Erfahrung der Welt

Legend

Cycling
Driving
Boat
Bus
Train
Hiking
Plane

Kochi, India ‐ Mar 12, 2023
Negombo, Sri Lanka ‐ Mar 11
Unawatuna ‐ Mar 8

54 km
Talalla ‐ Feb 22

12 km

We have our friends from Switzerland visiting us and together we're doing a 14 day intense Ayurveda treatment, a completely new and very calming experience for us directly at the beautiful Tallala Beach.
Hiriketiya ‐ Feb 19

26 km

A short cycle day brings us to the new hipster place in Sri Lanka, Hiriketiya, where surfers and yogis meet. Quite a different vibe here with many expensive boutique hotels and nice restaurants. Not much of a beach for swimmers, but it's ideal to book a surf class.
Tangalle ‐ Feb 18

81 km

First we cycle along Bundulla National Park and then along empty highway lanes around the new port and airport in Hampantota, a very desolate feeling. We finally reach Tangalle, our first beach destination and we're definitely ready for a beach break. But we have only night at the beautiful Goyambokka Beach, as we got visitors from Switzerland coming soon and are in a hurry.
Thissamaharama ‐ Feb 16

108 km

A long cycling day brings us back to the lowlands. After a scenic downhill, we're back in the humid heat and when we cycle on the fringe of Yala Nationalpark on the famous B35, we see 4 huge elephant bulls on the road. Quite a scary moment.
Ella ‐ Feb 12

After leaving Badulla we finally cycle through lush tea plantations and reach Ella at 1000 m.a.s.l. It's a popular traveller hub with many restaurants and bars as we've never seen it before during our journey through Sri Lanka. We'll stay here 4 nights and discover the surroundings.
Badulla ‐ Feb 11

52 km

We cycle along terraced rice fields up to Badulla along some steep roads. It's the first time for us climbing in a tropical surrounding and it's very sweaty. We would like to make it all the way to Ella, but we're too tired. We find a very cheap guesthouse that is usually just for locals, but they try everything to make us happy. People are incredibly kind in Sri Lanka.
Mahiyanganaya ‐ Feb 10

95 km

A long ride and our personal record (95 km in just 5 hours, that's fast for us:)) brings us to Mahiyanganaya. It's a completely untouristic route with few cars on the road and nice scenery. Nice encounters with the locals as we stop for king coconut along the road.
Polonnaruwa ‐ Feb 8

60 km

After a necessary 3 day rest, Lisa's feeling better and we continue our trip on bicycle towards Polonnaruwa, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, where we spend a full day exploring the stunning ruins.
Sigiriya ‐ Feb 4

30 km

A short ride and a break with spicy Rice & Curry by the lake brings us to Sigiriya, where we take some rest days so Lisa can recover her calves, as she's got a hard time even walking. We learn our lesson, never start to eager on a new trip. There's lot to see in Sigiriya like the famous Lion Rock, Pidurangala, Dambulla Cave Temple, Safaris in various National Parks, village tours...
Ritigala ‐ Feb 3

72 km

Nice backroads through the countryside bring us to the impressive Aukana Buddha Statue. Another highlight is the Ritigala Monastery, some stunning ruins hidden in a forest. Unfortunately, heavy rains again and again.
Yapahuwa ‐ Feb 2

123 km

Our longest cycling day of our trip. Wasn't a good idea as in the end we cycled in the dark and it was raining. But despite the exhaustion, it was a beautiful ride; first we followed the coast along fishing villages up to Chilaw and then head inland and saw peacocks, colorful birds, giant squirrels and many friendly smiles along the way. Really excited to explore more of the emerald island and it feels so good to break cycling again. But please no more 120 km plus stages.
Negombo ‐ Jan 31

Relaxing day, visiting the Fish Market, assembling our bikes, getting our first Ayurvedic massage in Sri Lanka and our first quite mild Rice & Curry.
Katunayake

A very short 40 minutes flight brings us from India to Sri Lanka. There are rumors around, that in the future those two countries will be connected again by ferry boat, let's keep fingers crossed. We have a nice welcome in Sri Lanka and stay two nights in Negombo to settle in. Unfortunately, it's raining and it will continue like this for a week or more. So much for picking the best season for traveling to Sri Lanka.
Kochi, India ‐ Jan 27

After three very relaxing weeks in Patnem in South Goa, we have a hard time leaving our bungalow at Bhakti Kutir, but our visa expires and there's no choice. We take the night train to Kochi und spend two days in the historic city and visit the Biennale. It's sweltering hot and we've got to get used to this humid climate.
Palolem ‐ Jan 7

Some steep hills give us a taste what cycling in the humid weather of Southeast Asia is going to look like next winter. We visit beautiful Agonda Beach and then head to Palolem, where we'll be staying for 3 weeks in the jungle of the wonderful Bhakti Kutir and work on our website.
Benaulim ‐ Jan 6

Lazy breakfast in Fontainhas in Panaji and then off to Old Goa, where the original capital was under the Portuguese rule. We visit two famous cathedrals and then continue cycling and sweating on our way to South Goa. Short stop in Colva Beach, where Lisa used to teach and then we spend the night in Benaulim, a nice holiday town with a laid-back vibe.
Panaji ‐ Jan 5

21 km

Panaji is the relaxed state capital of Goa and it's got still a lot of Portuguese influence in the street names and mostly in the beautiful colored houses. It's great to spend an afternoon here as a contrast to all the beaches.
Vagator ‐ Jan 3

26 km

We start cycling from North to South Goa. It could be possible in a day, but we like to see many places along the way. We visit Vagator and stay 2 nights so we have time to visit the famous Anjuna flea market.
Arambol (Harmal) ‐ Dec 22, 2022

21 km

We're spending Christmas and New Year's Eve in Arambol, the hippie-place Lisa used to stay at 15 years ago. It definitely changed. There are more Russians and Indian tourists nowadays, but the special vibe is still there. We spend our time chilling, going to concerts, doing Yoga and optimizing our dolce far niente. It was hard to leave Arambol.
Thivim ‐ Dec 21, 2022

Together with our friends Melli & Dani we take the night train from Mumbai to Goa and arrive in Thivim.
Mumbai ‐ Dec 16, 2022

We explore a lot during our 4 days in Mumbai. A fascinating and tough city where rich and poor are living side by side. Beautiful British-era buildings, fish market, ornate hindu cave on an island, the biggest open-air laundry, a visit of the Dharavi slum and many more impressions.
Udaipur ‐ Dec 13, 2022

We're traveling back to Udaipur, our last stop in Rajasthan. We're taking a cooking class and taste some delicious Rajasthani dishes before we're leaving Rajasthan after 7 weeks.
Pushkar ‐ Dec 5, 2022

The holy lake in Pushkar is surrounded by 500 temples and offers an interesting mixture between spiritual seekers, hippies and people coming here during wedding season causing loud music every evening. There is a special vibe about Pushkar and it's the ideal place for a break, to do some yoga, eat healthy food and work on our website.
Jodhpur ‐ Dec 1, 2022

A train ride brings uf to Jodhpur, the blue city. We visit the Mehrangarh Fort, maybe our last fort in Rajasthan and we still can't decide which is the most impressive. We learn a lot about the culture and different castes during a city walk.
Jaisalmer ‐ Nov 25, 2022

A long bus ride brings us the Jaisalmer, the "golden" city and the gateway for the desert Thar. For 3 days we explore the desert on the back of a camel, a wonderful experience. We love those animals.
Udaipur ‐ Nov 21, 2022

On the way to Bundi we make a detour to Chittorgarh, the largest fortress in India, very impressive. We spend some nice days exploring the sights of Udaipur, the city of lakes. We leave our bikes there and continue with bus & train for the next 2 weeks.
Bundi ‐ Nov 18, 2022

We got all our bicycle problems sorted within a half day. A spare part is on the way from Germany to Mumbay and in the meantime we can improvise with the help from a local mechanic, but we need to stay an extra day in Bundi (a magical city by the way, really worth seeing), which also means that we can't cycle all the way to Udaipur as planned as we're running a bit short on time because of some reserved trains and our visa.
Jharbala Pura

46 km

We spent some amazing hours riding through the countryside of Rajasthan, just really nice and calm. So much to see everywhere and we passed some camel carts. Then we had a quick lunch break and Dario's bicycle fell to the ground because of a flat tire and we noticed that the slider was broken, something we can't fix ourselves. So once again we had to stop our cycling trip, react within seconds and start organizing once again. We found a tuk tuk that took us to Bundi.
Lakheri ‐ Nov 17, 2022

57 km

Finally a real cycling day. It felt so good to be back on the road after such a long unplanned break. Quiet roads led us through rural Rajasthan and of course we got a lot of attention from the villagers. Hard to find a camping spot and definitely not many guesthouses you'd like to stay in in that area though.
Sawai Madhopur ‐ Nov 15, 2022

We decided to start our cycling trip in Sawai Madhopur, the gateway to the Ranthambore Nationalpark.
Jaipur ‐ Nov 11, 2022

Our first cycle ride after months was through the traffic of Delhi, not as crazy as we thought. Then we took the train to Jaipur and got stuck in the rush hour traffic. We spent 4 nights in Jaipur enjoying the many sights in and around the city.
New Delhi ‐ Nov 4, 2022

We spent one week discovering Delhi and getting acquainted with India, the noise, the traffic, the smog, the amazing food, the crowds...just everything. We really liked Delhi, a very fascinating city. And on our last day we finally got our bicycle repaired as the new rear hub from Germany arrived very last-minute.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan ‐ Oct 29, 2022

We take our bicycles to the train station for our almost last transfer with a broken bicycle - a five hours train ride to Tashkent, the Uzbek capital. We enjoy some delicious Thai food and then we start to make a to-do-list as there's so much to organize before our flight on the 3rd November.
Samarkand ‐ Oct 26, 2022

A comfortable overnight train brings uf back to Samarkand where we enjoy two nice sunny autumn days and do some more explorations.
Khiva ‐ Oct 23, 2022

It was not possible to book a train for that date, so we took a taxi across the desert to Khiva. We pre-celebrate Darios birthday with a rooftop dinner with views over the stunning skyline of minarets and madrasas in Khiva.
Bukhara ‐ Oct 19, 2022

After two great days in Samarkand we take the high-speed Afrosiyob train to Bukhara and stay 4 nights in a boutique hotel where Lisa was already five years ago. We start feeling better after everything that went wrong in the Pamirs and can finally enjoy sightseeing and exploring again.
Samarkand ‐ Oct 15, 2022

We are leaving Dushanbe with a shared taxi and cross the border to Uzbekistan. Unfortunately, our replacement hub didn't arrive which means we have to wait a couple of weeks more. This is it for cycling for the next month then. Sometimes things don't go as planned.
Dushanbe, Tajikistan ‐ Oct 2, 2022

Another unexpectedly long transfer with many weird stops by the driver we reach the capital Dushanbe where we have to stay until our rear hub arrives. The city is quite boring, but we use the good internet to get some work done and we enjoy having finally some good food again (sorry Tajikistan, but we eat everything but Centralasian fare).
Qalai Khumb ‐ Oct 1, 2022

We decide to leave the Pamir Region, as the weather will get colder the next few days. We take a very long transfer to Qalai Khumb where we stay in a guesthouse with river view.
Khorugh ‐ Sep 28, 2022

Still deciding how to continue our journey through Tajikistan with a broken rear hub, we at least can decide on a transfer back to Khorog. There we'll have internet and more opportunities.
Langar ‐ Sep 27, 2022

47 km

The last stretch of the Wakhan Valley is truly beautiful. We get to visit another Pamiri House in Yamg Village and in the evening we stay at the most sophisticated homestay (Davlatkhon's) we've seen so far with some real good food. We still want to cycle back to Skhohdara Valley, but the taxi prices to bring us up the plateau (Lisa's bicycle is not ideal to tackle Khargush Pass), are too steep for us.
Yamchun ‐ Sep 26, 2022

8 km

A rest day and Lisa's starting to feel better. We take the full day to hike up to the stunning Yamchun Fortress and take a soak in the hot spring Bibi Fatima. We get to eat really delicious Plov for dinner in company of our new cat friend. Life's good.
Yamchun ‐ Sep 25, 2022

26 km

We reach the homestay we've been dreaming of secretly: a lovely place with a cat and delicious organic food that feels like home or at least like staying with your grandparents. Welcome to Akim's Homestay in Yamchun. Okay, the shower is scary and you might get an electric shock when trying to wash your hands, but apart from those minor details, it's heaven.
Darshai ‐ Sep 24, 2022

48 km

We try to find some healthy food in the stores of Iskhashim, impossible. We continue cycling the Wakhan and the landscape changes, there are more fertile flat parts than before and many villages. People are busy harvesting everywhere and we meet countless happy children giving us high-fives.
Ishkoshim ‐ Sep 23, 2022

36 km

After an absolute slow record of taking 3 days for cycling 100 km, we reach Iskhashim, the biggest town in the Wakhan Valley. Lisa's still feeling sick and we opt for a guesthouse and stay for the first time in a traditional Pamiri House.
Barshor ‐ Sep 22, 2022

20 km

We continue cycling in the gorge with spectacular views over to Afghanistan. But Lisa's gotten sick, we'll call it "the revenge of the Plov". Bound to happen for every traveller in Tajikistan. We are very slow today.
Vogz ‐ Sep 21, 2022

52 km

Super excited we start cycling again. Lisa gets a rental bicycles from the Pamir Lodge and we head out towards the Wakhan Valley. We thought this would be an easy route compared to the altitude and peaks of the Pamir Plateau, but we were wrong. Constant up and down on a bad road can be quite exhausting. Hard to find a place to pitch our tent in the narrow canyon towards Iskhashim.
Khorugh ‐ Sep 18, 2022

After unintentionally spending 4 nights in Murghab in the end, we were really relieved to get a shared taxi to Khorugh today. An interesting ride including a goat on the top of the jeep. We met our friend Joan by coincidence during lunch break in Alichur. The world of travellers is quite small sometimes. We arrived in Khorugh in the evening, it was mild and sunny and suddenly we were in a small town with Cafés, ATMs, Restaurants with Menus. What a relief.
Khorugh
Murghob ‐ Sep 17, 2022

61 km

This day definitely didn't go as planned. We started cycling in the snow and then Lisa realized that her rear hub is broken and a couple of spokes loose. No way to fix this ourselves or anywhere in Tajikistan. This means the end of our cycling trip for now. Luckily a minibus came by that could take Lisa and her bicycle back to Murghab.
Jarty Gumbez ‐ Sep 16, 2022

46 km

We started cycling towards Zorkul Reserve. After 20 km on the main Pamir Highway, we took a gravel path into the middle of nowhere and snow started falling and it got very cold. We decide do take refuge in an abandoned hut with a fantastic view.
Murghab ‐ Sep 13, 2022

55 km

We reach Murghab, the first bigger town in Tajikistan and it still feels very desolate with it's ship container bazaar. Strange place with friendly locals.
Pamir Highway ‐ Sep 12, 2022

43 km

Another day with beautiful weather on the Pamir. We climb up the Ak Baital Pass on a gravel - washboard- road. We have a hard time breathing and a slight headache, but it could be much worse. The Ak Baital is the highest pass on our trip as far as we know with 4655 m.a.s.l.
Muzkol ‐ Sep 11, 2022

39 km

Lazy start today, we first have to realize that we're actually on the Pamir and have to get used to the altitude. We sleep at 4200 m.a.s.l., a novelty for us. It's not even that cold, but cooking takes longer and the noodles don't taste as good as in lower areas.
Karakul ‐ Sep 10, 2022

52 km

The scenery is breathtaking at the Eastern Pamir. It's so remote, harsh and desolate and beautiful at the same time. We reach the strange hamlet of Karakul with its white-washed houses on the shore of the beautiful blue Lake. We stay in our first Tajik homestay.
Kyzyl-Art

Shamburat takes us and our bicycles with his jeep up to the Kyrgyz border post. No problem exiting there, but as soon as we reach the Tajik border post, the hassle begins. It takes a lot of patience and convincing to finally enter Tajikistan. We made it, we're on the Pamir Highway and we can't believe it. We didn't think it would work out until the very last moment.
Sary-Tash, Kyrgyzstan ‐ Sep 9, 2022

22 km

We reach Sary Tash and stay at Shamburat's lovely guesthouse. He's the guy that offers to bring us across the border. We have a hard time trying to sleep not knowing what awaits us the next day.
Ak Bosogo ‐ Sep 8, 2022

36 km

The road up to Sary-Tash is beautiful and it gets more and more impressive as we cross the Taldyk Pass at 3600 m.a.s.l.
Chiy-Talaa ‐ Sep 7, 2022

61 km

We cycle on a perfect tarmac road along the river and pass many shepherd with their herds. Locals are very friendly and curious and children start shouting at us waiting for their high-fives and some bonbons.
Taldyk ‐ Sep 6, 2022

68 km

We decide to leave Osh and try to cross to Tajikistan at the Kyzylart border, but we're still waiting for our GBAO permit to enter the Pamir Region in Tajikistan.
Osh ‐ Sep 4, 2022

We take a shared taxi back to Osh. Time to organize things, send a parcel to Switzerland and check our bikes.Fingers crossed that we can cross Kyrgyzstan to Tajikistan at Sary-Tash. We're still optimistic that it's going to be possible (or just stubborn).
CBT yurt homestay ‐ Sep 2, 2022

18 km

We stay two nights at the great CBT Yurt Camp at Tulpkar Kol and do day hikes at the foot of Peak Lenin (7134 m.a.s.l), the highest peak in the Pamir Mountains. We see Yaks for the first time, the highest living mammal as far as we know and they're just incredible. We can't wait to cycle in this mountains.
Pamir Highway ‐ Sep 1, 2022

Instead of just waiting in Osh for our border crossing permit, we decide to make a trip to the Alay mountain range just at the border to Tajikistan. We see the Pamir Highway for the first time, what a view.
Osh ‐ Aug 29, 2022

Back in Osh for the next couple days to try to get our special permits to enter the Sary-Tash - Murghab border into Tajikistan soon.
Margilan, Uzbekistan ‐ Aug 27, 2022

We're making a weekend trip to Margilan in the Fergana Valley. This is the center of silk production and we visit a silk factory and the huge Kumtepa bazaar. Great insight into Uzbek culture.
Osh, Kyrgyzstan ‐ Aug 21, 2022

102 km

A long stretch with enough traffic and dust brings us to Osh, Kyrgyzstan's second largest city. A perfect place to unwind and plan our further route, which could lead us either to Uzbekistan or Tajikistan.
Jalalabat ‐ Aug 20, 2022

Since it hurts Lisa to cycle on gravel roads with her injury, we decide to skip the hard pass to Jalalabad and booked a transfer. Great homestay in Jalalabad and on top of it we found a very good Turkish Restaurant.
Kazarman ‐ Aug 19, 2022

57 km

Tougher day than expected. Rugged landscape, no shade and lots of up and down on our way to Kazarman. We met some cyclists joining the tough Silk Road Mountain Race in Kazarman.
Kökömeren Valley ‐ Aug 18, 2022

66 km

Wonderful route along a newly paved road without traffic and along red rock formations and the river. Nice can-spot by the river with our own swimming pool and even some sand beneath our feet.
Chaek ‐ Aug 17, 2022

15 km

Lisa hurt her tailbone, so we take it easy today and just cycle to sleepy Chaek and take a rest there.
Bash Kugandi ‐ Aug 16, 2022

66 km

Not so easy to find the right path to leave the lake. Maps don't really help and we just ask at the Yurts and they show us the direction. We have to climb another pass and then we descend on a very steep road and through a stunning valley to the small village of Kyzart, from where the hikes up to the lake start. We camp next to a stream.
Azamat Yurt Camp ‐ Aug 14, 2022

14 km

A trip to Song Kul just wouldn't be complete without a stay in a Yurt Camp.We choose the Azamat Yurt Camp that is recommended by Caravanistan. It's very nice and the owners are so friendly, but it just feels too touristy for us. In hindsight we should have stayed at a smaller camp where you can learn more about the nomadic lifestyle.
Son Kul ‐ Aug 13, 2022

41 km

Wonderful scenery as we cycle up to our highest pass on this trip, the Kalmak-Ashuu Pass at 3447m. After the top we can finally sea mountain lake Song Kul in the distance and we pass our first yurt camps and many many horses. Beautiful camp spot at the beach and a very cold swim at the lake. The sunset along is reward for the climb.
Keng-Suu ‐ Aug 12, 2022

60 km

We are leaving Kochkor with enough groceries for the next five days and head towards Song Kul Lake, the first kilometers on a nice tarmac road, then over a little pass into our last village, where we can fill up our water bottles. Campsite at the river with a cold dip in the water.
Kochkor ‐ Aug 10, 2022

68 km

A very long and exhausting day awaits us with strong head-wind on our way from Issyk-Kul to Kochkor. We take a rest day to organize everything for our further trip.
Kara - Talaa ‐ Aug 9, 2022

65 km

We continue our trip along Issyk-Kul and get to spend the night at a very popular sandy beach, where to locals go swimming even after sunset despite the cool temperatures.
Tong ‐ Aug 8, 2022

36 km

We visit the impressive small Skazka Canyon with its red rock formations and meet a fellow cyclist on the route with the same general travel direction. We spend a night at the beach and it almost feels like being on the ocean here at Issyk-Kul.
Тоsor ‐ Aug 6, 2022

97 km

A long day along a small main road with lots of traffic. But the views over lake Issyk-Kül are spectacular and we see many locals swimming and enjoying a day on the beach. We stay for 2 nights at Tosor Yurt Camp directly on the beach. Lisa stayed here before 5 years ago and wanted to come back to this serene place.
Jeti-Ögüz ‐ Aug 5, 2022

37 km

We say goodbye to the Swiss group and cycle up to Jety Oguz, a wonderful valley with red rocks and behind a winding river through a lush valley. We set up camp at a wonderful spot.
Karakol ‐ Aug 2, 2022

62 km

Finally we reach our first stretch of tarmac in Kyrgyzstan and have to share the main road towards Karakol with lots of cars. The Kyrgyz drivers aren't the best. We reach Karakol where we'll stay for 2 days and meet a Swiss group. We get to enjoy some delicious (vegetarian!) food at a Dungan and Uighur Dinner. Karakol has a nice laid-back vibe and even some good cafés, a great place to start your hike and come back to some comfort.
Jyrgalan ‐ Aug 1, 2022

13 km
Jyrgalan ‐ Jul 31, 2022

16 km

We decide to spend 2 days hiking in Jyrgalan, which leads to mean blisters, but we like the surroundings. Today we hike up to Turnaloo Mountain Lake. We don't see anybody else, just horses and cows. The landscape reminds us of Switzerland.
Jyrgalan ‐ Jul 30, 2022

19 km

Today is supposed to be just an easy day up to Jyrgalan Valley, but already those 19 km prove to are hard on a gravel road with headwind. Kyrgyzstan is absolutely beautiful, but it doesn't make life easy for cyclists for sure.
Kyzyl-Kyja ‐ Jul 29, 2022

44 km

We enter Kyrgyzstan through the border in Karkara Valley, that is only open during the summer months. The first kilometers in Kyrgyzstan are rather tough and we have to climb a very steep path on a very bad road. The scenery is amazing though, we see much more yurts than in Kazakhstan and there are horses everywhere. When we set up camp in the evening, we meet Joan again, whom we already met in Almaty.
Karkara, Kazakhstan ‐ Jul 28, 2022

62 km

Our last full day In Kazakhstan. We meet a nice family from Almaty and share some stories with them and then we climb up a mean gravel road for 900 meters of altitude and get covered with dust by every passing truck. It's one of those moments when we long for a nice cycle path in Europe. We reach Kegen and finally buy groceries and eat some Samsas (Central Asian Samosa version). We camp at the Karkara River and enter the next country tomorrow.
Aksay ‐ Jul 27, 2022

30 km

After a rest day in the beautiful Charyn Canyon we cycle to the next canyon and meet a nice family and camp next to the river. We've both never been swimming so much in our lives as in those last few days.
Charyn Canyon ‐ Jul 25, 2022

72 km

Charyn Canyon is mind-blowing, a 150 - 300 m deep canyon full of red rock formations, reminding us of Utah in the U.S. We cycle down the Valley of Castles and camp at the ice-cold Charyn River.
Malybay ‐ Jul 24, 2022

87 km

Another very hot day in Kazakhstan. We are looking forward to the forests and mountains of Kyrgyzstan and some cooler temperatures.
Turgen ‐ Jul 23, 2022

75 km

We leave Almaty with our bags full of delicious groceries, as there won't be much infrastructure until Karakol in Kyrgyzstan. We suffer under the scorching sun and with 40°C and use every stream or river to refresh ourselves.
Almaty ‐ Jul 20, 2022

14 km

We visit the Green Bazaar and buy some groceries for our trip tomorrow, when we'll start our Central Asia cycling adventure.
Almaty

We finally left Tbilisi after we were sick for some days. We had a short direct flight to the former capital of Kazakhstan, to Almaty. The leafy city with a population of about 2 Mill. is quite pleasant and offers lots of soviet architecture, huge squares with fountains and good restaurants. We also meet some other cyclists, which is always nice.
Tbilisi, Georgia ‐ Jun 14, 2022

50 km

We arrived Tbilisi, just in time to celebrate Lisa's birthday on the 15th of June. We will stay in one of our favorite cities for 4 weeks and work on our website and plan our further trip.
Imiri ‐ Jun 13, 2022

68 km

We visit the Haghphat Monastery in the morning, one of the most beautiful monasteries in Armenia and another UNESCO heritage site. Then it's only about 30 km more and we're back in Georgia. The crossing goes very smoothly and we only have to show our vaccination certificate, no PCR tests required anymore (finally). We camp near a river under another mulberry tree. Our last night in a tent for at least 1 month.
Haghpat, Armenia ‐ Jun 12, 2022

25 km

We hike to the hidden Kobayr Monastery, that is on the edge of a cliff and next to a waterfall. It feels magical discovering this place by ourselves. Then we spontaneously decide to cycle up to the Haghpat Monastery and we find a great campground with wonderful views and a hot shower. We meet Chiara & Charlie and enjoy some wine and good conversations.
Kober ‐ Jun 11, 2022

76 km

We cycle through the stunning Debed Canyon and visit the city of Vanador, that suffers economically after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many abandoned factories can be seen in the canyon and Alaverdi reminds us of Chiatura in Georgia with its old cable car.
Dilijan ‐ Jun 8, 2022

33 km

Breakfast by the lake, but it's too cold for a quick dip. We visit the Sevanank Monastery that used to be on an island and is now on a peninsula with a wonderful view over the Sevan Lake, one of the biggest mountain lakes in the world. The rain starts as we're approaching Dilijan Nationalpark.
Sevan ‐ Jun 7, 2022

73 km

A long day with many ups and downs and headwind brings us our of Yerevan to the Lake Sevan. We have a wonderful dinner on the beach and camp near the lake.
Yerevan ‐ Jun 4, 2022

A very long bus ride with a 5 hours stop at the Armenian border brings us from Täbriz to Yerevan, the Armenian capital. Wow, what a culture shock. It's very sophisticated and expensive and so different from Tbilisi. Still beautiful and we visit some sights and luckily, there's also a wine festival going on.
Tabriz, Iran ‐ Jun 1, 2022

After a sleepless night in the night bus from Rasht, we arrived in Tabriz and enjoyed a picnic in the park before checking-in in our apartment. We spend the last days in Iran strolling through the bazaar and just going with the flow and talking to the people and try to enjoy it to the last minute. Soon we'll be on the bus to Armenia.
Rasht ‐ May 31, 2022

23 km

We get to meet Sarah & Beni again from Switzerland, they are on the way to our Eco Lodge and we have a coffee together in Rasht. What a nice goodbye from the wonderful province of Gilan.
Saqalaksar ‐ May 29, 2022

94 km

It's been a long day of cycling as we meet other cyclists and talk much longer with them than planned:) We pedal along small routes through rural Gilan, save some turtles from the crazy Iranian drivers and finally end our day at the wonderful Kotam Eco Lodge, from where we take a day trip to visit the main highlights of Gilan: Qaleh Rudkah and Masouleh.
Bandar Anzali ‐ May 28, 2022

65 km

We visit the colorful fishermen houses of Bandar Anzahl, the famous port of Iran for exporting caviar and also famous for the lagoon. We decide not to do a boat trip through the lagoon though, it didn't seem a very sustainable way of tourism. While cycling along the coast we suddenly arrived at the most amazing spot - a flower meadow leading all the way to the Caspian Sea. We even took a quick dip in the ocean.
Kiashahr ‐ May 27, 2022

53 km

We make another stop in the pleasant town of Lahijan and then it's time to visit the Caspian Sea over the wooden bridge of Kianshahr. Great camp spot in a pine forest, we feel reminded of the Mediterranean Sea.
Bala Fidarreh ‐ May 26, 2022

51 km

We cycle up and down through the hills of Gilan, always along tea plantations and rice fields. Not so easy to find a decent camp spot here, there are houses everywhere. We hide in a forest.
Qasemabad-e sofla ‐ May 22, 2022

80 km

We are staying 4 nights in the wonderful Gileboom Eco Lodge in the village Qasim Abad. We take walks through the lush forests along tea plantations and rice fields and learn about local handicrafts.
Loleman ‐ May 21, 2022

40 km

We cycle along small back roads and along various tea plantations, we can't believe that we're suddenly surrounded by such a lush scenery, it feels like a different country. And the Gilaki food is delicious with many vegetarian options.
Rasht
Qazvin ‐ May 19, 2022

We spend a day discovering Qazvin and taking a rest. We stroll through a wonderful restored Caravanserai and make many stops in beautiful creative cafés.
Sanandaj ‐ May 18, 2022

We don't really spend time in Sanandaj and take the morning bus to Qazvin, which takes about 7 hours.
Sarvabad

50 km

We cycle until Sarvabad and can feel the kilometers of the last days in our legs and Lisa's back hurts and so we decide to ask a jeep to drive us close to Sanandaj. We try to camp somewhere, but there are houses everywhere and we arrive very late at an overpriced hotel in Sanandaj.
Dizli ‐ May 17, 2022

24 km

Beautiful landscape and villages such as Uraman Takht. Many serpentines and steep roads bring us to a wonderful campsite in the mountains. We will miss Kurdistan, such an incredible place.
Bolbar ‐ May 15, 2022

28 km

Absolutely stunning scenery as we cycle slowly through the Uraman Valley in Kurdistan. Some very steep climbs and the head make it an exhausting day, hence the 28 km.
Hajij ‐ May 14, 2022

44 km

We cycle from Paveh down to Hajij, a scenic village on the lake.
Shamshir ‐ May 13, 2022

58 km

Picnic with many others in Ravansar. The streets towards Paveh are crowded and there's lots of traffic since it's the weekend. It seems like every tree is already taken by large families enjoying a picnic.
Hasanabad ‐ May 12, 2022

54 km

As we get closer to Kurdestan the landscape changes and it gets more spectacular and green.
Kermanshah ‐ May 11, 2022

In Kermanshah we meet two fellow Swiss cyclists and discover the bazaar. Then we continue our trip towards Kurdistan.
Arak ‐ May 9, 2022

An absolutely breathtaking train ride brings us from Andimesh to Arak, an absolutely untouristic, but friendly city with a nice bazaar. From here we'll take the bus to the west and start cycling through Kurdistan.
Andimeshk ‐ May 8, 2022

We meet Sasan and he invites us to stay with his family. What a wonderful experience, we are so grateful that Iran keeps touching our hearts on a daily basis.
Shoushtar ‐ May 5, 2022

We are still very tired and lazy and the 40° degrees Celsius outside don't motivate us to do much sightseeing. But of course we visit the famous 2500 years old hydraulic system, what a sight that this is still working. We are so thankful that we are able to see places like this.
Dezful

85 km

As we roll down into Dezful it gets very warm and humid. We wanted to stay in a guesthouse and relax a little, but everything is fully booked (!?) and we are very tired. We decide last-minute to take a transfer to Shushtar and stay there, as there is a hotel available.
Khazineh Canyon ‐ May 4, 2022

46 km

The landscape changes after Pol Dokhtar and it gets barren and dry and we already miss the trees, but it's also spectacular with many deep canyons. Police escort again, but we are able to camp right next to the impressive Khazineh Canyon, the Grand Canyon of Iran.
Pol Dokhtar ‐ May 3, 2022

100 km

Beautiful scenery today, we see two historic bridges and many fig plantations on our way. Unfortunately, the police keeps controlling our passports and want to escort us. It's hard to find a camp spot tonight and we only arrive in the dark and never planned on cycling that many kilometers today. Well, it doesn't always go as planned.
Veysian ‐ May 2, 2022

35 km

We didn't get a lot of sleep in the park. We buy some groceries in Khorramabad and visit the most popular attraction, the Falak o Aflak castle and visit the interesting museum about Lorestan culture there. We start cycling and find a wonderful campspot surrounded by some trees (we haven't seen trees in a while:)).
Khorramabad ‐ May 1, 2022

We take the bus to Khorramabad, the bicycles are put on the top, but all our equipment survives the 9 hour ride. We arrive at 1 AM, not our favorite time to cycle in a new place. We finally find a public park and camp there.
Kashan ‐ Apr 27, 2022

66 km

Delicious breakfast with Mehrdad and his friends in Kamu village. Nice mountain villages and finally some trees on our way to Kashan. A nice man gives us a banana ice-cream and shortly afterwards Jalal stops and plays some Tar for us in the middle of nowhere. Those magical travel moments.
Kamoo ‐ Apr 26, 2022

64 km

We leave the ugly main road and head towards the mountains. We buy some provisions in Kamu and meet Mehrdad who kindly invites us to stay at his place for the night. We spend a wonderful evening with him and his friends.
Vazvan ‐ Apr 25, 2022

72 km

What an ugly route we choose. The road we cycle on turns out to be the main south-north route for big trucks. Truck after truck passes us, there's smog in the air and then it begins to rain. Not the finest day on our trip.
Isfahan ‐ Apr 17, 2022

62 km

We spend one week in Isfahan. The city is amazing. Not just the beautiful buildings from Shah Abbas, but also the general city vibe. It's a very green city and we see many cyclists. We meet our cycling friends Zahra and also get to see Melli & Dani from Germany again. And if that wasn't enough, we also keep bumping into people we've meet before.
Islam Abad ‐ Apr 16, 2022

59 km

We visit the Adobe citadel Ghoortan, that is definitely off-the-beaten track. A lot of headwind make this stretch very hard for us. We are looking for a campsite, when we meet the farmer Taminu who kindly invites us to stay in his small hut. We're sheltered from the wind, can sleep inside and there's even a toilet.
Varzaneh ‐ Apr 15, 2022

24 km

Spontaneous rest day after 3 hard days full of headwind. We do a short camel ride in the dunes and visit the interesting Henna Mill and the Ox Mill in Varzaneh.
Varzaneh ‐ Apr 14, 2022

92 km

We finally leave the tarmac road and continue through the desert on a rideable gravel road. Beautiful scenery and absolute solitude. Unfortunately, we couldn't find any bread to eat for lunch, but when we arrive at an abandoned caravanserai, we meet some nice guys that invite us for bread and cheese. What a lucky coincidence. The last 20 km to Varzaneh are hard and we arrive very tired in the desert town and sleep in a guesthouse.
Nadushan ‐ Apr 13, 2022

62 km

An exhausting day. We need 5 hours for the 40 km up to the charming town of Nadushan, that is supposingly the geographical center of Iran. The headwind slows us down immensely. We find a camp spot in the middle of nowhere and in the middle of Iran.
Khamsyan ‐ Apr 12, 2022

50 km

We do some grocery shopping and finally leave Yazd in the early afternoon. We are more than thrilled to be back on the road, but at the same time, there's a lot of industrial plants along the road and a lot of headwind. Not easy to find a decent camp spot.
Yazd ‐ Apr 6, 2022

After 5 days of patiently waiting, we finally get our 2 months visa extension and are able to stay in Iran for a total of 4 months instead of the usual 3 months.
Tehran ‐ Mar 30, 2022
Yazd ‐ Mar 25, 2022

102 km

Finally some good tailwind. We make almost 1000 meters of altitude in only 3 hours and are faster than we planned, so fast that we even make it to Yazd today, one day earlier than planned. We wanted to stay in the Zoroastrian village of Taft actually, but no room available there.
Dehshir ‐ Mar 24, 2022

60 km

Hamid surprises us and gives us delicious vegetarian food for take-away that his mother made. We enter a sandstorm while cycling through the Abarkuh Desert, a unique feeling riding through it while listening to music. We find a sheltered spot for our campsite in an old abandoned house.
Abarkuh ‐ Mar 23, 2022

128 km

We break our last record and cycled almost 130 km today (just so we could reach a hotel and get a hot shower after 6 days on the road). After cycling up a hill we were confronted with strong headwind for 50 km. We stay in a wonderful old mansion in Abarkuh with three beautiful wind towers.
Mozafar Abad ‐ Mar 22, 2022

47 km

Iran is beautiful, but exhausting and the last days have been very intense for us. Somehow we feel quite tired today and don't feel like riding too long and we also wanted to find a camp spot during daylight for a change. We found a great spot near a stream under the trees and realized it's summer time already in Iran and it doesn't get dark until 7 pm!
Mobarak Abad ‐ Mar 21, 2022

88 km

We are tired as we had to change our camping spot last night after putting everything up. We don't like doing that and additionally our camera falls down again and is definitely broke. Iran is not the best place to replace a camera unfortunately and international electronic goods are very expensive. At least the visit of the tombs of Naqsh-e Rotsam is stunning. We get a very nice invitation for lunch on the way while we were ordering some falafels.
Naqsh-e Rostam ‐ Mar 20, 2022

8 km

We visit Persepolis (that's why we didn't cycle much that day). The ceremonial place built by King Darius I and others was mainly used during Nowruz celebrations and just by coincidence we're also here on Nowruz, the Persian New Year (Year 1401 in case you wonder). Of course, Persepolis is full of people visiting and camping outside. We decide to spend the night a little further up.
Persepolis ‐ Mar 19, 2022

81 km

Not our best day. A guy on a motorbike tries to rob us, but didn't succeed and when we were looking for a camping spot, another guy follows us with his car and annoys us and touches Lisa inappropriately. In the end we are forced to cycle much further than planned and arrive late in the evening in a forest close to Persepolis.
Derak RD ‐ Mar 18, 2022

46 km

We get to visit Said's parents outside of Shiraz and his mother prepares some wonderful vegetarian food for us. In the evening we arrived at the chilled Art Hostel in Ghalat, definitely some hippie vibes here. We hear some wonderful music, get to eat pasta at midnight and talk with Iranian travellers.
Shiraz ‐ Mar 13, 2022

We wanted to visit Shiraz before Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, then it gets really crowded everywhere. We took a 9-hour-bus from Kerman to Shiraz and spent the days in Shiraz with visiting the wonderful mosques, the big bazaar, the enchanting gardens and we meet other travellers and friends from Shiraz.
Kerman ‐ Mar 7, 2022

44 km

The last kilometers towards Kerman aren't interesting, but at least we can ride on an official bicycle lane. Kerman isn't a city to fall in love at first sight, but there's the longest bazaar in Iran, which is quite impressive. We'll spend some days here and try to extend our visa and then we head to the Lut desert.
Mahan ‐ Mar 6, 2022

44 km

We visit the Shahzadeh Garden in Mahan, an oasis in the middle of this arid land and a popular spot for families and couples.
Zeynal Abad ‐ Mar 5, 2022

39 km

We visit the 2nd largest adobe structure worldwide, the Arg e Rayen, very impressive. Afterwards spontaneous concert with traditional instruments at our homestay. We continue fighting the strong headwind. No good place to camp, just next to the road. Barely any sleep tonight.
Rayen ‐ Mar 4, 2022

50 km

We get invited by a family to Chai and of course, it's not just Chai, but a full breakfast. Iran you're incredible, sometimes frustrating and sometimes just amazing. Unfortunately, this afternoon marks the beginning of really strong headwind. We decide to stay in a homestay tonight in Rayen and arrive at the wonderful Mr. Painter's House.
Khaneh Khatun ‐ Mar 3, 2022

70 km

We buy some groceries and at the bakery we were given bread for free and also some red wine (?). We cycle along adobe villages and once again get invited so we don't have to camp outside, hard to refuse sometimes, but tonight we really need to cook our own food and eat something healthy.
Bam ‐ Mar 2, 2022

17 km

We're taking the bus from B. Abbas to Bam and visit the famous Citadel of Bam, that is 2900 years old and is getting restored after the destructive earthquake of 2003. We're hungry once again in Iran while trying to find some decent food (not Fast Food). Hard to eat healthy sometimes in Iran as vegetarian.
Bandar Abbas ‐ Feb 28, 2022

Time to leave the Persian Gulf Islands and head to another part of Iran. We take the ferry to Bandar Abbas, our first bigger city in Iran. We're waiting here for our Iranian Pre-Paid Debit Card, which will make our cycling life much easier. Unfortunately, it hasn't arrived yet.
Hormoz ‐ Feb 26, 2022

22 km

Okay, we had to extend our stay in Hormuz, the island vibe was just too attractive. We found a lovely homestay and a wonderful base to explore the island. We cycle around again and this time we visit Safran Valley and Rainbow Cave, we've never seen colors like that.
Hormoz ‐ Feb 25, 2022

26 km

We cycle around the island and among the many Tuk Tuks and weekend-visitors. We see some spectacular landscape on this red island. We camp on another beach, this time we're alone and we can quickly jump in the water. The last time for a while.
Hormoz ‐ Feb 24, 2022

22 km
Hormoz
Qeshm

50 km

We're slowly feeling better. We take the ferry to Hormuz Island and arrive in a hippie paradise in Iran. It reminds Lisa of her time in Goa. We never expected to see this side of Iran. The island is full of tourists on the weekend and everyone moves around with Tuck Tucks. We camp on the beach, but we're not the only ones.
Suza ‐ Feb 23, 2022

50 km
Salakh ‐ Feb 22, 2022

22 km

We enjoy cycling along the southern coast, the landscape is impressive and there isn't much traffic, but the road is quite bumpy and we don't feel good. Lisa's feeling quite sick. We decide to take another homestay to rest in the afternoon.
Namakdan ‐ Feb 21, 2022

40 km

Unfortunately we both feel sick, we must have eaten something bad. But visiting the longest Salt Cave in the world was impressive nonetheless. We camp at the beach.
Sarrigan ‐ Feb 20, 2022

49 km

We cycle around Qeshm Island, which takes a couple of days, because we want to see many sights. We visit the impressive Chahkoo Canyon and meet some dromedaries along the road.
Dekhoda ‐ Feb 18, 2022

56 km

We take the ferry to Qeshm Island, the biggest island in Iran.
Bandar Khamir ‐ Feb 17, 2022

75 km

We get invited by Sima and Alex. They show us their town, a nice café and even take us on a boat ride through the mangroves.
Bandar Muallem ‐ Feb 16, 2022

40 km

Our first night camping wild in Iran. We find a beautiful spot, but a local family want to invite us to their home because there are dangerous animals. It turns out, they meant mosquitos. We insist on camping.
Bandar Kong ‐ Feb 15, 2022

8 km

Bandar Kong is our first glimpse into Iranian life. We're super excited to finally enter this country we've been dreaming about visiting so long. As soon as we step from the ferry, we get invited. The Iranian hospitality isn't just a legend, it's true.
Bandar-e Lengeh

We use the time in Dubai to organize many things, so not much sightseeing. But we do spend a couple of hours on the beach (last time in a swimsuit for Lisa for a long time:)). We are so lucky, as we receive a super express DHL parcel with a new fuel pump from Germany only within 3 days. Our ferry to Iran got delayed for a day and everything works out just in time.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates ‐ Feb 9, 2022

It's time to continue our trip. After seven weeks in Switzerland, we fly back to Dubai. Unfortunately, the customs at Zurich Airport take our fuel pump and bottle away, this leaves us without a useful cooking stove. Not a good start into the 2nd part of our trip.
Baden, Switzerland ‐ Dec 18, 2021
Muscat, Oman ‐ Dec 15, 2021

35 km

We follow the road along the coast towards Mutrah, on of the old parts of Muscat. It's a scenic route, but it involves lots of ups and downs. Once we get to Muscat, it's time for a big breakfast and some coffee after a very sleepless night.
Yiti Beach ‐ Dec 14, 2021

50 km

We take a very recommendable off-route route through two Wadis to Yiti Beach, where we plan to spend a last night on the beach in an idyllic setting. Well, reality vs. expectation hit us badly when a party crew arrived with theirs 4x4s and a big party motorhome at 11 pm and stayed until the morning. So much for having a nice spot on the beach.
Mazra‘at al Hātih ‐ Dec 13, 2021

72 km
Bimmah ‐ Dec 12, 2021

36 km

A small dip in the Bimmah Sinkhole is a beautiful start in the morning and there aren't many visitors around just yet. We continue our route towards Muscat and have another Indian lunch in the fishing town of Quriyat.
Ash Shab

8 km

We discover the stunning Wadi Shab in the morning and then continue cycling along the coast through the small villages of Fins and Bimmah. Another camp spot at the beach.
Ash Shab ‐ Dec 11, 2021

23 km

We last days have been a lot of cycling and we decide to spend one night at a guesthouse at the Wadi Shab directly on the beach.
Qalhat ‐ Dec 10, 2021

73 km

We're 500 days on the road today. We reach Sur and visit the only still existing Dhow factory in Oman and celebrate with a great lunch at a restaurant. We continue cycling along the coast towards Muscat and spend the night on the beach at the village Qalhat.
Fulayi ‐ Dec 9, 2021

72 km

We are fighting strong headwind the whole day, quite frustrating. We camp at a small river on the way to Sur.
Sabt ‐ Dec 8, 2021

52 km

We see the sunrise in the desert and then it's back to our bicycles. We take a detour to Sabt, where we find a beautiful camping spot in a wadi.
Bidiyya ‐ Dec 7, 2021

52 km

We spontaneously decide to spend one night at a desert camp near Bidiyya. It's a magical experience being out there in the sand dunes in a private desert camp. It turns out, we're the only guests. Our host Rashid is incredible.
Ibra ‐ Dec 6, 2021

87 km

In the old town of Ibra we see many deteriorated buildings with beautiful decorations.
Aqil ‐ Dec 5, 2021

64 km

We leave Nizwa and cycle towards the desert. We start seeing a barren landscape and many dromedaries.
Nizwa ‐ Dec 2, 2021

46 km

We reach Nizwa and visit the famous goat market that is held every Friday early morning (really early). What a spectacle. We like strolling through the alleys of Nizwa with its mud houses. The only thing that surprises us are the very limited eating options for a rather touristy town.
Jabrin ‐ Dec 1, 2021

44 km

We visit the stunning forts in Bahla and Jabrin and met the friendly Omani Jamaal who gives us a bag full of breakfast for the next day. The people in Oman are incredibly generous.
Misfat al Abriyeen ‐ Nov 29, 2021

34 km

Saif takes us up the 2000 m climb in his jeep (thanks again!). The road would have been incredibly steep and sandy and we would have needed to push our bikes a lot. The ride is stunning though, absolutely beautiful with all the canyons, gorges and the picturesque village Bilad Sayd. We cycle up to Missrat Al Abriyeen, a wonderful village that is famous for its Falaj (Water Irrigation) system.
23.167567, 57.416353
Ar Rustaq ‐ Nov 28, 2021

44 km

We cycle to Rustaq and meet Saif, our warmshowers-host. He's incredibly generous and kind and shows us around. We get to see a factory for traditional Omani Halwa (Sweets) and he takes us on a panoramic jeep-tour through Wadi Bani Afw and Wadi Sahtan.
Tawi al Badu ‐ Nov 27, 2021

85 km

We decide for a detour via the Wadi Howqain. It's a stunning place and we camp directly in the wadi near the water and with our own set of palm trees.
Al Khaburah ‐ Nov 26, 2021

87 km
Al Afifah ‐ Nov 25, 2021

61 km

We visit the fish market in Sur in the morning and then continue our trip along the densely populated coast. It's the National Day of Oman which means a long weekend and everybody is out on the beach enjoying themselves. People are very friendly and we get invited for tea a lot.
Shinas

We take the 4-hour-ferry from Khasab to Shinas and continue cycling along the coast.
Khasab ‐ Nov 20, 2021

36 km

We have to wait in Khasab until the ferry leaves to Shinas. We organize the tickets and use the time to make an incredible trip on a traditional dhow. We even spend the night on the boat and get to see many dolphins. Our first impression of Oman? Just wow, and 30 days won't be enough.
Al Jadi ‐ Nov 19, 2021

54 km

We cycled the last kilometers to the border of Oman. This doesn't seem to be a usual route taken by cyclists according to the curious faces of the border police. As soon as we crossed into Oman, everything completely changed. It was quiet, no traffic anymore and the most beautiful and stunning landscape in Musandam. Finally we feel like we can breathe again. We had the most incredible campsite at the beach.
Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates ‐ Nov 18, 2021

60 km

Another day along big roads and ugly buildings. We must admit, we don't really like the UAE and were looking forward to some quiet time in Oman. We spend the night at the beach, but the whole night people were driving around our tent with their quads and 4x4 jeeps. In the morning we even saw a turtle on the beach that was hit by a car.
Umm Al Quwain ‐ Nov 17, 2021

63 km
Sharjah

We decided that we won't cross Dubai a second time on our bicycles and organized a taxi up to Sharjah. We also organized all the necessary documents to enter Oman and took another PCR-Test. Then a long day along big roads of the UAE waited for us. Camping at the beach.
Dubai Expo ‐ Nov 13, 2021

60 km

We took the chance and visited the Expo2020 and were able to stay with Dave. He gave us a private tour of the Swiss Pavilion. We enjoyed our stay and visiting many pavilions there. What a crazy artificial world this is.
Dubai ‐ Nov 10, 2021

10 km

Dubai really is a city we never wanted to visit, but there were direct flights from Tbilisi there and there's also our Swiss friend Dave who works at the Expo2020 at the Swiss Pavilion. Two reasons to visit this Dubai. We liked the old town Bur Dubai around the Creek and we had an interesting cultural tour and cheap Indian Street Foot. We didn't really like the modern Dubai though, it's built for cars and cars only. We cycled 50 km through Dubai and it was horrible.
Dubai International Airport

The day finally came: We left Georgia after four months. In the middle of the night we took a taxi to the airport with our bicycles and all our luggage and for the first time, we had to fly with out bicycles. We almost missed our flight and had to pay for overweight luggage. It wasn't a nice goodbye. The flight went by quickly and suddenly we arrived in the Arab world in the summer heat. Hello Dubai.
Tbilisi, Georgia ‐ Sep 28, 2021

82 km

Back in the city and there's lots to do for us: renting an apartment, editing videos and writing blogs, organizing our further trip to the next country (will be a surprise), learning more Kartuli (Georgian), getting a new laptop and our vaccine. Plus, we love Tbilisi and can't wait to experience more of this city during autumn.
Kachreti ‐ Sep 27, 2021

50 km

Two quick cycling days bring us back to Tbilisi, we get some delicious fresh Shoti bread on the way, get our bicycles cleaned and feed a needy donkey.
Dedoplistskaro ‐ Sep 26, 2021

39 km

After another 16 km we finally reach the tarmac road again, what a relief. We don't mind the headwind today as we can't wait to reach Teo's Cottages and finally enjoy some good food and wine after the last truly exhausting days at the Vashlovani National Park. What an experience this has been.
Kasristskali ‐ Sep 25, 2021

26 km

This is the hardest day. The rain turned the "road" through a river bred into a slippery mud path, our equipment gets tested and Beni's belt drive tears apart. Today is a truly nerve-racking day and we try to reach Kasristkali and the supermarket there to get at least some beer and chocolate, but the supermarket's closed on the weekend....
Badris ‐ Sep 24, 2021

14 km

We reach our campsite for the night just in time before the rain starts.
Mijniskure ‐ Sep 23, 2021

41 km

We cycle on a river bed and then on an open grassland close to the Azerbaijan border. We see various tortoises and far in the distance even gazelles. What a different landscape, it reminds us of the US or Africa, but not Georgia. We camp on the riverside in Mijniskure.
Datviskhevi ‐ Sep 22, 2021

54 km

We fill up our water bottles and buy lots of food for the next days in nature. We cycle the first 48 km until the park entrance and then we start our next offload-adventure and stay at the Bear Gorge.
Dedoplistskaro ‐ Sep 20, 2021

28 km

During our lunch break on our way to Dedopl. we meet Nicole & Beni and spend with them the next two nights at the wonderful Teo's Cottages from where we plan our trip to the Vashlovani National Park.
Tsnori ‐ Sep 19, 2021

69 km

Finally a normal touring day with some infrastructure and more or less flat roads, we haven't had that for a while.
Telavi ‐ Sep 17, 2021

37 km

After a very rainy day and heavy storms we reach Telavi and relax at the guesthouse.
Lechuri ‐ Sep 16, 2021

39 km
Abanopass

We cycle down the Abano Pass and finally enjoy the views, we only saw fog when we cycled up here. We camp again at the familiar riverside spot near Lechuri.
Dartlo

There's only one last sunny and warm day in Tusheti, then there's rain coming and so we have to make a decision in order to save some time and book a jeep transfer up the pass. It feels wrong not too cycle, but it's a pragmatic choice. Suddenly we leave Tusheti too fast for us.
Dartlo ‐ Sep 15, 2021

13 km

It's just too beautiful to be leaving the valley quickly and we have a leisurely day and enjoy the nature, hike up to Pasma Village and camp again at another great spot at the river.
Girevi ‐ Sep 14, 2021

15 km

What a wonderful day. The Pirikita Alazani Valley is truly stunning. We cycle to the last village Girevi, before the Asunta Pass, where the road ends. We've never been in such a remote place full of wild nature. It's absolutely impressive. We camp at the river and see thousands of stars at night.
Dartlo ‐ Sep 13, 2021

18 km

After meeting Nicole & Beni again, we leave Omalo and cycle up and down towards the Pirikita Alazani Valley and the fairytale village of Dartlo. There you find Pagan and Christian buildings considered as sacred and even an old stone court. We stay at a guesthouse and enjoy Tusheti specialties (Mosmula, so delicious).
Omalo ‐ Sep 11, 2021

13 km

After staying at the riverside, we finally reach Omalo today, the "center" of Tusheti. We stay at the Gere Guesthouse and are warmly greeted by the family and some Chacha.
Shtrolta ‐ Sep 10, 2021

29 km

We start by a relaxing bath in the hot springs and then keep on cycling up to the Abano Pass at 2862 meters. This is the hardest thing we've ever done. Once we reach the top, we're very relieved and hungry and start to cook Pasta, when the clouds finally pass and we catch our first glimpse of Tusheti, wow.
Hot Springs ‐ Sep 9, 2021

26 km

Our first day cycling uphill towards the Abano-Pass, it is very hard and steep. We meet Melli & Dani from Vaegabonds on their way down, they slept on the freezing pass. We are staying at the eerie hut near the great hot springs on the way up and enjoy a long soak in the hot water.
Lechuri ‐ Sep 8, 2021

32 km

We had to wait for better weather for our Tusheti Adventure and had to extend our stay in Jokolo. When we finally leave again, it's raining the whole day. A nice man drives us to Alvani so we can get some cash for the mountains and visit the supermarket.
Jokolo ‐ Sep 3, 2021

52 km

We cycle to Jokolo, a village in Pankisi Valley. The minority of the Kists settle her ein this valley, they're Chechen muslims with their own language and traditions. We stay at the wonderful Nazy's Guesthouse and learn more about this interesting culture and the valley in the next days and get to meet the inspiring teachers and children at the Roddy Scott Foundation.
Tianeti ‐ Sep 2, 2021

47 km

We cycle through the beautiful Sabaduri Forest and camp close to Tianeti.
Tskhvarichamia ‐ Sep 1, 2021

35 km

After being sick we finally leave the city and it's very hot. We're happy to be back in nature. In Tskhvarichamia Lasha invites us to stay in his garden and we meet his family, so nice.
Tbilisi ‐ Aug 13, 2021

We're back in hot Tbilisi and stay here until the end of the month. We'll say goodbye to Lisa's parents, meet some of our cycle friends, edit videos and plan our new route through Georgia. Actually, we can't wait to get back on our bikes.
Didi Ateni ‐ Aug 12, 2021

We visit the Gelati monastery and spend a last evening of the roundtrip at the wonderful guesthouse of Nika Vacheishvili at the Ateni Valley south of Gori.
Kutaisi ‐ Aug 11, 2021

We drive over Zagari-Pass to lower Svaneti and visit the Prometheus Caves and the former spa town of Tsqaltubo.
Ushguli ‐ Aug 10, 2021

Great hike today to the Shkhara glacier near Ushguli.
Ushguli ‐ Aug 9, 2021

A 2.5 hour drive brings us from Mestia to Ushguli, on of Europe's highest settlement that's inhabited throughout the year. What a special and magical place.
Mestia ‐ Aug 8, 2021

After a long drive of more than 6 hours we reach Mestia, the touristic hub of Svaneti. We see the great movie Dede at a pub and even the director is there for the screening. It's the first movie in the Svan language and all the actors come from Ushguli.
Kutaisi ‐ Aug 7, 2021

We do a boat trip at Martvili Canyon, have a wonderful wine degustation and lunch at the Oda Family Marani and walk over panoramic bridge over the Okatse Canyon.
Kutaisi ‐ Aug 6, 2021

We visit the impressive Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in the former capital Mtshketa and then drive to Gori where we make a quick stop in front of the Stalin Museum, we see rusty cable cars in Chiatura and a monk's residency high up on a monolithic rock in Katshki.
Mtskheta ‐ Aug 5, 2021

Wonderful hike through the Truso Valley (very recommended), great Khinkali in Pasanuri and and evening stroll through lovely Mtshketa.
Stepantsminda ‐ Aug 4, 2021

Wonderful drive along the scenic Georgian Military Road via the fortress and church of Aranuri up to Stepantsminda. There we enjoy a full day to discover the area: We wake up with a view of the Mt. Kazbegi, hike up to the famous Gergeti Church, drive to the Russian border and enjoy a delicious meal at the luxurious Rooms Hotel (no, we didn't stay there of course).
Telavi ‐ Aug 2, 2021

We visit some churches and monasteries in Kacheti and taste some great local wine.
Sighnaghi ‐ Aug 1, 2021

After 3 weeks full of culture, bars, restaurants and meeting new friends in Tbilisi, we start today our Georgian roundtrip with a driver and a guide and Lisa's parents. We'll be on the road for two weeks and we're very excited. First stop is the remote David Gareja Cave Monastery.
Tbilisi ‐ Jul 12, 2021

72 km

It's another tough day with many climbs and we're so glad when we finally can enjoy the 17 km long descent down to Tbilisi city. We check-in in our apartment with garden in the Marjanshvili district and are looking forward to three weeks in this great city.
Imera ‐ Jul 11, 2021

77 km

Today it feels like we're in Iceland. The weather is cool and it keeps raining. We're cycling over another pass over 2000 meters above sea level.
Saghamo ‐ Jul 10, 2021

71 km

On our rest day we visit the impressive Vardzia Cave Monastery with a guide. Then we continue up a steep dirt road and continue our trip to the mountain Lake Saghamo.
Vardzia ‐ Jul 8, 2021

61 km

Today is a great cycling day with fantastic scenery and we get to eat the best mushroom Khinkali and visit our first Georgian fortress.
Akhalts'ikhe ‐ Jul 7, 2021

58 km

Leaving the Goderdzi pass wasn't that easy either as the dirt road continued for another 20 km and we were just able to drive very slowly. We visit the Rabati Castle in Akhalts'ikhe and spend the night in a lovely guesthouse.
Green Lake ‐ Jul 6, 2021

12 km

We're taking a "break day" and just cycle further up to the stunning Green Lake to camp there and take a refreshing swim.
Goderdzi ‐ Jul 5, 2021

26 km

Today is a tough day as we're climbing up the Goderdzi Pass on a 30 km long dirt road, but the landscape is stunning on the top.
Khulo ‐ Jul 4, 2021

40 km

Today we reached Khulo, where there is a cable car 1700 meters across to another village.
Vaio ‐ Jul 3, 2021

47 km

We're leaving Batumi together with Nicole and Beni, two other cyclists from Switzerland. As soon as we leave the coast there's less traffic and we find beautiful scenery, get invited to Chacha and find a great place to pitch our tent directly on the river.
Batumi ‐ Jun 27, 2021

40 km

What an intense day. We get our negative test results and continue our trip to Georgia along the Black Sea Coast. The contrast right after the border couldn't be bigger - beachbars, alcohol and people in swimwear, a little culture shock for us after so many months in Turkey. We find our apartment in the old part of Batumi and enjoy the comfort of urban life.
Hopa, Turkey ‐ Jun 25, 2021

56 km

We plan to just cycle 36 km to the town of Borcka to make our PCR-Test there, but we don't like the vibe of the place and decide to continue all the way to Hopa through the more than 5 km long Cankurtaran Tünel. We ask at the hospital and can only do the test the next day, so we need to stay 2 nights in Hopa, an interesting small city, although not our favourite.
Artvin ‐ Jun 23, 2021

73 km

What an incredible intense day. We crossed more than 40 tunnels between Yusufeli and Artvin and followed the gigantic construction site for the new Yusufeli dam and many other water reservoirs. The landscape was barren and spectacular and as soon as we reached the last tunnel to Artvin, the climate changed and we're definitely getting closer to the Black Sea.
Yusufeli ‐ Jun 22, 2021

63 km

Another very hot day with temperatures around 40° degrees Celsius. The landscape is fantastic and very diverse. We reach Yusufeli and can't believe that this lively village will be flooded soon by the new water reservoir that is supposed to be the 3rd largest worldwide.
Taşlıca ‐ Jun 21, 2021

70 km

We follow the Coruh River through many ups and downs and met some kind locals along the way. We find another campspot by the river to cool down.
Dikmetas ‐ Jun 20, 2021

54 km

We're not used to this heat and every climb is a struggle. Fortunately we can always cool down in the river between.
Bayburt ‐ Jun 19, 2021

We return back to Bayburt and to our panniers and bicycles after 4 different bus rides.
Dikkaya ‐ Jun 18, 2021

We take a touristic tour to Ayder, the Tar waterfall and the different Yaylas (summer pastures). The area reminds us of Switzerland and there are many tourists from the Gulf region coming here during the summer and many restaurant display their menus in Arabic.
Dikkaya ‐ Jun 16, 2021

We are just being lazy and enjoy our wonderful Bungalow amidst tea plantations.
Trabzon ‐ Jun 15, 2021

Dario surprises me for my birthday with a short excursion to the Black Sea coast. We leave our bicycles and our equipment in Bayburt and drive over the pass to the Sumela Monastery, which is unfortunately closed. We stay for one night in the lively Trabzon and then head to the wonderful area of Çamlıhemşin to relax in a boutique bungalow, wow.
Bayburt ‐ Jun 14, 2021

58 km

Another day full of climbs and unfortunately headwind. We reach Bayburt in the evening very tired.
Köse ‐ Jun 13, 2021

67 km

In the small village of Kelkit we get invited to drink tea at the butcher's and everyone in the village wanted to talk to us. We'll definitely miss the unbelievable Turkish hospitality.
Sarica ‐ Jun 12, 2021

45 km

We get the most wonderful organic breakfast directly from the garden and then follow a canyon through a beautiful landscape.
Gücer ‐ Jun 11, 2021

52 km

We're cycling through a wide valley and then reach a smaller canyon in the evening and get invited to pitch our tent in a garden along the way and even get treated with a delicious dinner.
Akıncılar ‐ Jun 10, 2021

80 km

Today is quite hard, as we have a pass to climb at 2010 meters above sea level and as soon as we start to descent it starts to rain and to get very fresh.
Zara ‐ Jun 9, 2021

76 km

We're leaving Sivas towards Zara and see many storks along the way. The weather changes all the time from rain to sunshine, quite frustrating.
Sivas ‐ Jun 6, 2021

75 km

We thought we found a remote camping spot at the lake, but early in the morning we realize that we're staying on the most popular route for cows and sheep:). We cycle up and down all the way to Sivas and talk to the people working at the gas stations, always a pleasure.
Maksutlu ‐ Jun 5, 2021

65 km

The further east we go, the more we get invited by the locals. Some even stop on the route to give us something. The generosity is unbelievable in Turkey. We find a beautiful artifical lake to stay for the night.
Karaözü ‐ Jun 4, 2021

76 km

As soon as we leave the main road, the landscape gets remote and beautiful and we arrive at the Tuzla Gölü salt lake and have a lunch break there.
Kayseri ‐ Jun 3, 2021

50 km

We get invited by the village mayor in Küllü for some tea and then we continue our way towards Kayseri, where we need to get a new cheap phone. We try Künefe for the first time, a sweet dish with cheese, something for the acquired taste.
Küllü ‐ Jun 2, 2021

47 km

We finally leave Göreme and the touristic hot spots. Now, we're entering a Turkey that not that many tourists visit. The landscape is still very beautiful and our campsite is definitely unique - directly on an artifical lake next to a cemetery.
Göreme ‐ May 21, 2021

16 km

We cycle our last stretch on our "long way to Göreme" and finally arrive and the touristic hot-spot in Cappadocia. The rock formations are absolutely amazing at a first glance, but we're a little overwhelmed with all the tourists, we haven't seen anything like this for a long time. We're looking forward to discover the valleys and to some good Turkish Cuisine.
Mustafapaşa ‐ May 20, 2021

40 km

What an exciting day. We visit both underground cities, Derinkuyu and Kaymakli, but we find Kaymakli definitely more impressive. It was a very hot day and we drive to Mustafapaşa and find a cheap cave room where we could stay in and a restaurant that was open despite the still on-going lockdown (until June 1st).
Derinkuyu ‐ May 19, 2021

40 km

We visit the rock-cut churches at the Soğanlı Valley in the morning and meet a nice elderly couple that has their guesthouse closed for two years already, since no one is coming to stay in this area. In the afternoon we fight the wind and the heat and drive towards Derinkuyu and set up camp beside the road, as we couldn't find a good spot and it was getting late.
Soğanlı ‐ May 18, 2021

76 km

We leave the mountains today and drive towards the lesser-known Soğanlı Valley, where we can pitch our tent in the lush garden of a restaurant for free.
Çukurbağ ‐ May 17, 2021

10 km
Emli Vadisi ‐ May 16, 2021

Today should be a relaxing day, but we go hiking again and end up climbing down a canyon on snowfields. Quite tough. We meet a lovely and very interesting family from Germany and enjoy an evening by the fire with them.
Emli Vadisi ‐ May 15, 2021

We use the wonderful weather and go hiking in the mountains. The landscape is absolutely stunning, but sometimes it's quite hard to find the right way.
Emli Vadisi ‐ May 14, 2021

25 km

We cycle to the wonderful Emli Vadisi, a valley in the Aladağlar National Park. We can pitch our tent there, surrounded by nature and there's even fresh water and an ice-cold shower. Almost perfect.
Martı ‐ May 12, 2021

53 km

We drive up and down all the way to the village Martı and stay in a Bungalow to relax a little before hitting the mountains.
Uluağaç ‐ May 11, 2021

38 km

We go grocery shopping in Niğde and then try to visit the stunning Eski Gümüsler Monastery, that is unfortunately closed. Very spontaneously (again) we decide to visit the Aladağlar National Park and spend some time in the mountains.
Ballı ‐ May 10, 2021

46 km

We decide very spontaneously to drive over the mountains to Niğde. This means driving up to 2190 meters above the sea and we see snow. The night is getting very cold though.
Güzelyurt ‐ May 6, 2021

12 km

The police visits us in the night and asks for our passports, even though we are camping on an official spot near a Restaurant. Very strange. The next day we drive the short distance to Güzelyurt and find the greatest bakery for a long time and also a very beautiful hotel that offers us a very very discounted room. We decide to stay a while and work on our website and discover the Manastir Valley and the Underground Cities.
Belisırma ‐ May 5, 2021

5 km
Belisırma ‐ May 4, 2021

14 km

We spend another leisurely day at the Ihlara Valley and hike in the other direction. In the middle of the night the police passes by and ask for our passports!? Very strange. We are happy to move on to another place.
Belisırma ‐ May 3, 2021

22 km

We walk to Ihlara and back and enjoy the beautiful surroundings and visit many of the rock-built churches. What a sight.
Kızılkaya ‐ May 2, 2021

80 km

We visit the ancient part of Kızılkaya and met the locals and some tortoises. Then we reach Selime and visit the impressive monastery in this surreal landscape. We cycle down to Belisirma and put our tent up behind a restaurant so we can explore Ihlara Valley.
Eşmekaya ‐ May 1, 2021

93 km

After Konya the landscape suddenly changes, we're in the Anatolian Flatlands. The only distraction are the funny ground squirrels everywhere. We are following the ancient Silk Road in Turkey and visit the Sultanhani Caravanserai. After Aksaray we're back in a hilly and more exciting area and we see our first typical Cappadocian landscapes. We camp at a wonderful spot by the riverside.
Konya ‐ Apr 28, 2021

81 km

It's time for a shortcut, this time not an official one, but it saves us a lot of elevation gain. A dirt road brings us along a remote valley to Konya, where the traffic is heavy and everyone is shopping for groceries before the full lockdown starts from 29.04.- 17.05.21.
Göcü ‐ Apr 26, 2021

60 km

We leave the mountains and reach the Anatolian Plateau. We are lucky - it's market day in Beysehir and we're able to buy fresh vegetables and fruits. We also find the delicious Ramazan Bread with sesame seeds.
Dumanli

40 km

This is a very tough day. We climb up a pass that is over 1700 meters high and it is very exhausting. On the top we meet a couple from Switzerland traveling with their van and they spontaneously invite us to dinner, how wonderful is that?
Yeşilbağ ‐ Apr 25, 2021

43 km

We leave the wonderful Köprülü Canyon and cycle through remote mountain landscapes and find a beautiful camping spot with an amazing view.
Köprülü Kanyon ‐ Apr 23, 2021

17 km
Köprüçay ‐ Apr 22, 2021

56 km

Today we cycled only a few kilometers, as we wanted to take a break in the beautiful nature of the Köprülü Canyon. We spontaneously went River Rafting and enjoyed the breeze and the wonderful surroundings.
Kumköy ‐ Apr 21, 2021

63 km

We cycled back to Antalya with Melli & Dani. A nice change to cycle together. We said goodbye and continued along the coast and found a wonderful spot in the forest to pitch our tent. Yoga in the forest is a great way to start the day. Without any planning, we cycled through the old Roman aqueduct of Aspendos and decided to visit the stunning theatre there. Then landscape got very beautiful as we cycled along the Köprücay River. We found another great camping spot directly on the river and wen [...]
t swimming, very very cold.
Geyikbayiri ‐ Apr 19, 2021

24 km

We cycled up a steep hill to the village Geyikbairi and met Melli & Dani from Vaegabonds (https://vaegabond.com).They took us climbing, a great experience. We stayed two night's at Kezban's Camping.
Antalya ‐ Apr 10, 2021

83 km

We'll take a break in Antalya to buy some necessary things for our equipment, to cut our videos and to visit the impressive Museum. We're staying in the old town Kaleici, a wonderful place with many traditional Ottoman mansions.
Çıralı ‐ Apr 8, 2021

32 km

Uphill again in the morning, this time followed by two Turkish dogs that didn't want to leave. We visit the ruins of ancient Olympos, set in a magical place along a river and then push our bikes over the beach to Çıralı. We visit the eternal flames of the Chimaera.
Karaöz ‐ Apr 7, 2021

74 km

We drove along a beautiful road down to Demre and visit the ancient Myra rock graves and the St. Nicholas Church. In the evening we find an absolute stunning beach to pitch our tent.
Kaleüçağız ‐ Apr 5, 2021

75 km

After almost four months, we left our temporary home in Patara today and drove along the wonderful Lycian coast to the Kekova region. It was hard to say goodbye, but cycling over 1500 m of elevation gain definitely helped to ease the departure. We took a break for a day (already, yes) to do a Kayak tour to the sunken city of Simena, what a beautiful area.
Patara Beach ‐ Dec 11, 2020

We drove to Kaş to check out other apartments in the city center and then we decided that we want to stay in Patara for at least a month and moved in to our new home on the very same evening. Our nomadic life is put to a halt for the moment and we wait here and enjoy the beautiful nature surrounding us, hiking along the lycian coast and just having a very quiet life and time to think about all the beautiful moments from the last 4 months cycling from Europe to Turkey.
Gelemiş ‐ Dec 10, 2020

We put all our bags, panniers and bicycles in the taxi and enjoyed the scenic ride along the Lycian coast from a car window. In Patara we looked at some apartments to spend our winter and also visited the absolutely stunning beach.
Fethiye ‐ Dec 8, 2020

69 km

We wanted to really enjoy our stay in Fethiye and finally visit a Hamam and get a massage and pamper ourselves. But because of Covid that is not possible. So we went to the hospital instead to check on Lisas arm. The outcome - nothing is broken and we were very lucky that Lisa doesn't have to carry a hard plaster on the arm . But cycling is not an option at the moment and so we took the hard decision to book a taxi for the next day.
Dalyan ‐ Dec 7, 2020

62 km

It was a day full of heavy rain and steep climps, we passed beautiful forests and herds of goats and had a wonderful take away lunch in a garage in Göcek, sheltered from the rain. Unfortunately, very close to our hotel in Fethiye, we fell of the bicycles, first Dario, then Lisa. Seems we are connected somehow, or our bicycles? That was the first time we fell since we left Switzerland.
Akyaka ‐ Dec 2, 2020

74 km

After a very tough ride along the Datça peninsula and more than 1'000 meters of altitude, we reach Akyaka and need a time for a break. Since there is also a new weekend curfew in Turkey, we decide to rent an apartment until Monday and take a rest and wait for the rainy weather to pass.
Aktur ‐ Dec 1, 2020

45 km
Datça

We took the ferry from Bodrum to the beautiful Datça peninsula and visit the old town Eski Datça. Afterwards we drive along the hilly peninsula and enjoy the beautiful nature. We find a camping spot in the forest and woke up during the night by the sound of a horse or a deer. We'll probably never know.
Bodrum ‐ Nov 29, 2020

32 km
Güllük ‐ Nov 28, 2020

65 km

The night before we reach Bodrum, we camped in the countryside close to the water and were suddenly surprised by a herd of wild boars and also heard some gunshots close to us. That was it. We moved our camping spot in the dark a few kilometers away.
Kapıkırı ‐ Nov 24, 2020

57 km

Almost an perfect day on our trip with the visit of the impressive Apollon Temple of Didyma in the morning and the breathtaking landscape of the northeast end of the Lake Bafa. Even though Restaurants and Cafés are closed in Turkey, we were able to find some Chai and enjoy a fresh Cheese Gözleme on the lake.
Didim ‐ Nov 23, 2020

42 km
Priene ‐ Nov 22, 2020

58 km

We finally left Selcuk after four nights and drove further south towards Priene. We set up camp near the Ancient city of Priene, close to a field and a dirt road. Unfortunately a farmer saw us and an hour later the police arrived to check our IDs and our further route. They told us we should drive to Bodrum, although the weekend curfew was going on. We talked a little with the aid of google translate and in the end they told us: "Take care and we love you". Travel luck hit us again. We were able [...]
to spend the night, as long as we would leave the next morning. In the morning we visited the quiet and beautiful Priene temple, in midst of a forest. We were the only ones there and it felt just magical.
Selcuk ‐ Nov 18, 2020

79 km

A last stop at the beloved Gevrek bakery in Izmir and off we went towards Selcuk to explore Ephesus. Ephesus was the 2nd largest city during the Roman Empire and about 250'000 people used to live here and it is also the location of the Artemis Temple (or its only remaining pilar...), once part of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. We had a wonderful hotel in Selcuk and just stayed four nights and explored the surroundings including the mountain village of Sirince.
Izmir ‐ Nov 15, 2020

80 km

Beautiful coastal ride from Yenifoca to Foca. Unfortunately most of the beaches belong to a Military Security Zone (Greece is very close...) or to private beach resorts. Foca is a very pleasant town with a harbour and many restaurants. We continued to Izmir, the 3rd largest city in Turkey. We stayed for 3 nights with a Warmshowers Host and really enjoyed the urban atmosphere.
Yenifoça ‐ Nov 14, 2020

70 km

That was a tough riding day. A lot of traffic and ugly scenery around Aliaga. We were too tired to drive any further and spontaneously decided to stay in Yenifoca, a popular holiday town for the locals, but not pretty quiet.
Bergama ‐ Nov 12, 2020

68 km

And we continued our trip to the next ancient city, Bergama / Pergamon. We were almost the only tourists in midst of the Akropolis on top of the hill.
Ayvalik ‐ Nov 10, 2020

89 km

The plan was to spend a night in Ayvalik and then continue.But we arrived quite late and really liked the atmosphere of the cobbled back streets and all the small cafés in Ayvalik and so we decided to stay an extra day to just stroll around. It was a good decision.
Küçükkuyu ‐ Nov 9, 2020

44 km

This morning was cold and we were looking forward to the sun. We explored the Ancient City of Assos with stunning view over the Sea and to Lesbos.
Ayvacik ‐ Nov 8, 2020

68 km
Çanakkale ‐ Nov 6, 2020

101 days on the road and today we reached Asia and the student city of Çanakkale. Unfortunately it was very cold and windy, but the city was very vibrant and full of life and we enjoyed going out for some craft beer and dinner.
Eceabat

45 km
Gelibolu ‐ Nov 5, 2020

83 km
Kesan ‐ Nov 4, 2020

67 km

We border crossing from Kiri to Ipsala in Turkey is only open one way, so there is no return for us to Greece from this point. What an akward feeling. We drove over the bridge to the turkish side and were greeted by armed soldiers, that fortunately waved us through. Still it was an unpleasant feeling. This is it, we made it to Turkey. We had our first experience of the turkish hospitality on the same day in a small village. Glad to be here.
Alexandroupoli, Greece ‐ Nov 3, 2020

34 km

We were waking up to the rain and drove on a rough road along the coast. Very unspoilt scenery. We were invited by Nico to a Coffee, although his beach bar was closed. From today there is a Part-Lockdown in Greece, Restaurants and Bars are closing in northern Greece and there is a nightly curfews. So for us, it is time to head to Turkey, the 10th country on this journey.
Petrota ‐ Nov 2, 2020

66 km

We drove through the greek countryside. A car pulled over and the old man inside asked us in german where we're heading and we said Turkey. He replied "as always. Just like everyone else". It sounded like there were tons of cyclists out here heading to Turkey, quite funny. But of course, probably the only reason to come to this easternmost part of Greece is either heading to Turkey or the hippie island of Samothraki. We spend the night close to the Petrota Rock in the forest.
Nea Kessani ‐ Nov 1, 2020

74 km
Kavala ‐ Oct 31, 2020

We spent the day apart. Dario travelled to Thessaloniki and finally got his new tire from Schwalbe (the whole process just took 2 months...) and Lisa spend the day shopping (at the fruit and vegetable market, don't worry, no space for anything more in the panniers). In the evening we were united again and ate some Pasta (maybe we got tired of the Greek Cuisine after almost a month? The vegetarian options for Lisa are quite repetitive).
Ormos Prinou

12 km
Skala Kallirachis ‐ Oct 27, 2020

We spend a couple of days on the Island of Thassos. We have to wait for a DHL parcel with Darios new tire. And instead of waiting in the city, we decided to take a couple days off on the island and explore the surroundings with our bicycles.
Skala. Prinos
Kavala ‐ Oct 24, 2020

64 km

Beautiful ride along the coast and many stunning beaches on our way to Kavala. We spend the night in Kavala and eat many Mezes.
Ofrynio Beach ‐ Oct 23, 2020

65 km

We spend the night on the beach with sight of the mystical Mt. Athos.
Peristerona ‐ Oct 22, 2020

54 km
Thessaloniki ‐ Oct 20, 2020

Time to leave Thessaloniki. We are heading eastwards and camp on a lake in a nice scenery.
Rhodes ‐ Oct 11, 2020

We spend 9 days on the Island of Rhodes together with Lisas Family. It was very nice to see them again and talk about everything that happened in the last 2.5 months. We made some excursion on the Island. We haven't seen that many tourists since Rovinj in Istria, but of course it is still very quiet for the season.
Thessaloniki ‐ Oct 8, 2020

49 km

We arrive at the great Caravan B&B. The staff is very friendly and helpful and we can leave our bikes here during our trip to Rhodes. We discover the interesting city of Thessaloniki and are intrigued by its mixture of old and new (and the many bars and restaurants). We take a cruise on the harbour on a pirate ship and "play" tourists.
Kilkis ‐ Oct 7, 2020

67 km
Kerkini ‐ Oct 6, 2020

59 km

We take a boat trip during sunrise on the Lake Kerkini, an important spot for migrating birds. We see many flamingos and pelicans. Later we continue our journey towards Kilkis.
Petrich, Bulgaria ‐ Oct 4, 2020

52 km

A short and pretty flat ride brought us over the bulgarian border to Petrich, where we stay 2 nights in order to make the Covid test needed for the Greek border crossing.
Strumica, Macedonia ‐ Oct 3, 2020

67 km

Today we reached Sturmica, our last stop in Macedonia and stayed in a hotel.
Bistrenci ‐ Oct 2, 2020

55 km
Toplica ‐ Oct 1, 2020

73 km

From the valley of apples we drove towards Prilep, the city of Tobacco.
Dihovo ‐ Sep 30, 2020

81 km

Short stop for breakfast in the charming town of Ohrid. Normally we would have stayed here longer and explored more of this place with all the old churches, but we had a date for dinner at the Agriturismo Villa Dihovo near Bitola, specialized on Slow Food and recommended from someone we met in Albania (and also by Lonely Planet as we found ot there). Best dinner in weeks, and the wine and the home-brewed beer....we wanted to stay longer.
Lagadin ‐ Sep 29, 2020

80 km

The last day in Albania brought us to Pogradec to a suprisingly good restaurant for Lunch. Afterwards, there were more surprises: Flamingos on the shore of Lake Ohrid and a turtle gently crossing the street in the middle of the city (this is the 2nd turtle we saved in Albania from the traffic). Stunning scenery along the Lake Ohrid at Galičica Nationalpark in North Macedonia.
Strelcë, Albania ‐ Sep 28, 2020

54 km

Today was very tough, three tough climbs, many of them 10% steep, brought us through the Valley of the Devoll River. Very unspoilt and beautiful scenery here, but not much infrastructere. We found a beautiful spot to camp under an apple tree and close to fresh water. We tried our outdoor-shower the first time, what a wonderful feeling.
Gramsh ‐ Sep 27, 2020

72 km

It was time to leave Berat. A lot of ups and downs brought us to an isolated valley with a couple of villages. We camped at a nice spot in the middle of nowhere.
Berat ‐ Sep 25, 2020

42 km

Berat - the city of the 100th windows, we think a must-see in Albania. When you are there, you have to go to the restaurant Lili, delicious food and an entertaining experience. Due to the bad weather, we spontaneously stayed another day.
Katanë ‐ Sep 24, 2020

78 km

A cloudy and rainy cycling day, but mostly we were lucky and it didn't rain where we were. Between Tirana and Elbasan it was a hard climb of 700 m alltitude but with a nice view over the hilly countryside of this area. We camp wild nearby a small lake.
Tirana ‐ Sep 21, 2020

97 km

After a long and hard day of cycling, we survived the horrible traffic of the capital city of Albania, Tirana. There are way too many cars in this city. In Tirana we visited the very remarkable BunkArt 1, a very intimidating experience and we were happy to get out and see the sunlight again after the visit.
Fishtë ‐ Sep 20, 2020

29 km

We had an easy cycling day, because we were invited by Darios cousin to the Agriturism Mrizi i Zanave in Fishtë. This is only 29 km away from Shkoder. We enjoyed our stay a lot, mostly the amazing food.
Shkoder ‐ Sep 19, 2020

After an adventureous busride from Theth to Shkoder, we were working at a new post in our hostel. We had dinner at the excellent restaurant Peja with traditional albanian food. It was our second time there already.
Theth ‐ Sep 18, 2020

18 km

This was supposed to be our lazy day. Observing village life in Theth, taking small walks, reading. It didn't turned out that way. For 6 hours we walked to the beautiful Blue Eye, that totally deserves its name. And again, we were pretty much the only hikers around in a beautiful landscape.
Theth ‐ Sep 17, 2020

11 km

We were hiking from Valbona to Theth over the Valbona Pass. Many loose rocks and steep climbs, but totally doable. We were happy about a cloudy day and some "cooler" temperatures around 23° degrees.
Rragam ‐ Sep 16, 2020
Valbonë

What a beautiful day. We were taking a minibus to Koman and from there a 2.5 hour ferry towards Fierze. Another one hour transfer brought us to the small town of Valbona. During the minibus ride, many children got in and out including their teachers and the school are very far away. What a distance they must travel each day in order to get to school, our respect.
Fierzë
Temal
Shkoder ‐ Sep 14, 2020

68 km
Buljarica, Montenegro ‐ Sep 13, 2020

61 km

Today was a long riding day towards Shkodra. As soon as we left the coast of Montenegro, everything started to change. No tourism anymore. We crossed the albanian border and very greeted right away with a warm "Welcome to Albania, Taxi???". Of course, we couldn't really use a taxi. We took a nap near a lake when an elderly man passed on his way to his garden. We were in his way, but he soon returned with a bag full of fresh figs from his garden and he started to hand them out to us. What a nice [...]
gesture.
Perast ‐ Sep 11, 2020

41 km

We reached a new country - Montenegro und it resembles a little canton Tessin in Switzerland with its rugged mountains and the Kotor Bay reminds us of the Lago Maggiore. We spend 2 nights in a beautiful palace in Perast with amazing views of the sea and are planning our trip to Albania next week.
Prevlaka, Croatia ‐ Sep 10, 2020

60 km

We spend the last night in Croatia at a beautiful camping spot on the peninsula Prevlaka. It fells like the end of the world here in the southernmost part of Croatia. In the morning we are greeted by a small herd of goats doing their daily walk, our tent was in their way.
Dubrovnik ‐ Sep 9, 2020

17 km
Zaton ‐ Sep 8, 2020

70 km

Beautiful morning trip on the island of Mljet. After 45 Minutes on a ferry we reached the coastal road again and drove towards Dubrovnik. We had some problems with Darios tire and had to spend a night in the small village of Zaton.
Prapratno
Sobra
Saplunara ‐ Sep 5, 2020

After 3 hours fixing Darios Bike we give up and ordered a taxi, which brought us to Saplunara. It's a shame, the landscape was so beautiful and we desperately wanted to cycle these beautiful roads instead of sitting in a taxi seat. The nicest island we have seen in Croatia. We spend 3 nights at an apartment looking over the ocean and getting some work done.
Blato

12 km
Polače ‐ Sep 4, 2020

33 km
Pomena

We take the ferry from Korcula to Pomena on the north of Mljet and visit the stunning Mljet Nationalpark. We spent too much time there and didn't get very way on that day.
Korčula
Lumbarda ‐ Sep 3, 2020

47 km

We visit the nice town of Korcula. There are no tourists here, the season seems to be over. It is sad to see so much infrastructure and no guests around. Afternoon at the beautiful beach of Lumbarda. Afterwards we spend the night on a peninsula. It was soo hot, no tent needed.
Prižba ‐ Sep 2, 2020

22 km
Vela Luka
Split ‐ Aug 31, 2020

Today we reached the lovely seaside town of Split (200'000 habitants) with a ferry from Slatine. We spontaneously decided to spend 2 nights in Split and do some sightseeing.
Slatine
Trogir ‐ Aug 30, 2020

66 km

In the morning we left beautiful Sibenik towards Trogir. We experienced a lot of unpleasant headwind and wished we would travel the other direction. Trogir is a pleasant small town on a small island.
Šibenik ‐ Aug 29, 2020

67 km

Today it was time to say goodbye to the island of Pasman (very relaxing place) and we took the ferry to Biograd. Afterwards we started following the coastal load, many ups and downs and beautiful scenery (and a lot of headwind). We wanted to wild camp somewhere, but when we arrived in Sibenik, we just loved the vibe and decided to stay in the town. We found an affordable apartment on the ground floor (big plus for our bicycles and our panniers).
Biograd na Moru
Tkon
Nevidane ‐ Aug 28, 2020

28 km

Today we took a lot of ferries. We left our beautiful island of Dugi Otok on a ferry to Zadar, then changed to another ferry to the island of Uglian which is connected by a bridge with the island of Pasman. Both islands lie in the vicinity of Zadar, but are very peaceful. We spend the night on a beautiful spot directly on the sea and under pine trees between two villages on the island of Pasman.
Preko
Grad Zadar
Zadar
Sali ‐ Aug 26, 2020

19 km

Trip to the national park Telašćica with the salt lake Mir.
Sali ‐ Aug 25, 2020

46 km

Cycling from the North to the South of the Island Dugi Otok. Taking an appartment in Sali for working at the Homepage.
Camping Kargita ‐ Aug 24, 2020

12 km

Easy and lazy day with a lot of swimming on Sakarun beach.
Veli Rat ‐ Aug 23, 2020

24 km

Wild camping on a cliff on the beautyful island Dugi Otok. Swimming on the caribien beach of Sakarun.
Brbinj
Grad Zadar ‐ Aug 22, 2020
Pula ‐ Aug 20, 2020

48 km
Rovinj ‐ Aug 18, 2020

50 km

All along the coast with a long and hard cravel part. Visited the nice towns Poreč, Vrsar and in the evening Rovinj. Sleep on a chilly Camping near the center.
Cervar ‐ Aug 17, 2020

39 km

Wild camping at the beach after an easy Cyclingday with visiting a clocktower in Buje, a cave in Brtonigla and the beautiful town Novigrad.
Buje ‐ Aug 16, 2020

48 km

After a short but beautiful ride on the Parenzana cyclepath in Slowenia, we are now in Croatia and stay in the lovely Casa Romantica La Parenzana on the countryside.
Trieste, Italy ‐ Aug 14, 2020

55 km

After a short cyclingday, we stay two nights in Trieste, our last destination in Italie. Hopefuly we can cross the border to Slowenia and Croatia in two days.
Grado ‐ Aug 13, 2020

71 km

After spending the night in an old masion on the countryside, we stopped today at the star-shaped town of Palmanova and reached Grado and the seaside. Campers paradise (people even bring their catamaran to the camping spot, guess they‘re staying longer than one night).
Camino al Tagliamento ‐ Aug 12, 2020

86 km

We discovered the beautiful town of Vittorio Veneto and many unknown places. In midst of the hot italian countryside, we found a bar with good negronis. Life‘s full of surprises.
Farra d'Alpago ‐ Aug 10, 2020

105 km

Relaxing day at the Lago Santa Croce.
Toblach - Dobbiaco

49 km
Bruneck - Brunico ‐ Aug 8, 2020

59 km

Wild Camping at the beautiful River Rienz after a hot day of cycling.
Klausen ‐ Aug 7, 2020

69 km

Short Break at a cool alternativ streetbar in Bozen. Sleeping in Klausen at the Camping Gamp with a nice view at the Castel on the hill.
Merano ‐ Aug 5, 2020

80 km

Two nights break at the lovely town of Merano.
Fuldera, Switzerland ‐ Aug 4, 2020

65 km

Wild camping at a mystic place in the woods near Fuldera. Hard day of cycling at the Ofenpass. A lot of lovely nature but bad weather. The day starts with snow at the Albulapass.
Albulapass ‐ Aug 2, 2020

46 km

Ascending the Albulapass for about 10 hours and too tired to roll down on the other side, so we decided to spend two nights at the Albula Hospiz, surrounded by fog.
Summaprada ‐ Aug 1, 2020

84 km

Highlight today were the tiny villages of the Bündner Herrschaften, famous for its wine. But it was also 39° degrees hot, a little too much, so we stopped at every possible fountain to refresh ourselves.
Murg ‐ Jul 30, 2020

64 km

Spending two beautiful days on the Walensee.
Pfäffikon ‐ Jul 29, 2020

54 km

Our first stop and our first night wildcamping on this trip (surrounded by a lot of snails, urgh)
Baden, Switzerland ‐ Jul 29, 2020

Our hometown where it all started.