Hi everyone,

I have some very exciting news to share with you all which could, potentially, revolutionise the overlanding route from Europe to Oceania (or vice versa).

Myself and two fellow motorbikers (my hubby & a friend) have just successfully concluded a 2-month GUIDE-LESS traverse of China, from Kyrgyzstan to Laos.
From everything we gathered, this is the first LEGAL self-ride and guide-less tour of China. It took us 18 months to organize, and over a year to find an agent willing to hear us out. The law changed in China in 2013 making it perfectly legal for foreign overlanders to drive unaccompanied...yet finding an agent willing to accept and 'test' this was the hardest thing we've ever done!
But we did it, and the agent is so pleased that all worked out well that he is willing to start offering this service to anyone interested in crossing China.

If you're interested have a quick read of my latest blog post, where I detail the basics.

There is, to be honest, a heck of a lot more to share. I am already receiving queries and assume there will be soon a barrage of repeated questions. If you give me some time, I may just make another (more detailed) blog post.
Personally, I don't think this will necessarily suit everyone. We've just met a couple with a camper who did a guided traverse and they are of the opinion that they still would have wanted a guide nonetheless. They are not confident they could have done it alone.

Chris (my partner) and I have been on the road, continuously, for over a decade. China may have had it's hurdles, but we found it no more challenging that parts of Africa, South America or the Middle East. Same goes for the language/cultural barrier/bureaucracy etc etc.

From our end, the most important message we'd love to get across is that China should not be seen as simply a country to 'cross through' but a bona fide overlanding destination. It is incredibly beautiful and boasts innumerable natural wonders which simply blew us away. MOST of the country is stunning wilderness, which is the complete opposite of what we have always believed. Steer clear of the eastern side (where most of the 1.3 billion people live) and you'll enjoy a bush camping heaven bar none.

If you want any more info on this please contact me, otherwise feel free to spread the wonderful news!! )) It's a great day for motorbike overlanding!

Cheers from Laos
Laura

Hi Laura
That's excellent news, fantastic and thank you for sharing.
As you rightly say no doubt you will be inundated with questions, I have many !
but i will wait for the blog update.

I just wanted to say thanks.

now, off to read your current blog.

many, many thanks.

phil.

This is very good news! Thank you for posting!

Honestly, I was never 100% convinced that having a guide was strictly an obligation by law (I never found any official statement that any law requires it). I do agree that some areas have restrictions (for reasons we may understand). I've posted once a link to some official statements, not sure if it is country-wide rule. But no statement about having a guide or not.

Re-posted Here: Procedures for Temporary Entry Vehicles and Drivers

Definitely resketching my 2015 route

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*** Travelling is an everyday discovery of our own ignorance ***

Hey guys,
it is such a pleasure Phil to share the news and Arkean you are absolutely right, although we have now learnt that there is nothing even resembling a 'country wide law' in china. Gotta deal with the country province by province.

I'll try and finalise my second post soon, but I already know that it probably won't answer all the questions eheh
Baby steps I reason!
Cheers
Laura

This is fantastic news. This is what we "all" have been waiting for... Now to find a container from Colombia to Vladiwostok?

Adventurous greetings,
Coen

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- On the road since 2003 in a vintage Land Cruiser

Hey guys!

You would not believe the number of emails I have received in the last 5 days...blimey!
Not that I was rushed or anything ahaha...but here is a blog update! Part 1 is about on all the things you need to know BEFORE you go.

What you need to know-Part 1

Please wait until part 2 is also published and then feel free to message me if you still have questions

Cheers for now! Laura

about Temporary Entry Vehicles and Drivers
I am a Chinese live in Canada,
1. to get a temporary driver licence is easy , you don't even to take a paper test you can get it .if you want get a five years driver licence you just need pass a paper test in one week.
2. to get a temporary vehicle plate is not that easy.in that "Registration of Temporary Entry Vehicles", the hard part is d." The entry permit of the vehicle issued by Chinese Customs;"
3.I think there are some bylaw for Xinjiang Province for ESCORT.this is not a big issue

I want drive my KLR from Canada to China in 2016, I think I can figure out how to get in China.

Hey Laura,

Are you still planning to write on your blog the second part that you mentioned in some posts before??

GRTZ,

Jeroen

Not for me.



Hello everybody,


I spend the last three months trying to find an agency in China to help me to cross the borders and travel WITHOUT a guide for two months in June and July 2015.

Most of the agencies that I contacted would not even answer. The ones that would answer told me that I cant travel without a guide. I found only one agency, that said it could be possible without a guide, and this agency is the one that Laura mentioned

www.chinatierradeaventura.com

and after some emails, Ricard gave me a quote for the following journey.

One bike, one rider. Entering Beginning of June 2015 at Suifenhe (Mudanjang) / Pogranicoyj (Ussurijsk) coming from Russia. Travelling for two months (60 days) and than leaving to Kirgistan.


This is the qoute from Ricard:


About the cost in China, be ready for a heart attack,
-ONLY ONE VEHICLE
Enter and exit fee including temporary driving license, temporary license for vehicle, insurance. 50000 RMB (today’s rate is 7,7 RMB one Euro)
Guide service including support vehicle (is mandatory in most of the places you will be) 3000 RMB7PER DAY

The cost if you can joint some other travelers will drop quite a lot cause some of the cost can be share


For my journey this would cost me: 38000 Usd plus fuel and hotels.

As soon as I got the quote, I asked Ricard if he made a mistake with the zeros, but he confirmed that this was the price. So, I have to tell nobody here on the Hubb, that I am not going to look for other travelers to share this amount. There is no way that I will get the costs down to something that I want to afford.


This leaves me with three options. Renting a bike. Buying a bike. Getting my bike over the border without paperwork ;-)

There is still plenty of time, but I wont try the official version over an agency anymore.

Hope this helps somebody to plan his journey to China.

Greetings from Finland
mika

Hi,

Great news. You write

Would you give us some numbers?

Thanks, Tobi

At long last .....the missing link !! whoop whoop

Hey guys, glad you're all so enthusiastic about this new option for China.
Yes Chris, the link to CTA's website is not operational, but you can just leave them a message there on theie FB page. Page should work and should be open also to non-members, but I do give his email address at the end of my 'Things to know BEFORE' blog.

Toby, in that same blog I also explain why I am reluctant to name our price. Each crossing has different costs, depending on which border one choose, which (and how many) provinces one chooses etc etc and especially if you wish to cross Tibet, for which you still need a guide.

If you've researched overlanding in China then you would know that it is not a cheap country to get into and travel through. The guide cost is 'only' about $100 a day and this is the only cost you'll be avoiding by going independently, which is still a lot mind you!
Ball-park figure, permit costs range between $2,000 and $4,000 per vehicle depending on where/when/how.

Only $100/day,if you look at many reports at all this is manys daily budget.
Sure we have places that are a must see, so have put aside for that but China ,a trip from Thailand is more doable.the Burma Road is still being held captive to high prices also, regardless of the money poured in since 2001 for an open asian road.

Hi riders, why not try ridechina to find a solution riding cross China? These guys are riders and willing to help younwith any budget.
Other agencies may send a car and a guide, we ourselves will ride with you crossing China. China Motorcycle Tours,Rentals and self drive tours-Ride China

I am glad you liked China, for me it is great to hear people say that. I wish all the people you met were friendly and helpful.

P.S. I really don't think you are legally allowed to ride cross China without a guide. Did you have the Papers with you? Did you see those papers? Did Richard see those papers? Did Richard's China agent know you were alone without a guide? Sorry for thoses straight questions. I wish the riders are led to the right way, a way that is legal and safe.

We really don't like idea of permit, hoping one day everyone can travel freely anywhere in China.

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China Motorcycle Tours, rentals and self-drive, ride-in tours www.ridechina.com

Hi RideChina,

we loved China and rate it as the most fascinating country we've ever travelled throuhg. After more than a decade of continuous travel, this is quite the feat. people were incredibly friendly and hospitable, food was delish and the nature just blew our minds ))

As for our paperwork, of course Ricard and his team knew we were travelling alone, something which has been permitted for quite some time I believe.
We had 32 pages of permits with us at all times and, just for our curiosity, had them all professionally translated. No-where does it state we needed a guide except for Xinjiang province and nowhere did it state that the guide had to be a 'professional', only a 'Chinese citizen with Chinese driver's licence'. This is when Ricard's fiends helped out. the only other restriction was that the 3 of us had to ride together, always. get in together and get out together. Plus, of course, the permits specified our route and stated we were not to ride outside of the provinces for which we had permits.

If you re-read the post before yours you'll get a good idea of where the problem is. There is no such thing as a 'that's the law so that's it' mentality in China. Each province is a law onto itself, so had we been stopped by a policeman who believed we HAD to be guided, it would have been up to us to argue it out. We were ready for that, although were never stopped, in 8 weeks and almost 8000km ride. Actually we were stopped once but that's only because they wanted photos )))

The most important point I wanted to make with all the posts and shares, is that I never meant to say that Ricard is the ONLY agent on the planet who can do this. It took me 18 months of back and forth to convince HIM to let us go it alone (legally) so meant for it to be an incentive for anyone else that it IS possible, if one is willing to put in some hard work. We did it and I believe others can do it too. That's all.

I've been getting various emails these past weeks from travellers complaining that the price is still too high, the time taken to organise is too long, it's all too much hard work blah blah blah It took 18 months of my life, and much, much effort to get the deal we got. It was seriousness and perseverance that paid off but somehow some people think it is now served on a silver platter for all to enjoy. I visited every Chinese embassy we came across for over a year and in 12 different countries. I quizzed ambassadors, buttered them up and asked for info. I got people interested in our cause so they could research the law, get us contacts, collect business cards...anything which could potentially be of help. I got friends of friends in China to call rental car companies and gov't officials. I worked my rear end off and anyone who wants to follow suit will have to do the same for quite some time to come, I believe, until more companies are willing to offer independent trips. We actually have the names of 2 other companies who agreed to let us travel alone, only they still wanted to charge the price of a guide (???) obviously, we refused, but it's proof that they KNOW we are allowed to do this, they just don't want to decrease their profits.

Anyway, very happy travels to all )))