As it says really can you ride overland from the UK to Thailand ive done a search and most of the posts are quite old. Has anyone done this trip and what sort of costs would be involved ??????

__________________
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.

Many have completed similar trips but you cannot ride through Burma, so you must ship from India to Thailand. There is an alternative if you consider the stans and China, but you must have a guide in China which makes the trip very expensive.

As for costs it depends on how long you intend this trip to take, what bike you are using, if there are one or two of you and would you be camping whenever possible to are you the type who likes to sample 4/5 star hotels. If you outline your ideas more fully I'm sure people will give you a rough idea of the possible costs.

Enjoy

Joyce

HI, As someone who has looked at this route over the last two years...There is no reason why it cannot be done, however you have two options.
1. Overland which means you will have China forced on you since Burma, is as far as I am aware is impossible. China is viewed on here as too expensive by many, it will cost in the region of $100 per day to travel through China and the minimum number of days seems to be 20 ishh and that doesn't leave a lot of free time if any. The $100 is for the guide and does not include your expenses..hotels fuel etc.
2. Fly or ship the bike from India to Thailand. The costs for this will be less than transit costs for China, an airfare for yourself and shipping for your bike ( I would advise that Sea and air freight costs are not that far apart when all the costs are added together). You will spend days in various offices arranging paperwork and getting forms stamped etc...

My take on it is.... the transit of China has a value as an experience far above the shipping and flying. This is a personal thing and only you can decide if the extra cost to transit China is offset by the trip.

Total costs...hmm how long is a piece of string..I am sure the whole journey could be done in 7 weeks Uk to Khazak China border 3 weeks, Transit China 3 weeks, Loas to Thailand 1 week. Fuel,food,visa fees,accommodation and China guide. 49 days at an average of ??? put your best guess here lol. I would estimate £100 per day.

No doubt someone will have a different view on the costs, each to their own. I travelled UK to Vladivostok and on to South Korea and camped for only three nights on the entire trip, but I was short on time, I did the trip in 7 weeks and camping eats an extra hour or two a day. Adds up to 500 600 miles less travelled in a week, so by not camping I did the journey in the time I had available, not ideal but it was the only way I could do it.

I still want to travel UK to Thailand through China.... 1 other rider and a 4x4 would be the ideal group to share the costs, anyone?.


Jimmy

Costs can vary a lot, I am not sure $100 is right, I would have thought a lot less than that, $60 might be closer. (a wage is only $450 a month) I am working on getting my Chinese driving licence.
I just can't drive crazy enough yet though !! Every city is different, some cities, are sedate drivers, some are drive by the seat of their pants.

I have lived in China, and there is just so much to see and do,it is beyond what many will imagine China to be, and the more you are here, the more you will like it. I think.

Depends if you are willing to pay more, I very rarely go shopping by myself, {foreigner = price rises}
You can stand back in amazement and see the prices tumble when it is negotiated in Chinese.

That's an ideal situation, a group is great, I spend most of my time in far east coast of China, Yantai, Shandong province, and I have considered a drive the full width of China.
Trouble is, I know so many very nice places to visit, crossing China would take me a year.
Some of the highways here are better than world class.
Another thing to remember is, trucks over a certain size are not allowed on the road during daylight hours.
They are confined to night time driving, some thing I thing UK should follow up on.





'vette

As a matter of interest what time of year would be best to travel through china??
Andy

__________________
Andy L

From the midnight sun to the silk & rhubarb roads, 2014
I am not an adventure rider, just a biker that has adventures.

Hi Andy,

Well China is so huge, the climate is different all over China.
Up in Harbin, (North East) is the Ice Sculpture Capital of the World.
but it is very cold as you would expect.
Today about minus 30 deg.

Harbin Ice and Snow Festival Takes International Stage


Or take yourself along the southern China, Guangzhou area, and have plus 20 deg. Guangzhou, is just north of Hong Kong.
Pearl River Scenery, Night Cruise, Guangzhou

Winter time here coincides with winter in Europe.

So the best time is March April May, then September October, November.
Outside that it is too hot, or too cold.
Depending what you like, perhaps Gobi desert is ok for some, but far too much for me
Gobi Desert - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Taklamaken desert
Taklamakan Desert - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If you are interested in good places to visit, just shout up.

'vette