Globebusters Video
The Silk Road East motorcycle expedition from London to Beijing is one of the toughest adventure rides on the planet. Motorcycling acrossing Europe, you finally reach Istanbul and the start of the fabled Silk Road.
The Globebuster’s adventure motorcycle route traverses Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and China, where they head south to Tibet, reaching Everest Base Camp and onto Lhasa, before heading north to Beijing.
This montage contains video clips from the 2009 trip and un-seen footage of the Silk Road 2010 group preparing for the expedition of a lifetime.
This must-see video also includes footage of the group at the BMW GS Off-Road School and at the rider prep meetings with interviews of the motorcyclists and expedition leaders.
Week 1
An intense ride across Europe to reach Istanbul, Turkey approximately one week after departure. Our route will see us crossing France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Solvenia, Slovakia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece. Enter Turkey and ride across the Bosphurus, declaring itself the gateway into Asia. Istanbul. Visit the Blue Mosque.
Week 2
Instanbul to Capadoccia, then north to the Black Sea Coast and cross into Georgia. Tblisi. Cross to Azerbaijan and take the ferry from Baku across the Caspian Sea into Turkmenistan.
Week 3 & 4
Arrive Turkmenbashi. The capital, Ashgabat. Erbent, Darvaza Oasis and a night visit to the burning gas crater. Cross the border at Dashovuz to Uzbekistan. The ancient Silk Road cities of Khiva, Bhukara and Samarkand, with the breathtaking Registan, UNESCO listed in 2001.
Week 4 & 5
Cross into Tajikistan. Head South to the Pamir Highway & Wakhan Valley, bordering Afghanistan on the secondest highest international highway in the world. Rugged mountain riding on unpaved roads, staying with local families. Kyrgyzstan and a night in yurts at Tash Rabat, the best preserved caravanseri on the Silk Road.
Weeks 6 & 7
Enter China via the Torugart Pass at 3,750m. Xinjiang Province. The ancient city of Kashgar and its Sunday market. Over the Khitai Davan Pass at 5,300m. Enter Tibet, the ‘Roof of the World’. High altitude riding past the sacred Mount Kailash. Stop in Tibetan tea houses at the holy Lake Manasarovar and continue riding east in the shadow of the Himalayas and to Mount Everest Base Camp (subject to authorisation).
Weeks 8 & 9
Enter the Yunnan Province and ride to "Tiger Leaping Gorge", a deep river canyon on the Yangtze River. Onto the region renamed "Shangri-la", the mythical setting for the classic tale, Lost Horizon. The jagged scenery of the Meli Xue Shan mountain range. Traditional Chinese architecture in Lijiang.
Week 10
North! Chengdu and the giant panda research base. Onto Xi’an to view the warrior figurines of the Terracotta Army. Final ride into Beijing and celebrate with BMW Beijing, eating a Peking Duck evening meal.
With the bikes packed for freight, The Great Wall awaits and then into Tian’anmen Square and the Forbidden City.
