Roadtrip - London 2 Jammu

Yes you read it absolutely right, a road-trip from London (UK) to Jammu (India). And no, we are not the first ones to do it. We (me and my wife) actually got inspired by one another Indian couple who did it via Russia, and another Indian who did it all alone via Pakistan . We started planning about it mid 2013. To give a little background, i am a Software Professional who loves to drive/ride and my wife is a Travel Consultant who loves to travel. So she popped me this question one fine day if we can do a cross country, i loved the idea but had to run it through our mother. Once she agreed, there was no looking back. We planned to get all formalities done by end of August 2014, as our flag off date was 6th September 2014. Internet helped us in gathering as much information as possible to conceive this trip and this is an effort to help some other souls who might also want to traverse the same adventure. We have created a Facebook Page where we are publishing our experiences and information on all preparation that needs to be done in addition to the website that we have created dedicated to this trip. The countries we passed through are:

UK > France > Belgium > Luxembourg > Germany > Austria > Switzerland > Italy > Czech Republic > Slovakia > Hungary > Croatia > Bosnia & Herzegovina > Montenegro > Albania > Serbia > Macedonia > Greece > Turkey > Russia > Turkmenistan > Uzbekistan > Kazakhstan > Iran > India

Information on what visas are required for Indian Passport & UK Passport can be found here (List of Visas Required) and important places that are not supposed to be missed once in that country. We would be more than happy to answer any question that anyone might have that may assist them in any such similar planning. After putting together lot of research, own experiences and gut feeling our choice of vehicle came down to the following two:

1. Range Rover
2. Land Cruiser

And finally gave in to what our heart said (i have a gut feeling that i am going to get a lot of negative feedback on this) and boy were we glad we made this decision, yes we went for Range Rover HSE 2003 TD6. Since we were doing this Roadtrip we wanted to associate ourselves with a cause as well, as we wanted to use this opportunity to contribute for the well being of lesser fortunate. So we partnered with two charities:

1. Pratham UK - They support child education for the poor in India.
2. YouWeCan - It is a cancer awareness foundation started by our own Yuvraj Singh.

We are not aware on how much we were able to collect for YouWeCan (as donations went directly to their charity page), but for Pratham UK we were able to collect GBP 1500.00 with help from all you great souls out there :-) Also, we had plans to connect with Kapil fans and we were carrying hundreds of Kapil signed T-Shirts with us to be distributed among Kapil's fans. We named our 3rd partner in crime as "Dhanno" (Sholey fame) and this is how she looked: Finally the day arrived, which both me and Aarti had dreamed off. After bidding farewell to our beloved friends, we left for this amazing and wondrous journey. A journey that would change our outlook towards the world and fellow human beings for good. We are logging all of the trip as below:

Day 1: Road Trip from London to Paris

We have not slept for more than 2 hours in last 24. Absolutely hectic but the thought of visiting 28 countries is keeping us super energetic. Oh! Did I tell you that we are also moving to US for good so we had to pack all our bags, vacate the house and arrange sea freight from UK to USA as well. So we had two jobs at hand – Moving from one continent to another and our BIG Roadtrip planning!! [caption id="attachment_1600" align="alignnone" width="4288"] London Farewell[/caption] Saturday morning came and we got up at 8 am, started loading our car and pasted the car stickers... [Read More]

Day 2: Road Trip from Paris to Belgium via Luxembourg

[caption id="attachment_1565" align="alignnone" width="4288"] Paris is always a Good Idea[/caption] In the morning we had amazing crepes at Montparnasse (Creperie Josselin) and drove to Eiffel tower (captured few shots and met Kapilians) and then we drove off to Luxembourg around 2PM... [Read More]

Day 3: Road Trip from Belgium to Netherlands

[caption id="attachment_1566" align="alignnone" width="4288"] In Bruges, Belgium[/caption] Its 9 in the morning, Akhil worked for few hours (remember we work from home) and then we grabbed a quick cup of Tea and decided to visit Grand Palace & Manneken-Pis. On the way we met a did the Grand Palace was full of Waffle shops and the fragrance .. Ummmm. We surely did not miss the opportunity and grabbed one... [Read More]  

Day 4: Road Trip from Netherlands to Germany

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="4288"] Kapilians in Amsterdam[/caption] We left home around 1300 hrs and went to meet Kapilian from Amsterdam. Then we headed towards Rijksmuseum, Leidseplein, IAmsterdam sign, strolled around the Canal for a while. Spent roughly 4 hours there and then called it a day in Amsterdam with fresh mint tea with traditional Dutch Pancake. Happy me again... [Read More]

Day 5: Applying for Iran Visa in Germany

[caption id="attachment_1568" align="alignnone" width="2448"] Indian Hospitality in Germany[/caption] We finished our breakfast, got all the paperwork ready and left for Iranian Embassy. It was a 10-15 minute drive. We reached and approached a counselor, we passed them our approval codes and to our surprise they replied that they have not received confirmation on any of our approval codes. They told us that nothing can be done unless they receive the confirmation and they were going to close as their work hours are only till 1200 hrs. The guys at Iranian Embassy were very supportive and helpful, one counselor who was dealing with us took our number in case they need to contact us, we took his number as well... [Read More]  

Day 6: Road Trip from Germany to Switzerland

[caption id="attachment_1569" align="alignnone" width="4288"] Wildkirchi, Switzerland[/caption] Woke up with the excitement of getting our hands on our Iranian visa finally. Quickly enjoyed our breakfast, put our stuff back in the car and left for the Iranian Embassy. Upon arrival our eyes were searching for that familiar face who had helped us a lot yesterday. There he was on his counter, the smile he gave us as he saw us approaching widened our smiles further. He gave us the good news that visa has been approved and now we need to go get the money order to pay for the visa expenses. There was a bank outside that issued them, so without wasting any time we were there in a jiffy... [Read More]

Day 7: Exploring Switzerland, Checking out Schilthorn, Interlaken

[caption id="attachment_1570" align="alignnone" width="2000"] Interlaken, Switzerland[/caption] As we got within 5 miles of our hotel, the road started becoming thinner and thinner. I was loving it as I like these kind of reads but not Aarti. Our Dhanno (our car) was taking it well when suddenly after few amazingly steep and sharp turns, we were going uphill a 40 degree gradient and no jokes, while Aarti was screaming OMG.. OMG, I was trying to keep my cool and accelerating steadily and hoping our car which already weighed 2.8 Tonnes with another 0.6-0.7 tonnes of stuff on it including us, would not go backwards and keep on moving... [Read More]  

Day 8: On Top of Europe, Enjoying the beauty of Jungfrau & then driving to Italy via beautiful Wassen Drive

[caption id="attachment_1571" align="alignnone" width="3264"] Jungfrau - Top of Europe[/caption] When we woke up in the morning, we were really excited and glad as it was a bright sunny day (looking at the weather a day before and weather forecast suggesting that the sun will be on leave), we indeed were feeling lucky. Plan was to go check out Jungfrau, so we left for the train station. We parked Dhanno in the parking lot, and in an effort to receive a phone call while trying to get stuff out of Dhanno i dropped my phone and cracked the screen :-/ ... [Read More]

Day 9: Checked out villages that comprise Cinque-Terre i.e. Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore

[caption id="attachment_1572" align="alignnone" width="4000"] Cinque-Terre[/caption] After a good night sleep, we woke up charged up as “Italian Riviera” was on the list for quite some time. Aarti had already started blabbering in Spanish which only she could understand. We got ready, had our breakfast with whatever was available in the house. The moment we stepped out, we were welcomed by a nice, bright and warm sun. What else can you ask for eh! Plan was to hop on a boat and check out all 5 coastal villages that constitute Cinque-Terre (The Five Lands)... [Read More]  

Day 10: Driving from Italy to Germany via Neuschwanstein Castle

[caption id="attachment_1573" align="alignnone" width="4288"] Met Friends in Munich, Germany[/caption] Today was going to be a long day on the road. So we got up a little early, quickly got done with our breakfast, packed our bags. It was a bright, sunny day again, so we did a little bit of photo-shoot (off-course) before we could start moving towards Dhanno... [Read More]

Day 11: Driving from Germany to Czech Republic

[caption id="attachment_1599" align="alignnone" width="1920"] BMW Headquarters, Munich[/caption] After giving our bones much needed rest, we had one of the better breakfasts of our trips here. The hotel staff was kind enough to let us park Dhanno right next to the hotel entrance as the underground parking was not high enough to accommodate our car... [Read More]  

Day 12: Driving from Prague to Linz, Austria

[caption id="attachment_1575" align="alignnone" width="4000"] Charles Bridge, Prague[/caption] We woke up a little early as yesterday we arrived in Prague when the sun was going down. The beautiful place it is, it deserved some quality time from us but before that we checked out our hotel which itself was quite mesmerizing... [Read More]

Day 13: Driving from Austria to Hungry via Slovakia

[caption id="attachment_1576" align="alignnone" width="3000"] Vienna Palace, Vienna[/caption] Linz is a beautiful place, neat and clean as rest of Austria is! We woke up fully charged, plan was to reach Budapest via Bratislava. But before that there was no way we were going to give Vienna a miss. We finished our breakfast, got ready, checked directions for Schonbrunn palace, Vienna and left. Vienna seemed quite calm and running at a slow pace, maybe we did not visit the downtown that’s why it seemed like it! Normally, you would like to spend 2-3 days when you are in Vienna but we just had an afternoon and it was well spent... [Read More]  

Day 14: Hungary to Croatia via Slovenia

[caption id="attachment_1577" align="alignnone" width="1360"] Maribor Town Market, Slovenia[/caption] We woke up to another bright beautiful day, this time it was Budapest. After realizing how cheap it was to have a good time in Budapest, we decided to get our bones the treatment they deserve. You guessed it, massage it was Aarti found a place nearby our hotel, Queen’s Court Hotel & Residence and we were excited. For an hour of massage each, you will be shocked to know how much we paid, the total came out to be GBP 6.00, and we tipped her another GBP 2.00... [Read More]

Day 15: Vinjerac to Cavtat via Mostar (Bosnia & Herzegovina)

[caption id="attachment_1578" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Vinjerac, Croatia[/caption] The host of Tamarix Residency is a very nice and warm lady, we woke up on time as we did not want to miss her hospitality during breakfast hours

Day 16: Pit Stop in Cavtat, Croatia

[caption id="attachment_1579" align="alignnone" width="4288"] Cavtat, Croatia[/caption] Today we were going to just relax and check out Cavtat (Dubrovnik). Hotel Croatia itself is quite magnificient and checking out the whole complex it quite and effort. We happily decided to not leave our beds early, and by the time body felt recharged it was close to afternoon. I switched on the TV and was delighted to see our Prime Minister Sh. Modi on CNN, may god bless him and give him the vision and strength to guide India in the right direction... [Read More]

Day 17: Dubrovnik to Macedonia via Montenegro and Albania

[caption id="attachment_1580" align="alignnone" width="2048"] [Game of the Thrones Set] Dubrovnik, Croatia[/caption]Today was going to be another long day on the road, 7+ hours on the road and we were going to cross Montenegro and Albania. From Cavtat we were going to drive into Dubrovnik, check out the famous fortress and then carry on towards Lake Ohrid, Macedonia... [Read More]  

Day 18: Chillin in Macedonia

[caption id="attachment_1581" align="alignnone" width="4288"] Lake Ohrid, Macedonia[/caption] It was a beautiful, bright and clear morning that we woke up too. Had heard a lot about Lake Ohrid, so the curosity made both of jump out of our beds early, get ready, pack our bags and we were out in a jiffy. And the view that awaited us was indeed breathtaking, it is one of Europe’s deepest and oldest lakes and was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1979... [Read More]

Day 19: In and around Beautiful & Breathtaking Meteora, Greece

[caption id="attachment_1582" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Meteora, Greece[/caption] It got pretty late before we could reach our hotel in Meteora, last few hours were spent on the zig-zag mountain roads. If you guys remember, this is something i like but Aarti no so much! So, i had to drive slower than usual and to top it all, we got lost as well. Aarti called up the hotel lady but that did not help much. GPS was also pointing to nowhere, we continued downhill (listened to common sense) and in few minutes we were at our destination.We stayed at Guesthouse Papastathis (Read Review of Guesthouse Papastathis)... [Read More]  

Day 20: Santorini - A Visual Treat. Greece

[caption id="attachment_1583" align="alignnone" width="4000"] Caldera View, Santorini[/caption] Finally the day arrived Aarti had been waiting for with since time immemorial. Yes, today we were flying to Santorini and if you have a wife or a girlfriend you already know how important it is for her to tick out this place from her wish list The hotel we have been staying in had an amazing staff, even thou we were checking out they agreed to let us park the car in the hotel parking and assured us that they will take care of it as it was fully stuffed. We stayed at Hotel Royal (Read review of Hotel Royal).. [Read More]

Day 21: In & Around Santorini, Greece (Continued...)

[caption id="attachment_1584" align="alignnone" width="4000"] Hotel Chromata-Up-Style, Santorini[/caption]  

Day 22: Roaming in Athens, Greece

[caption id="attachment_1588" align="alignnone" width="2880"] Acropolis, Greece[/caption] Acropolis n Athens had been on our wishlist since time immemorial, and finally we were going to experience it first hand. What made Athens even more memorable was how Aarti lost her mobile and then got it back... [Read More]

Day 23: Back to Thessaloniki, Greece and left for Istanbul, Turkey

[caption id="attachment_1597" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Turkey Border[/caption] We were really excited and looking forward to our stay in Turkey, here as well we had left aside 5-6 days as there is a whole lot that Turkey offers... [Read More]  

Day 24: In & Around Istanbul, Turkey

[caption id="attachment_1589" align="alignnone" width="2301"] Istanbul, Turkey[/caption] Once at the Turkey border, we were told to take out everything from the car and then i drove Dhanno inside a huge x-Ray machine... [Read More]

Day 25: Stay cut short in Turkey, left for Trabzon

[caption id="attachment_1590" align="alignnone" width="3264"] Pera Palace Hotel Jumeirah, Istanbul[/caption] After continuously trying to get in touch with the ferry company which sails from Trabzon to Sochi, we got information that the ferry was leaving next day and the next one will be available in 2 weeks... [Read More]  

Day 26: Ferry (Black Sea) from Trebzon, Turkey to Sochi, Russia

[caption id="attachment_1593" align="alignnone" width="4000"] Boarded Ferry to Sochi, Russia[/caption] Ever since we left London, we were communicating with a travel company in Trebzon to know more about details of this ferry that goes from Trebzon to Sochi. However since the Olympics were over, this ferry is no longer regular and the captain only sails once in 2 weeks and that too if enough tickets are sold... [Read More]

Day 27: Explored Sochi, Russia

[caption id="attachment_1592" align="alignnone" width="4000"] Few Miles Away from Sochi, Russia[/caption] Getting out of Sochi port was quite effortless and the custom guys were very helpful. We already had the hotel booked, we entered the hotel address in our GPS and started driving... [Read More]  

Day 28: Flight to Moscow and explored this Magnanimous place

[caption id="attachment_1591" align="alignnone" width="4288"] Magnificent Moscow, Russia[/caption] Since we had to leave Turkey early, we decided to take an early morning flight to Moscow (flights are as cheap as you get in Europe). Out of the airport we got into one taxi which was driven by a huge Uzbeki guy and the experience we had was like no other till date ... [Read More]

Day 29: Flight back to Sochi, Russia and Stayed at Elista, Russia on the way to Kazakhstan

[caption id="attachment_1595" align="alignnone" width="1920"] On way to Elista, Russia[/caption] We had to cover a whole lot of distance and Aarti was not feeling well. Few hours behind the border we decided to call it a night... [Read More]  

Day 30: Kazakhstan entry Rejected, came back to Astrakhan, Russia

[caption id="attachment_1596" align="alignnone" width="1920"] On way to Kazakhstan Border[/caption] What a mistake it was! This essentially meant that we were stuck in Russia for quite some time and maybe it was the end of our trip... [Read More]

Day 31: Applied for Kazakhstan Visa in Astrakhan, Russia

So, Astrakhan it was for few days if we could get Kazakhstan visa in time otherwise it was the end of our trip and we would had to fly out of Russia to India... [Read More]  

Day 32: Got Visa and Entered Kazakhstan, Car Broke Down

[caption id="attachment_1602" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Entered Kazakhstan[/caption] Thanks to Kazakhstan Embassy, they issued me a visa in record 1 day, this essentially meant we could get back on track and continue our roadtrip... [Read More]

Day 33: Drove non stop towards Uzbekistan Border

[caption id="attachment_1603" align="alignnone" width="1920"] On Way To Uzbekistan[/caption] This hotel we stayed overnight seemed to have right out of a Wild Wild West movie, we were glad that the night was over and that we were back on our road to Uzbekistan. And guess who watches all Star Plus serials? We were shocked when Kazakh people misunderstood Aarti to be Anandi (Character from a popular Star Plus Serial) ... [Read More]  

Day 34: Drove non stop towards Khiva, Uzbekistan

[caption id="attachment_1604" align="alignnone" width="4125"] Khiva, Uzbekistan[/caption] Idea was to drive to Nukus, Uzbekistan and take a stopover but to our surprise all the hotel were booked thanks to some conference that was going on there. We both were sleep deprived but had no choice but to keep driving towards Khiva, Uzbekistan... [Coming Soon]

Day 35: Fixed Car and left for Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Car Broke Down Again, & Amazing Uzbeki's

[caption id="attachment_1606" align="alignnone" width="3264"] Mechanic Fixed RR Suspension, Khiva[/caption] Just 30 minutes away from Bukhara, Uzbekistan car shut down because of excessive heat. Broken suspension had lead to a broken coolent pump and hence a overheated car... [Coming Soon]  

Day 36: Found a Mechanic & Amazing Uzbeki's Continues...

[caption id="attachment_1607" align="alignnone" width="3264"] Karvachauth In Bukhara, Uzbekistan[/caption] It was a weekend and hence finding a mechanic that too for a Land Rover in a place where there are no SUV's, was more like finding a needle in a haystack! However, since it was meant to be... [Coming Soon]

Day 37: Car Fixed. Left for Turkmenistan Border. Spent Night in No Mans Land

[caption id="attachment_1608" align="alignnone" width="3264"] Machinist Doing His Magic, Bukhara[/caption] Thanks to Father-Son duo (he is brother of my friends (brother from another mother) friend from Uzbelistan) and offcourse the amazing mechanic (more of a machinist) without whom car would had stayed back in Uzbekistan... [Coming Soon]  

Day 38: Entered Turkmenistan. Fixed Car and left for Mary, Turkmenistan

[caption id="attachment_1610" align="alignnone" width="1920"] On Way To Mary, Turkmenistan[/caption] Finally around 8-9 AM, Turkmenistan let us in and we were back among SUV's and Diesel. Getting out of customs took some time but everyone has been cordial and warm with us. I could feel Dhanno crying out loud for a much needed service but we were not sure where to get it done... [Coming Soon]

Day 39: Entered Iran. Stayed at Checkpoint as Car could not be Cleared

[caption id="attachment_1611" align="alignnone" width="1920"] On Way Towards Iran Border[/caption] We entered into Sarakhs pretty early in the day, plan was to get over with customs and leave for Yazd latest by evening. Iran was the first country where Carnet-de-Passage was going to be stamped, and the way the whole process moved made us feel as if we were already in India... [Coming Soon]  

Day 40: Car Cleared. Left for Yazd, Iran

[caption id="attachment_1612" align="alignnone" width="4288"] On Way To Yazd, Iran[/caption] Finally we were done with all the formalities and we left for Yazd, it was going to be one long ride and we were getting impatient for some Iranian hospitality... [Coming Soon]

Day 41: Warm Welcome by University of Yazd, Interacted with Teachers, Students of Tourism Dept.

[caption id="attachment_1613" align="alignnone" width="3264"] Beautiful Ladies, University of Yazd[/caption] Dr. Irani's family is amazing, they took care of us like their own and we fell in love with homemade Sesame Seed spread that Mrs. Irani served us in the breakfast... [Coming Soon]  

Day 42: Left for Esfahan, Iran

[caption id="attachment_1615" align="alignnone" width="1536"] Si-O-Seh Pol Bridge[/caption] We enjoyed the day at the hands of our hosts hospitality and left for Esfahan, Iran later in the afternoon. Plan to meet up with one of the Yazd University students as he was kind enough to offer his services to us as a gift... [Coming Soon]

Day 43: Left for City of Shiraz, Iran and Explored Persepolis on the Way

 

On Way To Shiraz, Iran Today was another long drive but we were excited to visit Persepolis on the way and off-course who has not heard about famous Shiraz gardens and the Wine... [Coming Soon]  

Day 44: Reached Bandar-Abbas

It was a long night and we could not wait another second to get ourselves in a comfortable hotel bed. Finally at twilight we reached the hotel, we had to wake up in next few hours to getting the paperwork rolling for car shipment to Mumbai... [Coming Soon]

Day 45: Got Car into a container for Mumbai, India. Boarded a Flight to Dubai

[caption id="attachment_1616" align="alignnone" width="3264"] They Got Dhanno Sorted for Shipment in 2 Days Flat, Bandar-Abbas[/caption] Dr. Hamid hooked us up with this amazing agent, he took care of all the formalities and got done with it in 2 days flat... [Coming Soon]  

Day 46: Collected Car from Nava Shiva, Mumbai

[caption id="attachment_1617" align="alignnone" width="1536"] Collecting Car from Nava Shiva Port, Mumbai[/caption] Collecting the car out of Mumbai Port was not as simple as it was getting it on the ship. Thanks to limited knowledge the agent did take us for a ride but Mumbai customs did an amazing job... [Coming Soon]

Day 47: Left for Mhow, Indore. Stayed Overnight

[caption id="attachment_1620" align="alignnone" width="3264"] Caught Up with Kapil & Rajiv on KKPK Set[/caption] After a nice relaxing sleep we were all set for Indian leg of the journey. My mom had joined us this leg as well... [Coming Soon]  

Day 48: Left for Agra

We woke up to Indian hospitality, and after licking our fingers off the breakfast table we continued our journey towards Agra... [Coming Soon]

Day 49: Reached Agra. Time for Wah Taj

[caption id="attachment_1621" align="alignnone" width="4288"] Taj Mahel, Agra[/caption] After a long night behind the wheel, we reached our Hotel early morning and since we were a little early, even though Hotel staff were trying to check us in as soon as possible, we still had to spend some time at the reception... [Coming Soon]  

Day 50: Reached Delhi & Found a Workshop for Dhanno

[caption id="attachment_1622" align="alignnone" width="3264"] Land Rover Workshop[/caption] Since we were in Delhi, it was time for Dhanno to undergo a regular checkup. As it turned out break shoe had totally worn out, got them replaced with the spares i was carrying... [Coming Soon]

Day 51: Stopover in Ludhiana on way to Amritsar

[caption id="attachment_1623" align="alignnone" width="4128"] Meeting Harry on the Way to Amritsar[/caption] On way to Amritsar, we took a stopover to meet this amazing couple we had met few years back in Dubai... [Coming Soon]  

Day 52: Left Amritsar & Welcome to Jammu

As we were getting closer to Jammu, nostalgia had started to creep in. We comforted ourselves as this was not an end of an amazing trip but a beginning of an adventurous journey... [Coming Soon]