Are organized overland trips for
You?
Companies and
trips
Company | Trips | |
---|---|---|
Dragoman Overland www.dragotravel.co.uk tel: 01728 861133 | Asia, Africa, Latin Americas | |
Oasis Overland www.oasisoverland.co.uk tel: 01963 363 400 (UK) | Uk to Cape Town, UK to Nairobi, UK to Cairo, Cape Town to Cairo | |
Kumaka www.kumaka.com tel: 0800 068 8855 (UK) | Borneo, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Vietnam | |
On The Go www.onthegotours.com tel: 020 7371 1113 (UK) | Africa, China, Egypt, India, Jordan, Russia, Sri Lanka, Transiberia, Turkey | |
SunTrek www.suntrek.com tel: 0871 218 0820 (UK) | USA, Alaska,Canada, Mexico, Central & South America, Australia | |
Exploratory Overland Expeditions www.eoe.org.uk tel: 01564 829 242 | Alaska, London to Sydney, Alaska to Brazil, London to Cape Town, Around Australia | |
Tucan Travel www.tucantravel.com tel: 020 8896 1600 (UK) | Latin America, Cuba, Antarctica | |
OzBus www.oz-bus.com tel: 0208 641 1443 (UK) | London to Sydney – 20 countries in 12 weeks, through Europe, sMiddle East and Southeast Asia | |
Facts you need to
know
- You will spend much of the trip in the company of
your fellow travelers – you need to be able to get along with people
easily. It is a great way to meet people, and to share experiences and
thoughts. - Most trips involve spending lots of time sitting in
the moving truck. Countries like India require spending lots of time on
bad roads and being stuck in traffic jams. - The trip
has an itinerary
and the group can make small amendments to this. But, you cannot get off the truck for
a few days, as the truck will go without
you.
What to
expect
Almost
everyday will have an early start (between 5 and 7
am) – whether it is to get on the road early, or to experience the local
activities.Expect lots of time on the truck. 6 – 14 hours of
driving per day is normally. Road quality varies and many will be dirt or
sand.Be prepared to get your hands dirty and muck-in with
the jobs. Tables, chairs, washing equipment, tents and everything else
needed for self sufficient survival need to be prepared, and cleaned at every
camp.Bush toilets are the norm when bush camping
Expect lots of inquisitive visitors when bush
camping. The locals will say hello, ask questions and offer their
services. They are normally very resource people.
Benefits
Overland trips take the hassle out of
traveling. They deliver you from door to door, via monuments and
national parks. This is particular good for out of the way places, which
can take days to visit using public transport connections.The
transport is more luxurious than public transport.
Some companies have on board fridges and music.The trips are good value when you factor accommodation
costs, connection costs and the time saved traveling point to point.
Nice
touches
- The good overland companies
have an army of helpers across the countries they
tour. Local guides and their teams meet the trucks on approaches to cities
to guide them straight to their hotels. These guides can help you with
any requirements you might need. The same guides normally provide local
transport for your sightseeing around the cities. If you are lucky you
might be invited to the guides house for home style cooking. This is highly
recommended as the food and hospitality is normally fabulous. Many
of the guides have been working with
overland companies
for up to
30 years, and their experience shows when you are in their company. This sort of personal touch
make a big difference to your stay in a
city.
Companies
There a lots of Overland companies. Here is the
run down on a
few.
Dragoman
Operating trips throughout South America, Africa and
across central Asia, Dragoman are one of the biggest and best companies
operating overland trips. Whilst chatting with the staff they said they
had worked for a number
of overland companies, and both had come back to
work for Dragoman, who were definitely the best in their opinion.
The Dragoman trucks are custom made, the staff go
through
a 3 month induction period, a large part of
which is actually building and repairing the trucks. Good news indeed.
Dragoman
also operate family trips which are very popular and
perfect if you want to explore Africa or Asia with children.
Dragoman
have taken over the Encounter company, which no longer
runs overland trips, instead concentrating on other areas of travel tourism.
Dragoman operate several of the Encounter trucks on their old routes,
labelled Encounter trips in
the Dragoman brocher. The Encounter trips tend to me
longer, cost less but have one trip leader instead of two.
In
Africa
Dragoman employ a full time cook who travels with the truck.
Overland Club
I’ve heard bad
things about this company, and recommend you do not use them.