia,  Destinations,  Overlanding,  Thailand

    Driving to Thailand with your own car: Foreign Vehicle Permit and border crossing guide

    August 7, 2025 / 7 Comments

    We’ve crossed quite a few borders during our overland expedition, but driving to Thailand? That one made us sweat a little more than usual. Not because of the heat (though… that too), but because of the paperwork. If you’re planning to drive your own car, campervan, or motorbike into Thailand, there’s one thing you should know: you can’t just show up at the border and wing it. Not…

    Read More

Char Is Far

We’re Charelle and Marcel, living for off-road adventures and the freedom that comes with it. Char Is Far is your invitation to break free, chase dreams, and explore the unknown. In 2024 we drove from The Netherlands to Singapore in our 4x4 with rooftop tent, and the road ahead is calling again. Ready to leave your comfort zone and see what's out there?

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Popular posts

Overland Itinerary: Driving From The Netherlands to Singapore

The Ultimate Guide On Riding The Ha Giang Loop In Vietnam (4 Days)

Kyrgyzstan 2-Week Itinerary: Epic Self Drive With 4×4 and Rooftop Tent

Overland Journal Day 26-40: Türkiye

Overland Journal Day 117: Border Crossing Into China

Kyrgyzstan Travel: Everything You Need To Know

Overland Journal Day 41-52: Iran

The Start Of Our Overland Adventure

Overland Journal Day 72-81: Tajikistan (Panjakent and Dushanbe)

Overland Journal Day 53-56: Turkmenistan

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Hiking Picos de Europa & Riaño ⛰️ First up was Pi Hiking Picos de Europa & Riaño ⛰️

First up was Pico Gilbo, often called the "Matterhorn of León". A relatively short hike, but one that pushed us a bit outside our comfort zone. Steep sections, scrambling, some hands-on climbing, and plenty of exposure. We took it poco a poco, a lesson Spain keeps teaching us. Slow and steady gets you there too. 

We met a Dutch guy in his seventies hiking the route by himself. At an age when many people assume adventure is behind them, he was out there tackling this peak with a huge smile on his face. And better yet, he overtook us with ease on the way down. Goals! 😏

A few days later we hiked the famous Ruta del Cares. Around 25 km return, carved into the cliffs of a spectacular gorge. The trail follows an old maintenance path built for a water canal, taking you along sheer drops, through tunnels blasted into the mountain, and past some of the most impressive scenery we've seen in Spain. 100% recommend. 

🥾 Pico Gilbo
• ~8.5 km
• ~700 m elevation gain, quite steep and technical
• 5.5 hours

🥾 Ruta del Cares 
• ~25 km return
• ~800 m elevation gain, easy trail
• 6.5 hours

Ending the day with cider and pizza, on a buzzing terrace filled with hikers from around the world, in the highest village of the Picos. What a life.

The Picos de Europa had been on our list for years, and somehow they still exceeded expectations. And there's plenty more to come! 

Ruta del Cares has to be one of our fav hiking trails of all time. What's yours? 

#northernspain #picosdeeuropa #hikingspain #riaño #spaintrip
3 months in the south of Spain have flown by. Shot 3 months in the south of Spain have flown by. Shots of our last month here 🧡

A slightly wild dream to work remotely brought us to this corner of the world. Not knowing whether we could pull it off, but deciding to give it a try anyway.

And well... it was damn worth it. We did it.

Still proud that we decided to go for it, especially so shortly after returning from our overland expedition. Looking back, it felt like a bit of a leap into the unknown. Again.

Life's too short to keep dreaming about things. Make it happen 🙌

1-4: Road tripping through the Alpujarras, visiting the lovely village of Pampaneira and picking up wine straight from local bodegas and vineyards.

5-8: A weekend trip to the southernmost point of continental Europe, with views of Morocco across the water. We explored Tarifa, hopped over to Gibraltar and celebrated Char's 7-year business anniversary.

9-10: Final days in the garden of our lovely Spanish home. We felt at ease here from the very beginning.

11: El Acebuchal, the Lost Village. Hidden deep in the hills and only reachable by dirt tracks. Completely abandoned for decades before being rebuilt in the 90s by the original families. Now it's an absolute gem (with a thriving local restaurant).

Save if you're heading to the south of Spain to visit these spots. Except Gibraltar, 'cause that wasn't worth it 😂

Funny how quickly you can build a life somewhere new. We'll probably do it again someday hehe.

But first, we're heading to the north of Spain for some more exploring, off-road trails and coastal hikes.

Any tips for northern Spain? 🙏

#digitalnomadlife #workingremotely #spaintrip #andalucía
Road trippin' through the Sierra Nevada ⛰️ Our 4x Road trippin' through the Sierra Nevada ⛰️

Our 4x4 is in the workshop, so we switched things up. Traded dirt tracks for tarmac, and horsepower for... well, an actual horse (swipe to the end) 🐴

So much packed into just one weekend:
➡️ Cruising smooth mountain roads with a convertible 
➡️ Getting lost in the narrow streets of Granada's Albayzín
➡️ Soaking up centuries of Moorish history at the Alhambra
➡️ Off-roading, just in a slightly more alive kind of vehicle?

And after that weekend trip we get to come home to our Spanish house overlooking the sea and mountains. The sun, the scenery, the pace of life here... feels like an instant life upgrade.

Have you been to the Sierra Nevada? 
Drop your thoughts & recommendations below! 👇

#sierranevada #granadaspain #alhambrapalace #spaintrip #granadaespaña
This is NOT the Spain we expected 🤯 We’re driving This is NOT the Spain we expected 🤯

We’re driving ridges with nothing but desert landscapes stretching to the horizon. Then we drop into canyons, kicking up dust with our tyres. Hours pass without seeing a single car.

Set up camp on a hill with stellar views of the badlands. Cooking, watching the sky turn orange, then fade into a sky full of stars.

Hard to believe this is still Southern Spain.

About half of this route really needs a 4x4 / high clearance. The other half is easily doable with a van (we get that question a lot 😅). 

What. A. Spot.

When we got back home 2 old pipes gave up after all that rough terrain. Nothing dramatic though. New parts are on the way and we’ll be back out there soon for more weekend trips 😍

Would you drive this?

📍 Gorafe Desert, Spain

#gorafe #sierranevada #spaintrip #overlandtravel #overlandbound
What if there’s another way? To escape the crowds What if there’s another way?

To escape the crowds. Because yes, this is also Spain.

But more importantly: to choose how you spend your time.

This is what our weekends look like now 🧡

Gorafe surprised us; we absolutely loved it! Those badlands views are unlike anything we've seen before.

Have you heard of this place before?

#overlandtravel #gorafe  #spaintrip #sierranevada #4x4ing
El Caminito del Rey exceeded our expectations by f El Caminito del Rey exceeded our expectations by far 🧡 

Normally we’re not that into ultra-touristy activities. We tend to avoid crowds and look for quieter, more remote places. But sometimes… something is popular for a reason.

Caminito del Rey is def one of those places 🙌

Originally built for workers to access the hydroelectric plants deep in the gorge, the path later fell into disrepair and became infamous for how dangerous it was. After several fatal accidents, it was closed for years and eventually rebuilt into the safe walkway it is today.

Walking it now, you can still see how exposed it once was. Narrow paths pinned to vertical rock faces, suspended high above the canyon floor. Never seen anything like it. 

Normally it's sold out months in advance. We decided to just go to the north entrance gate, and were able to buy a ticket there! So make sure to give this a try if it's sold out.

Yeah, we’ll admit it. This one lives up to the hype.

Have you been here already?

#caminitodelrey #spaintrip #caminito #explorespain
Our favorite places from our favorite country in t Our favorite places from our favorite country in the world 🇰🇬

Plus Marcel with a Kyrgyz hat (scroll to the end 👀) .

We’ve now been to Kyrgyzstan twice. First time in 2023, renting a car with a rooftop tent. Our very first taste of overland travel. We were hooked instantly.

Back home in the Netherlands, we did the only logical thing. Bought our own 4x4 with rooftop tent and drove all the way back. And beyond.

Exactly one year later (to the day!), we crossed into Kyrgyzstan again. This time in our own car, chasing the remote mountain corners we missed the first time.

Our Kyrgyzstan blogs are still the most read on our site. Not surprising. This place is wild 🧡

So here it is. Our favorite spots across the country after two extensive visits.

Want the full route? Our 2-week itinerary is in the link in bio. Save for later 🙌

Have you been? Or still on your list? (It should be!)

And any tips for other countries that we should visit? Drop 'em below.

📸 Kel Suu photo by @klaus_promberger, give him a follow!

#kyrgyzstan #discoverkyrgyzstan #travelkyrgyzstan #visitkyrgyzstan #overlandtravel
Be scared, and do it anyway. That’s the one thing Be scared, and do it anyway. That’s the one thing the road taught us.

When we decided to drive from the Netherlands to Singapore, we weren’t sure we’d actually make it.

Logistically, financially… plenty of reasons not to.
Same with this.

Moving to Spain. Working remotely. Figuring out a new rhythm. We didn’t know if it would work. But we tried it anyway.

Not because we’re fearless. But because we’ve learned that waiting until something feels completely certain usually means you’ll never do it.

So we make deliberate choices. Not the obvious ones. Not always the comfortable ones. Just the ones that feel like this might make life a bit more interesting. A bit more alive.

Sometimes that means driving across continents.
Sometimes it just means starting a life in a new place.

From the outside it might look like we’ve got it all figured out.
We don’t.

We're just willing to try.

What’s something you want to try this year?

📸 Shots from our stunning new hometown, Frigiliana!

#frigiliana #workingremotely #spaintrip #travelcouplelife
When we decided to drive from the Netherlands to S When we decided to drive from the Netherlands to Singapore, it was never really about the destination. It was always about the journey.

We simply looked at a map and searched for one of the longest overland routes we could possibly drive.

Sure, it would've been easy to get on a plane and fly to Singapore. But where's the fun in that?

One of our favorite quotes by @officiallymcconaughey: 

'I love road trips. I think I've learned more on road trips than I've learned just about anywhere else in life. 

It's like a classroom. It's like an office.

It's a place where my memory catches up with me. It's a place where I can get far away enough from past that I'm not worried about it and something about that makes me not even worry about my damn future.' 🧡

Location: Mirador Fin del Mundo, Sierra Nevada, Spain 🇪🇸

#roadtripadventures #sierranevada #overlandtravel
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