On July 15 this year a three-4WD Rally Tours NZ Silk Road 4x4 expedition convoy arrived in Vladivostok, Russia’s far eastern seaport after being on the road for 75 days and covered 19,000km passing through 12 different countries experiencing a variety of conditions.
Rally Tours NZ Ltd likes to describe its Silk Road 4x4 expedition as the ultimate overland journey and as participants in the 2015 edition found, out every day was an adventure.
The journey started at the London Heathrow Novotel on the Tuesday May 5 and crossed into Europe by overnight ferry to a port near Amsterdam. Our transit through Europe then took us to Berlin in Germany, Warsaw in Poland, Kaunas in Lithuania and Rezekne in Latvia before crossing into Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and finally Russia again.
The last part of the journey was just as exciting as the first part and we all agreed that the 75 days had just flown by with more than 3000 photos taken, 2000 litres of (cheap) fuel consumed and 13 borders crossed in 19,000km.
Rally Tours NZ Ltd plans to re-run the Silk Road Tour in 2017 from London to Vladivostok for clients with their own vehicles, or in a hire Rally Tours’ 4x4 Land Cruiser. Also new for 2017 will be the chance to buy a seat-in-a vehicle ticket and travel in a specially-built 4x4 luxury mini-van with driver and tour leader.
Rally Tours will also offer modular tours on the trip with options for a seat-in-vehicle trip from Bukhara (Uzbekistan) to Bishkek (Kazakhstan) via the Pamir Highway.
A second modular tour taking in Mongolia, Siberia and the Baikal region will also be offered in 2017.
And if you can’t wait until then?
Rally Tours NZ Ltd will also operate two tours consecutively in May/June/July next year from Shanghai to London for both modern and classic cars, and from Vladivostok to London for 4x4s and motorcycles.
To find out more check out the website at www.rallytours.co.nz or call Deb Hollier on +64-27-258-6614.
To read the full story in the September 2015 issue of NZ4WD go to Zinio.com (on sale September 21) or purchase your own hard copy at the Adrenalin store.
