SerialHikers

French adventurers who travelled the world flight-free, by hitchhiking

Persian recipes

1 July 201824 June 2022
Iran, West Asia, World Recipes

Ancestral, varied and original cuisine, Persian recipes are distinguished by their complex mixtures of spices and herbs, dried fruits and nuts – for a very surprising result, both in terms of taste and flavors they give off. It must be said that the dish is only the culmination of a long culinary journey, which begins in the local bazaar: a place that intoxicates our senses, as if to better prepare us for this initiatory tasting. Today, we are proud to make you travel to Iran with these Persian recipes!

The strange sunken forest of Kaindy Lake – Kazakhstan

1 July 201813 June 2022
Central Asia, Kazakhstan

When we traveled in southern Kazakhstan, one thing struck us: endless arid steppes have just given way to huge mountains with green slopes and snowy peaks. We were delighted to see this mountain range – hiking is our passion, and mountains are our favorite playground! We wasted no time in asking locals: “What to see in the surroundings?” “Do you know any good hiking trails?” They gave us several names, showed us pictures, pointed out places on a map. Among them was Kaindy – a spruce forest sunk in a high-altitude lake, whose specificity aroused our curiosity…

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Hayghar, the Iranian Grand Canyon – Iran

18 June 201813 June 2022
Iran, West Asia

Hosted in Tehran by a couple passionate about nature and backpacking, we took advantage of their knowledge of their country to draw up a list of remarkable, natural places off the beaten track. Our request brought them into an intense thought; when suddenly, a name came up: Hayghar. “It’s the Grand Canyon of Iran, but we don’t know where to find it. Only locals know it”. Wait, an Iranian Grand Canyon, impossible to find? Challenge accepted!

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Fifty shades of colors: Hormuz, the rainbow island

18 June 201824 June 2022
Iran, West Asia

While talking to Vincent, a French traveler in Iran, he advised us to visit absolutely Hormuz island. “What is so special about this island?” “You will see…”. Done! Our decision was taken: we will camp on Hormuz and discover the island by ourselves! Landed on Hormuz, we found ourselves in a very simple village, inhabited by men with sun-kissed skin and veiled from head to toe women… Surrounded by tuk-tuk, lost under an overwhelming heat, we quickly left the village to explore this island and its secrets!

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Transit visa for Turkmenistan in Iran & border crossing at Bajgiran

18 May 20189 June 2022
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Turkmenistan

In order to continue our adventure towards Central Asia, we had to travel through Turkmenistan. Problem: this country, rather closed, is known to regularly refuse visa applications, without any valid reason… We still tried our luck by making a request for a transit visa transit for Turkmenistan in Tehran, Iran. And we got it!

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Caucasian recipes

13 April 20186 July 2022
Armenia, Georgia, West Asia, World Recipes

To fully appreciate the Caucasian recipes, we had to roll up our sleeves before sitting down, learn how to feed ourselves by tearing a piece of Lavash (bread) and eat Caucasian dishes with our fingertips. Today, we invite you to discover these stomach-filling dishes, with their coriander, tarragon and dill flavors, which take us straight to the heart of the snowy highlands of the Caucasus!

A visit to Nagorno Karabakh

12 April 201813 June 2022
Armenia, West Asia

Post updated on November 12, 2020

Hitchhiking through the south of Armenia, with our first Armenian host (who became a friend) Mariam, an idea came out: what if we visited Nagorno Karabakh, before leading to Iran? Mariam offered us her help: she convinced Edgar, one of her acquaintances, to accommodate us in Shushi (or Susa) – a strategic, magnificent and historical city located a few kilometers from Stepanakaert, the administrative capital of Nagorno Karabakh. The beginning of a crazy visit into the heart of this self-proclaimed republic…

Goris peaks, Khndzoresk troglodytes and the wings of Tatev – Armenia

30 March 201813 June 2022
Armenia, West Asia

At the end of our Armenian roadtrip we ended up in Goris, a peaceful town in South Armenia, at the crossroads of the roads towards Nagorno Karabagh, Yerevan and Iran, our next destination. But Goris is not an Armenian city like any other – it’s a city with a special charm, and an easy starting point for two remarkable places: Khndzoresk and the wings of Tatev!

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Nagorno Karabakh visa & border crossing

28 March 201813 November 2020
Armenia

Post updated on November 12, 2020

When we crossed Armenia in March 2018 during our no-flight journey around the world, we decided to also explore the self-independent republic of Nagorno Karabakh (or Artsakh). From this intense experience, we wanted to transcribe all essentials to know to make your Nagorno-Karabakh visa and to cross the “border” from Armenia!

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The Chiatura’s rusted cable cars – Georgia

26 February 201813 June 2022
Georgia, West Asia

When we were advised to visit Kastkhi Peak (a monastery built on the top of a narrow rocky outcrop, 45m above the ground), the name Chiatura was also mentioned. “It’s a very old mining town, partially abandoned, located at the bottom of a valley… There are about 17 cable car lines in the town to take you up to the heights. Take them; you will have a nice view of the town and the nearby mountains!” We quickly realized, once we got there, that the (really nice) lookouts would be nothing if there wasn’t something even nicer: a ride on rusted cable cars.

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Hitchhiking stories: the first time we hitchhiked

29 January 201813 June 2022
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Alternative Travel, Travel Stories

When we started to travel, we weren’t hitchhiking: Julien experimented hitchhiking for the first time by chance, and introduced me to the practice later on! From that first time we hitchhiked, who would have thought that we would have made hitchhiking our main means of transportation for our great world tour? Certainly not us at that time, and yet… Without this very special experience, we wouldn’t be here today!

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Turkish recipes

31 December 20179 June 2022
Turkey, West Asia, World Recipes

Reputation of Turkish gastronomy is well established: rich, varied and tasty, Turkish recipes have kept their Asian roots while adapting to locally grown products – sun-filled fruits and vegetables from the Mediterranean region. What if today we took some food inspiration from Turkey?