9 months since the end of our moto expedition around Africa, we find ourselves consumed with a burning mal d’Afrique. We crave more adventure, more sleeping under the stars after a hard day in the saddle. Our stock answer to all these is simple and replicable: hit the road again, on two motorbikes. John, the off-road specialist, switches to a KTM 690 Enduro R. Ana transitions from Sits Behind John to Rides a Suzuki DRZ 400. The new destination is Central Asia, an enduro playground of enormous scale, cultural vibrancy and harsh contrast where, remaining true to our nomadic lifestyle, we wild-camp our way across.
Silk Road to Mongolia
25.000 km of Braap, Sweat, and |Tears
Route
With Ana little more than a motorbike rookie, the itinerary looks cheeky: zoom across Romania and Bulgaria, explore the north of Turkey, linger in Georgia, rip through Russia and Kazakhstan (round the Caspian Sea and via the Volga Delta), comb Uzbekistan, focus on Tajikistan, ride alongside Afghanistan and climb into Kyrgyzstan, and zig-zag the perfect trails of Mongolia, with a return ride via Lake Baykal, Moscow & Kiev.
In Central Asia every stage brings a new challenge, with the Wakhan Corridor and the Mongolian steppe the highlights of the route.
In Central Asia every stage brings a new challenge, with the Wakhan Corridor and the Mongolian steppe the highlights of the route.
Dispatches from this adventure
Bulgaria | Turkey | Georgia | Russia | Kazakhstan | Uzbekistan | Tajikistan | Kyrgyzstan | Mongolia | Ukraine
Ulaanbaatar
After advancing for 3 months across deserts, mountains and swollen rivers, the first thing we do in ...
Steppe Flowers
August in Mongolia. As the summer heat settles in, the landscape is overflown with colour. The stepp...
The Girl from Jupiter and the Boys from the Land of the Houyhnhnms
Mongolian summers are short and brutal, like a day at Romaniacs. Since we’ve came, the road ke...
Perfect Trails Forever
Last night the wind swirled and howled like an orphaned beast. In this vast steppe there’s no ...
Genghis Khan Has Just Left the Building
Can’t really put my finger on it… nervousness, excitement, adrenaline rush, a bit of fear. W...
The Last Duck Kebap In Bishkek
In Bishkek we are couchsurfing with TC Berker, originar from Ankara and currently teaching Journalis...
Mare’s Milk Brandy And White Frost
White Frost After my little illegal detour on Chinese territory – where we aim to be since...
The Russians And The Romanians Are Brothers
Back To Kazakhstan [vc_separator type=”transparent” position=”center” thickn...
Adıl
So let’s head towards China. We’ve got a visa, all we need is balls. As to take our moto...
In The Middle Of Bloody Nowhere
Let’s cut to the chase: this is real yak blood left to rot in the middle of the street, and an...
Doppelgangers
My KTM is the first to meet its Doppelganger. In the hostel from Khorog, where there is the Irania...
Afghanistan Takes The Prize
This is where we camped. It’s our first night on the Wakhan corridor. Let us zoom in. This n...
Collateral Pleasures
(by Ana) I’m, as you well know, a rookie motorcyclist. I left Bucharest less than two months a...
Postcards From Dushanbe
This bit of our adventure starts in front of a closed border. 50 km off Samarkand two young soldiers...
The Tale Of Three Silk Road Cities – SAMARKAND
Samarkand… The name is enough to make us dream of giant empires, cruel warriors, but also sple...
