Overland

The start of a new adventure is not easy as the Overland vehicles are held up at a port in Kerala due to complicated Indian bureaucratic procedures. So to make the most of their time, the team gets into the Hindu spirit and takes part in Arattupuzha Pooram, India's oldest and largest temple festival featuring 60 elephants. It's an eye-opener for the team and a taste of things to come.

Finally, the vehicles are released from customs and Overland is ready to start its journey. The team travels through colourful nature reserves and India's famous tea plantations and spice farms. In Madurai, they visit the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Museum and learn about India's history through the life of its founder and his philosophy of truth and non-violence.

The team visits the markets in Mysore before heading to Goa, a colonial port created by the Portuguese and still imbued with their culture, religion, and history. Here they decide to deep-sea dive in search of wreckages of old English merchant vessels. Overland then explores India's most developed city, chaotic Mumbai and visits a surprising slum where a million people live in extreme conditions.

The city of Mumbai, also known as Bombay, is, without doubt, India's most commercial, busy and advanced city. Overland visits the beautiful sites of this multicultural metropolis where Hindu temples and mosques sit side-by-side, living in harmony with one another. Back on the road, the team heads for the Rajasthan and the Thar Desert, also known as The Great Indian Desert.

The State of Rajasthan is the region where fairy-tale visions of India meet reality. Here the Overland team encounters the extraordinary colours of the blue city, Jodhpur, and discover the Bishnoi, an ancient and environmentally-friendly religious sect. They then head to the capital Jaipur, also known as the pink city or the city of Victory, before finally reaching the capital, Delhi.

Walking through the streets of New Delhi, the Overlander team becomes aware of the enormous contrast between the imposing newly-built tower blocks and old Delhi. They meet street kids living in a train station and hear their heart-wrenching stories of suffering. Then they visit the glittering Golden Temple in Amritsar, before continuing their arduous journey to Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir.

Overland reaches the most northerly point in the expedition in India: the spectacular Ladakh region, which extends between the stunning peaks of the Himalayan mountain range. The challenges for the team and their vehicles continue as they drive along roads that snake up to passes at an altitude of more than 4000 meters, where they are surrounded by lunar landscapes.

Leaving behind the Himalayan mountains, Overland visits one of the Wonders of the World, the magnificent Taj Mahal at Agra! Then the last stage of this incredible journey is the sacred city for Hindus: Varanasi on the holy Ganges River. The team delves into its daily life, encounters spell-casters, and witness rituals for funerals, purification, and thankfulness.