EP1: In this video we show you some first nice impressions of our trip from Switzerland to the Greek island of Chios. On Chios we got stuck in the pebble beach, and destroyed the tire valves. But the story continues, don't worry. At the end we give you some tips for the entry to Turkiye.
Ep2: In this video we drive with our Mercedes Vario 4x4 from the ferry port Cesme / Turkiye to Ihlara valley in Central Anatolia, which is already part of the Cappadocia region. On the way there is a lot to discover, like the white terraces of Pamukkale, the monasteries and carve dwellings in Ihlara valley and the Salda lake with its snow-white beaches, also known as the Maldives of Turkiye.
Ep3: In this video we explore the amazing Cappadocia of Turkiye. We hike through valleys with stunning rock formations and visit nice villages. For sure we discover great spots with our Mercedes Vario 4x4 to watch the balloons in the early morning. What a show! At the end of this video we invite you to join our balloon flight over Cappadocia and we show you a timelapse video of the balloons in the sunset.
Ep4: In this video we drive with our Mercedes Vario 4x4 from Cappadocia down to the hot southeast of Türkiye. We visit Kahramanmaras, where we enjoy the famous Maras icecream. And drive to Gaziantep with its beautiful bazars. We do a boattrip on Euphrat river to Rumkale castle. Finally we drive to the mystic mountain of gods, to Nemrut Dagi, to enjoy cooler temperatures.
Ep5: It is so hot in the southeast of Turkiye, that we book a hotel in Mardin. Mardin is such a fantastic town with an oriental touch. Temperatures are still high, so we cant wait to drive to Lake Van at 1700m altitude. At Lake Van we do not only discover the huge Nemrut Dagi Crater (where bears live), but also beautiful overnight spots around the lake. From Lake Van our trip continues to Turkiye's highest mountain, the Ararat. Sure, that we visit the Ishak Pasa Palast there.
Ep6: We enter Georgia and are surprised by this little country at the Caucasus. Great landscapes, friendly people and delicious food. We visit the capital Tbilisi as well as the monasteries of Vardzia and Mzcheta, before we drive the Georgian Military Road to the Russian border. The Greater Caucasus offers amazing sights, especially in Truso Valley. At the end of this video we drive into the wine region of Kakheti.
Ep7: In this video with drive with travel fellows on the beautiful offroad track from Lentekhi to Ushguli. We stay for a few days in Ushguli at 2200m altitude and enjoy the views, surrounded by huge mountains (over 5000m). Next stop is a chateau with a real prince and princess, before we make a stop at the Black Sea. Batumi, the Las Vegas of Georgia, is another highlight of this tour. Finally we drive over the Goderdzi passroad to Madatapa lake at the Armenian border.
Ep8: In this video we drive through North Armenia. We visit the beautiful cities of Gjumri and Yerevan, eat delicious sturgeon, we stay several days at Sevan Lake, we drive to various Armenian monasteries and on Aragats mountain, the highest mountain of Armenia. Our overnight spot at an altitude of 3200m is our new record with the Benz. Will our heating work? At Aragats we find also an anti gravitation area, which we test.
Ep9: In this video we present you the 3Gs Camp near Yerevan, which is THE overlander meetup place in Armenia. Then we drive to South Armenia, through the impressive Armenian highland to just before the Iranian border. On the way we pass the beautiful monasteries of Khor Virap and Noravank. The route goes through the conflict region with Azerbaischan. At the end of the video we tell you about our travel fellows for Iran.
Ep10: In this video we start on the Armenian side and cross the border into Iran. First we visit Khoy city, where we get money and a SIM card. Then we drive to the amazing salt lake Urmia. From there it is not far away to Tabriz city, well known for its huge basar. We are deeply impressed by the hospitality of the people, especially in these challenging times in Iran. Of course we need diesel from time to time, but this is not so easy to get.
Ep11: In this video we will be faced with the highest level of travel warning for Iran. We meet with other overlanders to share our thoughts. We have two options. Either we drive on the shortest way to Iraq border and then continue to Kuwait. Or we stay in Iran, reduce our trip to a minimum including the cities of Qazvin, Kashan and Isfahan, but continue only in a group and with a guide. Are we really ready to leave Iran already now?
Ep12: We are in the 2 million city of Isfahan. Of course we visit the second largest place of the world. But Isfahan offers much more, for example beautiful mosques and basars. From Isfahan we drive to TakTaku guesthouse, the overlander meeting point in Iran, where we relax a few days. Then we drive into Dash-e Kavir desert to watch the amazing sand dunes and camels. There we got stuck in the sand. The trip ends at the Garmeh oasis.
Ep13: The desert city of Yazd is our favorite city in Iran. An old town of mud bricks, combined with amazing Persian buildings. Especially at sunset our dreams from 1001 nights come true. After a stop in the former residence capital of the Persion empire (Persepolis) we continue to the huge city of Shiraz. Also there we are deeply impressed by the beauty of the Persian buildings. From Shiraz we drive within 3 days to the border of Iraq.
Ep14: We received a lot of questions from you about our last 4 Iran videos (over Youtube, Instagram, eMail). In this video we try to answer all your questions.
Ep15: In this video we show you the super annoying border crossings from Iran to Iraq and from Iraq to Kuwait. For both crossings we spent 14 hours in total. What a surprise, when we were invited for tea by the Kuwait border control. In the following days we explore the mega city of Kuwait located at the Persian Gulf, with its impressive skyline, a huge mosque, an even bigger shopping mall, a fascinating fish market and a stylish soukh. And: we can watch a camel race.
Ep16: In this video we drive the east coast of Saudi Arabia with our Mercedes Vario 4x4. We stay several days at Judah's Thumb, and at this rock we crash our drone unfortunately. The city of Hofuf surprises us with its beautiful center and its soukh. There we meet Erkan, who takes us on a cool offroad tour with his Jeep into the desert. We are happy about a few relaxing days at the Persian Gulf, before we continue our trip to UAE (Emirates).
Ep17: In this video we drive from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The border crossing is easy. Along the coast of the Persian Gulf we pass Dannah, before we arrive at Abu Dhabi and later at Dubai. We are impressed by the skyline of these mega cities, by the huge malls and the amazing mosque from 1001 nights. In this country everything is touristy, even the fish market. Due to the lack of adequate overnight spots in Dubai we check in into a hotel.
Ep18: In this video we stay for some days in Dubai to visit the old part at the Creek and Dubai Marina. We get in contact with Denis from the Offroad Club Dubai, who invites us for a cool offroad dune trip into the desert. From Dubai we drive to Al Ain, where we watch the traditional camel market. We celebrate New Year's Eve in the desert, with Mike & Debra from the Offroad Club Al Ain.
Ep18+: This is a bonus video to Ep18, showing the best driving scenes of the dune bashing trip. Thanks very much Denis and his friends from the Offroad Club Dubai for the invitation. It was a great ride. We felt like beeing on a race track. We spent 5 hours in the dunes of Al Ain. Crazy, what these Toyota FJ Cruisers can do.
Ep19: In this video we cross the border to Oman. Our first stops are Wadi Damm and Jebel Shams (the highest mountain of Oman) in the Hajar mountains. The offroad track over the mountains is our toughest experience so far: Very steep tracks, and sometimes our tires loose its grip. From the mountains we drive to Al Sawadi at the sea for a snorqel trip to Diymaniyat islands. And we also visit a camel race.
Ep20: In this video we drive to Muscat to visit the fish market and the soukh. Then we drive again to the Hajar mountains, to a spectacular canyon at Jebel Akhdar. In Nizwa we get up early in the morning to experience the famous animal market. But also the old town of Nizwa is worth a visit. Then we start the long desert trip of over 900 kilometers from Nizwa to Salalah in the tropical south of Oman, where we are enjoy the pleasant climate as well as fresh coconuts and bananas.
Ep21: In this video we drive 900km along the coastline. We start south of Salalah and drive up to the fishing village of Khaluf. The southern part of the coastline is spectacular and reminds us of the famous Highway No1 in the USA. Highlights are amazing wadis, like Wadi Darbat and Wadi Shuwaymiya. We discover the sugar white sand of the sugar dunes and search for dolphins. Of course we also explore the sights of Salalah city.
Ep22: This is the 4th Oman video, before we enter Saudi Arabia. In this video we continue to drive the coast of Oman north. First to the turtle beach, where we luckily see turtles. Then to the dhow factory in Sur. Afterwards we drive to the amazing Wadi Tiwi and Wadi Shab. For a dolphin tour we head to Muscat again, but we also need to go to a Mercedes workshop. Passing Nizwa, Bahla and Ibri, we then drive to the border of Saudi Arabia.
Ep23: In this video we drive the first 1000km from the Oman border through the Rub al Khali desert to Riyadh. A huge city not easy to explore. We are very happy about the support by Fahad. North of Riyadh we drive to the impressive cliffs of Edge of Alammariya and to two beautiful mud brick villages. A highlight is the rock Faisal Finger, which reminds us of the Monument Valley in the USA. Now we drive the next 1000km through the desert to Najran city in the very south.
Ep24: In this video we first explore Najran city in the south. Then we drive on the scenic road through the Asir mountains, on an altitude of over 2000m. Monkeys are all along the road. We enjoy the pleasant temperatures in the mountains and do trips to the beautiful spots at Rijal Almaa, Thee Ain and Ash Shafa. Then we continue to Jeddah city, where we see not only the beautiful houses with the wooden balconies, but also the worlds highest water fountain.
Ep25: In this video we start at Rabigh Beach at the Red Sea, where we do a snorqel trip. We pass Medina, and drive on lava tracks to the impressive Khaybar vulcano area with its amazing white vulcano. Now it is time for offroad. On sandy tracks we drive to the Split Rock, passing by special rock formations like the Chinese Dragon and the Sphinx. Finally we drive to the tourist mecca of Al Ula. There we visit the Old Town, the tombs of Hegra and the Elephant Rock.
Ep26: In this video we drive with our Mercedes Vario 4x4 to amazing rock formations (Rainbow Arch, Mushroom Rock) in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, before we explore the impressive Wadi Deesah and afterwards the Grand Canyon. At the Red Sea we discover not only a beautiful coastal road, but also a plane wreck and a ship wreck, well known as the Titanic of Saudi Arabia.
Ep27: In this video we arrive at our 12th country on our Orient trip, in Jordan. In the south of Jordan are 3 top highlights: The coral reefs of Aqaba, the Wadi Rum desert and the ancient town of Petra. The ancient empire of the Nabataeans left their tracks everywhere, and we follow them with our Mercedes Vario 4x4. Of course, we explore the underwater world of the Red Sea.
Ep28: From the ancient city of Petra we drive to Dana Nature Reserve to do some hikes around Camp Nawatef. The crusader castles of Shobak and Karak are on our way to the lowest point on earth, the Dead Sea. In Amman, the cool Jordan capital, we visit the colourful soukh and an Arabian cooking class. The ancient Roman cities of Jerash and Umm Qais are must sees. We also pass various biblical sites. Our tour ends close to the border of Israel.
Ep29: This is the last video of our Orient trip. We enter Israel from Jordan. We have heard a lot about this border crossing, so we are well prepared. Due to the heavy traffic in Israel we decide for an earlier vessel shipment of our truck. So we have only a few days in Israel, which we spend in Akko, Jaffa and Tel Aviv. Then we ship our truck to Greece. In this video we present you all the significant costs for the border crossing and the shipment. With the ferry from Greece to Italy we get back to Central Europe. After 1 year of travels we arrive in Switzerland in June 2023.