Click here to view map of actual route travelled so far

Our original route plans can be found here. This is just a rough guide and will almost certainly change somewhat as we go along. Forks on the map indicate where we have a couple of options, depending on whether we want or need to visit major cities. On all the maps below you can click on the red boxes to see a more detailed map of that section of the route.

The route through Europe, as far as Turkey:

Passage through Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan:

EDIT: While plan A remains to travel through Iran, we have thought it prudent to consider other possibilities in case passing through Iran isn't possible. The most likely alternative would be to head north from Turkey into Georgia, then Azerbaijan, where we would take the Baku-Turkmenbashi ferry across the Caspian Sea to Turkmenistan, and pick up the route there. Obviously we'll keep a close eye on the situation, and make a decision closer to the time.

The final section through Kazakhstan and China. We have a few options here; one that we are quite keen on is to enter China via one of the mountain passes from Kyrgyzstan, such as the 12,000 ft Torugart Pass, and then travel through Kashgar. If we have time we're also quite keen to visit Xi'an, home of the famous Terracotta Warriors. It's a bit off the direct route to Beijing but is the traditional start/end of the Silk Road, so would be nice to pass through for completeness!