The Journey

Malay Peninsular to Yunnan Province

Beginning in the modern city-state of Singapore we enjoy a welcome drink at the historic Raffles Hotel following our predeparture briefing. We board our first train across the Straits of Johor and onto the southern most tip of the Asian continent. Travelling up the Malaysian Peninsula to Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok before continuing north to the Thai-Laos border where a short road transfer takes us to the Laos capital Vientiane. After an ‘express’ start we slow down to enjoy the sights and flavours of Vientiane and Laos’ beautiful ancient capital; Luang Prabang. Then it’s aboard the new railway to China’s exotic Yunnan Province and its capital, Kunming.

China’s far-flung frontiers: Qinghai, Tibet, Gansu & the Dzungarian Gate

Home to China’s most diverse range of cultures and ethnic groups Yunnan is set in the southern foothills of the Tibetan Plateau. We skirt the mountains first to spectacular Sichuan and its capital Chengdu then by way of the incredible high-altitude QinghaiTibet railway, to Lhasa. At almost 2000 kilometres long and reaching an elevation of over 5000m this is one of the world’s greatest rail engineering feats. The Potala Palace dominates the city skyline and the sightseeing of our brief stay before we descend to Lanzhou and beyond to the Taklamakan Desert and Tien Shan mountains. We cross the Dzungarian Gate aboard the Trans-Kazakh railway to the oases and old city states of the Central Asian Silk Road.

The Silk Route: Turkistan to The Caspian Sea

We follow the northern Silk Route across the Kazakh Steppe in the footsteps of Alexander the Great, Marco Polo and Tamerlane. From Almaty and Taraz to Turkistan and Aralsk we will discover ancient Silk Road cities and architectural splendours – as well as the impact of more modern environmental impact in Alalsk; the once busy port and ship-building city now 20 kilometres from the receding Aral Sea. Finally on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea we await our ship for the next instalment of this incredible adventure.

Baku to the Bosphorus: Across the Caucasus to Istanbul

Ancient at heart, the old Silk Road town of Baku showcases some remarkable modern architecture. Leaving the Caspian Sea we board the overnight train to Tbilisi, Georgia where we can enjoy the food & wine, grand avenues and cobbled back lanes of this charming city before continuing to Yerevan. With its pavement cafes along tree lined boulevards, prolific public sculpture and basement jazz clubs you will feel you have already reached Europe.

Leaving landlocked Armenia we board the overnight train to the shores of the Black Sea and the resort town of Batumi, from where a short road section takes us across the border to Kars,Turkey where we re-join the railway. Aboard the Dogu Express to Ankara you will enjoy the spectacular scenery of eastern and central Anatolia, then on our final overnight express into Istanbul, our gateway to Europe.

An Orient Express: Istanbul to Paris and London

Following the route of the original international sleeper service ‘Orient Express’ we cross Europe East to West with overnight stays in Bulgaria’s ancient capital; Veliko Tarnovo, Bucharest, Budapest, Vienna & Paris before embarking on the Eurostar train to Kings Cross-St Pancras Station, London. Our epic rail adventure across two continents, through 16 countries, travelling over 19,000 kilometres in 60 days is at last complete.

Singapore to London: via Tibet & Kazakhstan

Fully Escorted with Sundowners Overland Tour Leader

London to Singapore: via Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand & Xian

Single

$2,830 £1,485

Deposit is $5,000 AUD per person. Full booking conditions available from your Travel Advisor.

(FROM)

GBP

Deposit is $5,000 AUD per person. Full booking conditions available from your Travel Advisor.

09 Aug - 07 Oct DATES

ESSENTIALS

2024

Group size: 15 maximum

Countries: 16

Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Austraia, France, UK

Days: 60

Distance: 19,500km

Accommodation nights:

38 hotel / Trains 19 / Ferry 2

Where possible all trains will be provided on a twin-berth basis.

Activity Level:

DATES

2024

31 Aug - 29 Oct

Group size: 15 maximum

Countries: 16

UK, France, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, China, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore Days: 60

Distance: 14,700km

Accommodation nights:

41 hotel / 16 Train / Ferry 2

Where possible all trains will be provided on a twin-berth basis.

Activity Level: CODE: SALS

* 95%+ of distance by train with some short connecting sections by road.

Your Tour Leader: Kara Cheshire

Meet Kara Cheshire, your Tour Leader from Singapore to London.

Kara’s passion for travel and sharing destinations with her clients comes naturally. Previously a Tour Leader in the Middle East exploring Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Egypt, Kara joined Sundowners Overland in 2018 and has since led journeys along the Trans Mongolian Railway, through Iran, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Kara enjoys the journey as much as the destinations, particularly extended journeys through remote regions where fleeting glimpses of village life and stunning vistas weave the journey together. An avid long distance hiker, Kara has traversed two sections of the Jordan Trail and the first section of Sinai Trail - all when they were in their early development stages.

Kara can also claim conquering Kilimanjaro as one of her greatest achievements. More adventures lie ahead with hikes planned to the Altai region of Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan.

In her words “The best part of being a tour leader is seeing people’s reactions when they get to experience or see something amazing that maybe they have always dreamed about or is a total surprise. Also, those random moments of magic that happen when you travel and stumble across something totally unexpected or unplanned”. You are guaranteed an adventure full of insights, observations and delight with Kara and we know you will enjoy your time travelling together.