Overland expertise that began with a pioneering expedition.
We didn’t start out as tour operators but as fearless explorers. It was 1964, a time when plane travel was still prohibitively pricey. A group of inquisitive Melburnians packed their lives into a couple of campervans and set off on a great adventure.
Leaving from Australia, across Asia, all the way to Europe, their careening caravan traversed lands untouched by tourism, witnessing the beauty of vast deserts, dramatic mountains and sparkling waterways. As they travelled through alluring and exotic communities, they felt nourished and warmed by the kindness of cultures far from home.
What began as a coming-of-age road trip transformed into an edifying act of discovery. The group felt compelled to share their discoveries, and help others unlock the hidden wonders of the world. Disembarking in London, it was time to start the next adventure: to share Asia overland with the world and to do it differently.
It’s been over 55 years and that passion for authentic travel is still burning brightly. Fuelled by the metamorphosis of a continent, Sundowners Overland has transcended revolutions to craft captivating journeys for generations of traveller.
We’re proud to offer the most extensive range of extraordinary expeditions across Asia and think you’ll agree, there’s something to enthral every kind of traveller.
1964 The ‘Asia Overland’ adventure begins from Australia to London in a couple of 'Combies' |
1970s New adventures beyond the ‘Iron Curtain’ into Eastern Europe and Soviet Russia |
1976 First Trans-Siberian Railway journey from Nakhodka in Russia’s Far East, Vladivostok remains closed |
Late 80s Soviet Central Asia opens up and our travellers first experience the ‘stan Soviet Republics |
1994 The Trans Kazakhstan Railway opens allowing travel from Beijing to Moscow via Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan |
1998 The Torugart Pass opens road access through the Tien Shan mountains from China to Kyrgyzstan along the fabled Silk Road |
Early 2000s Our journeys start exploring the Caucasus and new routes around the Caspian Sea |
2014 We celebrated 50 years of Asia Overland with our first journey overland from Singapore to London |
2021-22 the COVID pandemic halts touring in a way that the challenging geopolitics of the region have never achieved in over 50 years of continuous operations |
2024 will see Sundowners Overland celebrate 60 years of Sharing Asia Overland. Differently. |