Started leg 1 via Belarus and Russia; quick transportation with a 2 day stop for a full and professional car service in Volgograd (as usual) whereafter the “real” trip commenced with Kalmuckia, Dagestan and a problem free border cross into Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan countryside as tidy, clean and safe as everywhere – a garden country in some areas with superb and affordable accomodations. Difficult mountain criving and river wading in border zone to Chechya added useful expereince.
Next Georgia; upper Omalo in Tusheti 4+ hours climbing and wading. After that, after stops in TAblisi and Gori, flollowed lower Svanetia; Lentekhi, Shkhara Glacier (top 5300 m), Ushguli and Mestia. Need here be indiffernt to weather and “road” conditions – stunning scenery. From Ushguli to Mestia the poor car was “stoned” as heavy rains during the night let loose rocks on top of us – managed to get away with “minor” damages along the right side and roof of the car + a flat tire. No personal injuries.
Sad to say we never encountered any motorized European long voyage travellers; until we entered Turkey. We met with two teams Mongolian Rally participants and saw two more cars, all British, Jolly Good!
Having done the Turkish Black Sea coast and Instanbul, Greece, Macedonia and Kosovo we enjoyed Albania on tiny “roads”. Two days spent at and on Lake Komani. Made many friends here – a place/region def to be visited again.
Almost back home the final leg of our summer trip included Montenegro, Serbia, Budpaest, Krakow, Tatra mountains, Praha and some more places. A surprising new discovery (highly recommended) was the sometimes violent Tara river (we flipped doing rafting and got some bruses) with its surrounding mountains with long driveable dirt tracks – Durmitor NR.
This summer pleasure road trip took us only 31 days over less than 12 000 km (2215 ltrs gas). Piece of cake but great. End story.
Mycket spännande!!
Thank you for the story! I suppose that we have to take the way by Durmitor on our way back home from the Black Sea next summer.