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Global Odysseys

MotoTours Asia runs thirteen long-distance guided motorcycle expeditions outside Vietnam, from four to twenty-one days. They cross Tibet, the Pamir Highway, the Karakoram, Mongolia, India, Eastern Europe and South America. The company has run them since 1995 and holds an international tour operator licence issued in January 2006.

What is a Global Odyssey?

It is a real expedition, not a sightseeing loop. You cross borders, climb to five thousand metres, sleep where there is a bed and sometimes where there is only a ger. Our founder has led motorcycle journeys for thirty years; the longest ran sixty days from Hanoi to Portugal. MotoTours Asia runs three to four Everest Base Camp expeditions every year, which is why the permits, the altitude plan and the mechanic all come as standard rather than as an afterthought.

Every expedition at a glance

Expedition	Days	Route
Tibet & Everest Base Camp	15	Lijiang to Lhasa and Everest Base Camp, 3,500 km
China Self-Drive: Tea Horse Road	14	Kunming to Lhasa on the G318, 4,000 km
Hanoi to Tibet, Losar Festival	19	Vietnam, Laos, Yunnan and Tibet, 4,500 km
Yunnan & Sichuan: Shangri-La	7	Dali, Balagezong canyon, Shangri-La, Yading
Silk Road: Pamir Highway	14	Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, 2,070 km
Karakoram Highway, Pakistan	15	Hunza, Khunjerab pass at 4,693 m, Kalash valleys
Mongolia: Khuvsgul & the steppe	12	Elsen Tasarkhai dunes, Khorgo volcano, ger camps
Rajasthan: Delhi to the Taj Mahal	12	Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Pushkar, Ranthambore
Patagonia: Argentina & Chile	21	Andes passes, Patagonian steppe, Tierra del Fuego
Ecuador & Colombia	18	Snow peaks of the Andes down to the Amazon
Bolivia & Peru	16	Uyuni salt flats, Lake Titicaca, Machu Picchu
Eastern Europe	18	Thirteen countries, mountain passes and old capitals
Laos: Nam Ou River	4	Limestone gorges and river villages in northern Laos

How much experience do you need?

More than for a Vietnam tour, but less than people fear. You need a motorcycle licence, comfort on loose gravel and long days in the saddle, and a realistic view of altitude. Tibet and the Karakoram climb above four thousand metres, where the air thins and the body needs days to adjust — our itineraries build that time in. On the China routes you can also drive a 4x4 or ride in the support vehicle, so a group with mixed appetites can still travel together.

What about permits and border crossings?

This is the part travellers get wrong on their own. China requires a temporary Chinese driving permit and, for Tibet, a separate travel permit; the paperwork takes weeks and cannot be done at the border. Pakistan, Mongolia and the Central Asian republics each have their own rules. We handle it — after thirty years of running these routes, the process is routine for us and impossible for most people alone.

When do these expeditions run?

Most run between April and October, when the high passes are open. The Tibet and Karakoram routes are summer rides. Lunar New Year departures exist for the Losar festival in Tibet. South America runs on the southern-hemisphere calendar. Ask early: these are small groups and the permit lead time is long.