We were delighted to see our friends at Born to Ride Magazine run this great story featuring our 104 day major expedition, The Asian Overland – Darwin to Beijing.

The Asian Overland is a great long distance adventure that does not require you to have any off road riding experience as over 95% of the route is on sealed roads. It is pillion friendly as well as we will always have a seat in our support vehicle for passengers who want a day off the bikes or if we hit bad weather.

Here is a copy of the article, you can read the whole magazine here on the Born To Ride Website and you can read more about the Asian Overland Expedition here on our website.

Compass Expeditions is excited to announce its newest addition to its major expedition program, the Asian Overland Expedition. “Due to public demand we have created this new exciting 103-day expedition that begins in Darwin and ends in Beijing”, says co-founder Mick McDonald. “We have many clients who have done all of our major expeditions, some doing the same expedition twice, and it was with these people in mind we have decided to launch this new amazing expedition that traverses two hemispheres and promises to become one of our most epic journeys”, continues Mick. Read the full report below!

This extraordinary journey visits one of the world’s newest countries of Timor Leste before island hopping some of the 17,000 islands that make up Indonesia, islands such as Nusa Tenggara, Lombok, Bali, Java & Sumatra. We cross onto the South East Asian mainland at Malaysia, renowned for its superb food, and ride north into stunning Thailand; an impossibly beautiful landscape of white beaches bordered by limestone “Karsts”, megacities & mist-covered mountains. We enter remote landlocked Laos and ride amongst its forests and visit the legendary Buddhist complex of Luang Prabang. From Laos, we enter magnificent China and spend 47 amazing days in China. The ride includes the sensational passes of the Sichuan – Tibet & Qinghai – Tibet highways to & from Lhasa experiencing one of the most spectacular viewpoints on earth, Everest Base Camp. Ancient cities, Terracotta armies, hanging monasteries, impossibly green rice terraces and endless mountains are only a part of what makes our time in China breathtaking. The ride eventually enters triumphantly into Beijing after traveling over 20,000ks across two hemispheres at the completion of what has been one of the world’s greatest long-distance rides. If rarely visited islands, rare wildlife encounters, smouldering volcanoes, dense forests, towering mountain peaks, ancient antiquities, superb food & some of the best riding on earth is your thing then the Asian Overland is your expedition.

Week One

This mighty expedition kicks off in the Northern Australian capital of Darwin, where we spend two nights allowing time to visit this remote city before taking our flight to Dili. We spend three nights in Dili, capital of one of the worlds newest countries, allowing us time to collect our bikes and explore this tropical outpost. We ride via Balibo the infamous site where the Australian journalists were murdered before crossing into Indonesia and seeing the week out at the port city of Kupang, the site where Capitan Bligh landed after the mutiny.

Week Two

Our first ferry crossing is also one of the longest and takes us across the Savu Sea to Ende on the islands known as East Nusa Tenggara, a wondrous landscape of technicolor volcanic lakes, semi arid savannah, brilliant beaches and lush jungles. We visit the stunning lakes of Kelimutu National Park before the famous Spider Web rice paddies and of course the legendary Komodo Islands where we see the dragons of the same name. The week comes to an end as we take another ferry from East Nusa Tenggara to West Nusa Tenggara.

Week Three

We ride across the little known Sumbawa in West Nusa Tenggara province via Bima and take another ferry to sublime Lombok before another ferry to the world-renowned Bali. Bali is known for its forested volcanic mountains, iconic rice paddies, beaches, coral reefs and innumerable temples; it is the epitome of paradise. We spend five days exploring this incredible island.

Week Four

Leaving Bali we take another ferry over to Java where we visit the absolutely stunning Mt Bromo, scenically located in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. We enjoy a sunrise trek for an aweinspiring view over a number of volcanic peaks. Riding across Java we reach Yogyakarta where we spend two nights allowing us time to visit Expedition Indonesia’s premier archaeological sites, the mystical UNESCO listed Borobudur and Prambanan.

Week Five

Leaving Java we cross onto Sumatra, an aweinspiring landscape of rugged tropical terrain, wildlife and smouldering volcanoes. We spend two nights at the superb Way Kambas National Park where we get the chance to go on an elephant trek. We hug the stunning coastline to Bengkulu and visit the old British influenced, Fort Marlborough. Continuing on we visit Kerinci Seblat National Park, the last remaining place on earth for the Sumatran Tiger.

Week Six

We start the week with a thrilling 44 twisties down to Lake Manijau before crossing the Equator and riding onto Bukit Lawang on the edge of the Gunung Leuser National Park. No visit to Indonesia is complete without a visit to the Orangutans and we spend two nights at a nearby Orangutan centre allowing us time to visit these amazing creatures, along with some other primates. After five amazing weeks in Indonesia we see the week out crossing the Malacca Straits into Malaysia. Riders starting the ride in Singapore will meet the group as we enter Malaysia.

 

Week Seven

Our first experience Of Malaysia is the wonderful Melaka with is UNESCO Heritage listed Old town before we move north to the legendary Penang, nicknamed the Pearl of the Orient. Penang is famous for its soft sandy beaches and is regarded as the food capital of Malaysia. We spend two nights in Penang allowing us time to wander the UNESCO listed old town and of course sample its legendary food. We cross into Thailand and visit the amazing karst and mangrove scenery around Krabi. We spend two nights at Railay exploring this fantastic scenery. We see the week out at Khao Sok Khao a nature reserve containing dense virgin jungle, tower like limestone karst formations and the man-made Cheow Lan Lake.

Week Eight

Leaving the countryside we ride into the maelstrom that is Bangkok where we spend time allowing us to work on Our bikes or simply relax. We quickly leave this metropolis via Kanchanaburri, home to the famous yet tragic “Bridge over the River Kwai” that formed part Of the Burma Railway in WW2. Riding due north we reach the highlands Of Northern Thailand renown for its lush forests and endless valleys and mountain peaks. We visit Northern Thailand’s epicentre of Chiang Mai before riding the superb Mae Song Loop, a wonderful mountain escape of terraced hill tribe farmlands and endless twisties. This region is home to the legendary Karen hill tribes otherwise known as the long neck women.

Week Nine

This week we cross into Laos and spend two nights in the French influenced capital of Vientiane, a wonderful leafy town more than a bustling city, scenically located 0 the banks of the Mekong. We can wander the old town, enjoy one on the many sidewalk cafes or enjoy a Beerlao watching sunset over the Mekong. Continuing north we spend another two nights at one of South East Asia’s most iconic religious sites. Luang Prabang is a wonderful patchwork Of traditional Lao wooden houses & Golden—roofed wats. The site is stunningly located at the confluence of the Mekong and Khan Rivers. We see the week out at the Laos / Chinese border.

Week Ten

We cross into China, an immense country of impossibly diverse landscapes and peoples with a storybook history. We start our Chinese adventure riding though picturesque hilltop villages covered in centuries old rice terraces, tea gardens and undulating countryside, it is the quintessential Chinese scene. We continue on to Kunming where we spend two nights giving us time to visit the 1000 year Old Yuantong Temple and explore the “Spring City” as it is known. We continue onto Dali, stunningly located between mountains and Erhai Lake.

Week Eleven

We visit the tiny market town of Shaxi, an ancient cultural treasure on the Tea Horse Road, a road of similar importance to that Of the Silk Road but far less famous. We visit Lijiang, a maze of cobblestoned streets and canals lined with pagodas and vendors; nothing it seems has changed much in centuries. Ascending ever higher into the mountains we visit the renowned Tiger Leaping Gorge before riding into the real Shangri-La, a stunning landscape of dense forests, alpine lakes, grasslands, and gorges set amongst meadows and plains. Leaving beautiful Yunnan Province we cross into Tibet and ride one Of the most stunning highways on the entire ride, the Sichuan – Tibet Highway. This route still remains partly unpaved yet we are rewarded with utterly stunning high altitude views of mountains, glacier fed lakes. remote monasteries and alpine vistas on what is some of the highest, wildest and remotest routes on earth.

Week Twelve

We arrive into the high altitude Lhasa where we spend three nights allowing us time to acclimatize and visit the remarkable Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and witness the great pilgrimage around Barkhour. Joining the Friendship Highway we continue southwest via the stunning Tashilunpo Monastery and visit one Of Tibet’s biggest monasteries, Sagya before eventually reaching Tingri, a tiny hamlet that offers sweeping views of the mighty Himalayan Peaks that border China and Nepal. It is from here we continue onto the worlds highest monastery, Rongphu, where we overnight allowing us the best opportunity to get immense views of the towering Mount Everest. Watching the rays of the day reflect of the snowcapped Everest is an indescribable sight that will remain with you forever, it’s a rare privilege to view the absolute top of the world at sunrise.

Week Thirteen

Leaving Everest Basecamp we return to Lhasa via the Tibetan village Of Gyantzse and Yamdork Lake, one Of Tibet’s holiest lakes. After one more night in Lhasa we visit Namsto Lake, a magnificent turquoise lake surrounded by snowcapped peaks and Buddhist prayer flags before continuing north over a series Of 5,000 m passes through a landscape of prairie, lakes, mountains and desert at an average altitude Of 4,000 m on the Quinhai – Tibet Highway, the main artery to/from Tibet. The road continues into the province of Quinhai and descends to Golmud. This is a ride we will remember forever for its outstanding mountain views at every turn. We visit Caka Salt Lake before seeing the week out at Xining.

Week Fourteen

We ride onto Xian where we visit one of the worlds most famous archaeological sights, that of the Army of Terracotta Warriors. We spend two nights in Xian giving us time to visit this extraordinary Site created by Chinas first dynasty, the Qin Dynasty from 246 to 206 BC. This is one of the most extraordinary archaeological sites ever discovered after being dug up by famers digging for a well in 1974, having lain buried for 2000 years!! We also visit the ancient Ming Dynasty city walls that encircle numerous backstreets, narrow alleyways and shops. We visit the superb Pingyao, China’s best preserved ancient walled town giving us a real taste Of “Old China”. The week comes to a close in Datong, home to the amazing Huayan Hanging Temple built precariously into a cliff face.

Week Fifteen

Our last week of what has been an utterly amazing adventure we visit the incredible Yuangang Caves that are home to over 50,000 Buddhist statues. From Datong we ride into the capital of China, Beijing, after experiencing an impossible array Of landscapes, cultures and experiences. We spend three nights in the capital giving us time to visit some Of China’s most legendary sites such as the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square to name a few. Our final days riding will see us travel to Tianjin to pack our bikes and prepare for shipping.

Want to come along next time? Click here or on the image below for dates and details of Asian Overland’s next departure!

…or perhaps ready for a shorter adventure? Check out our full calendar here!