Fancy a trip to India? How about you jump on the bus? You know, the one dubbed ‘the Bus to London‘? It goes both ways…
Originally slated to launch back in 2021, the longest bus journey in the world is finally kicking into gear from April 2023. Not just any old bus route, this bus will take you all the way from London to Delhi, or, indeed, back again if you were on the original bus that runs from Delhi to London.
That’s a 20,000km journey, spanning some 70 days and passing through no fewer than eighteen countries during the trip. It crosses two continents! On a bus! The mind really does boggle at the prospect of spending so long on a bus, especially for someone who’s been known to grumble if the 35 gets stuck at traffic lights for too long. Who would even think up such a journey? we hear you asking. We refer you to Adventures Overland, an India-based expedition company who specialise in ambitious trips to far-flung places. For all appearances they seem more than happy to jump behind the wheel and start driving wherever their fancy takes them.
Okay, but… Why?
They’re following the example of The Indiaman bus, which took 20 passengers from London to India in 1957. Now, technically, Adventures Overland is reversing the route, as their maiden voyage will be from Delhi to London. But that bus has got to get home somehow. So they’ll also be running the trip the other way, which is where our interest is piqued. The bus will journey through the UK, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and finally India. The journey ends in Delhi.
The journey will take in a wealth of unforgettable sights and experiences. See the canals of Amsterdam, Moscow’s Red Square, the Kazakh steppe, the Great Wall of China, and the temples of Thailand and Myanmar. Hang out with giant pandas, wander the bazaars of Bishkek, and cruise on the Caspian Sea. It’s a whistle-stop tour for the restless traveller, packing in a lifetime’s worth of bucket list destinations into one bus trip. Plus, you’ll be travelling in as much comfort as a bus can afford. All seats are Business Class, with plenty of legroom, built-in entertainment systems, private lockers, Wi-Fi, and a mini pantry for water and snacks.
Should the full 70 days prove too much of a stretch to you, you can opt to join the journey for one or more of the trip’s four legs (London-Moscow, Moscow-Bishkek, Kashgar-Chengdu, Bangkok-Imphal). There are only 20 seats available, so you’ll want to act quickly to secure your place on what is sure to be a once-in-a-lifetime journey for anyone involved. Except the founders that is. This is probably like a daily commute to them at this point.
The trip from Delhi to London is scheduled to run in April 2023. The return trip from London to Delhi will take place in August 2023.
Be sure to ride the Megabus to Edinburgh and back a few times to prepare yourself!
Find out more about the London to Delhi bus here.
Also published on Medium.