From the bustling metropolis of Istanbul to the hip mountain city of Kathmandu, travellers have been stumbling along the Hippie Trail by all forms of transport, from thumbing a lift to catching overnight trains, from hiking to bike riding, it's all been tried. OzBus is now offering an easier way to get there.
Driven by the ideals of ‘finding yourself’ the Hippie Trail served a generation of free-spirited pioneers heading east in search of enlightenment.
The route itself takes you across a mixture of cultures, languages and landscapes, from the surreal lunar landscape of Cappadocia and eerie loneliness of the wild Baluchistan desert, to the cultural hotspots of Esfahan and Lahore.
The appeal of this trip is obvious, not only is it an incredible physical journey, but also a journey of self discovery.
Using a combination of coaches and mini-buses we aim to stick to the original trail as much as possible, capturing much of the original spirit as we take in the famous Pudding Shop in Istanbul and Amir Kabir in Tehran. Kathmandu even has a road named after the trail, Freak Street, in memory of the many thousands of travellers who passed through.
Our combination of local guest houses and quaint hotels make your night stays secure and comfortable, after spending your days reaching into the souls of these less visited countries. Whilst we start and finish in the backpacker havens of Istanbul and Kathmandu, where your options are endless, it’s in between where we see the real Turkey and Iran, followed by the hospitality of Pakistan and the incredible diversity of India.
There are times when we will have some long drives in order to cover long distances, but on most days that we travel, we only move for half the day. The landscape and people you pass are never boring and most find it hard to put their head down and read whilst on the road, for fear of missing something. Sometimes we will use other forms of transport to take us to the more inaccessible areas, this could include a local rickshaw or old jeep to get us up some small mountain track.
We always try to arrive at our destination before nightfall (except under extenuating circumstances) in order to check into our accommodation and have time for dinner.
During the late 1960s and 1970s, many thousands of travellers from all over the world made their way from Europe overland to Kathmandu. This journey soon became known as the Hippie Trail, becoming a trend, unmistakeably connected to the hippie generation and pre empting the huge backpacking culture that was to follow.
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OzBus is a privately owned dynamic adventure travel company based in London and Sydney and operating in over 20 countries.
Passionate about travelling, OzBus enjoy running tours throughout parts of the world often not included on the normal ‘backpacker trails’.
Famed for starting the world's first regular overland ‘bus service ‘ between London and Sydney, OzBus have extensive knowledge of operating in both the Middle East and Indian sub-continent.
It was in keeping with these ground breaking ideas, that we decided to bring back the famed Istanbul to Kathmandu ‘Hippie trail’ popular in the 60s and 70s.
You will find the Hippie Trail crew are not only fun and adventurous, but also experienced travellers with considerable local knowledge and passion for their work. Their mission is to ensure that you have the best experience possible.
You need to be in good health, reasonably fit, and of like-minded spirit and attitude.
There is no particular type of person that travels with OzBus. Some travel in groups but many travel as individuals as it is a great way of meeting people. Some have travelled extensively and others are travelling for the first time. If you want fun, adventure and to visit places off the beaten track in countries where the day to day life is as interesting as the major sites, OzBus Hippie Trail is for you.
All that we require from you is that you have an adventurous spirit, a strong sense of fun and a longing to see the world as it really is. If this sounds like you then come along and take the trip of a lifetime.
Due to insurance reasons we are not able to take anyone under the age of 17 on our trips.