Where this rig can actually go — a van-accessibility map, the country detail behind it, and four worked one-year routes costed leg-by-leg, van vs no-van, with experiences and climbing.
Every country shaded by how van-friendly it is right now (2026). Hover for the reason; drag to pan, +/− to zoom.
Ratings are indicative — re-check before travel.
| Country | Van access | Carnet | Safety (DFAT) | Schengen | Cost | Diesel | Wild camping | 🧗 Climbing | Why |
|---|
* No formal carnet, but a foreign-vehicle permit (often a guide/convoy) is required instead. Safety = Australian DFAT Smartraveller levels.
Each row is a country: weeks there, the 🚐 van cost (fuel + self-catered food + border to next), the ✈️ no-van cost (accommodation + eating out + flight to next), ✨ experiences (🚐 = van-only), and 🧗 climbing for a trad traveller.
| Leg · weeks | 🚐 Van | ✈️ No-van | ✨ Experiences | 🧗 Climbing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal 5 weeks | Fuel ~$490 Food ~$110/wk→ Spain: drive, open border | Accom ~$770/wk Food ~$330/wk→ flight Lisbon→Madrid ~$60–150 | Benagil cave kayak ~$60 Sagres surf ~$75 Clifftop wild-sleep free 🚐 | Good · Sintra / Sagres DWS sport + DWS, partly trad |
| Spain 8 weeks | Fuel ~$900 Food ~$120/wk→ Morocco: Algeciras–Tangier ferry ~$245–350 | Accom ~$820/wk Food ~$390/wk→ flight Madrid→Marrakesh ~$120–220 | Rioja winery tour ~$155 Alhambra, Granada ~$30 | World-class · Riglos / Picos / La Pedriza mostly sport, real trad pockets |
| Morocco 3 weeks · duck-out | Fuel ~$395 Food ~$70/wk→ back to Spain: ferry ~$245–350 (or leave van, fly in) | Accom ~$330/wk Food ~$165/wk→ return ferry / onward | Sahara camel trek + desert camp (Merzouga) ~$130–200/night | Todra Gorge (limestone) — outside the climbing study |
| France 8 weeks | Fuel ~$1,185 Food ~$130/wk→ Italy: Mont Blanc/Fréjus tunnel toll ~$80–100 | Accom ~$1,000/wk Food ~$460/wk→ flight Paris→Milan ~$70–160 | Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix ~$135 Verdon kayak ~$50–80 Alpine col wild-sleep free 🚐 | World-class · Verdon / Chamonix / Fontainebleau trad-friendly — yes |
| Italy 8 weeks | Fuel ~$1,190 Food ~$120/wk→ Switzerland: vignette ~$71 | Accom ~$900/wk Food ~$430/wk→ flight Milan→Zurich ~$80–170 | Dolomites via ferrata ~$280–380 Amalfi/Capri boat ~$85–150 Dolomiti pullouts free 🚐 | World-class · Dolomites big-wall / Sardinia trad — yes |
| Switzerland 3 weeks | Fuel ~$500 + vignette $71 Food ~$150/wk→ Germany: open border | Accom ~$1,300/wk Food ~$600/wk→ flight Zurich→Munich ~$80–160 | Glacier Express ~$380 Alpine via ferrata ~$250–350 | World-class · Grimsel / Salbit granite splitter cracks — trad yes |
| Germany 5 weeks | Fuel ~$830 Food ~$120/wk→ Denmark: open border | Accom ~$870/wk Food ~$390/wk→ flight →Copenhagen ~$70–140 | Neuschwanstein ~$35 Black Forest / Berlin ~$25–40 Riverside Stellplatz cheap 🚐 | Good · Frankenjura / Elbsandstein sport; Elbe trad is slings-only (no cams) |
| Denmark 3 weeks | Fuel ~$345 (+bridge $50) Food ~$140/wk→ Norway: Hirtshals–Kristiansand ferry ~$280 | Accom ~$1,150/wk Food ~$520/wk→ flight Cph→Oslo ~$70–150 | Tivoli Gardens ~$35 Copenhagen canal + food day ~$40 Dune pullouts free 🚐 | Limited — flat country, skip |
| Norway 7 weeks | Fuel ~$1,210 (+tolls $150–300) Food ~$150/wk→ Sweden: open border | Accom ~$1,350/wk Food ~$640/wk→ flight Oslo→Stockholm ~$80–180 | Geirangerfjord kayak ~$160 Tromsø aurora chase ~$180–350 Atlantic Road + Trollstigen free 🚐 Wild-camp fjords free 🚐 | World-class · Lofoten granite / Troll Wall the trad jewel — bring the full rack |
| Sweden 4 weeks | Fuel ~$840 Food ~$140/wk→ Finland: ferry ~$540–730 (or drive around ~$380) | Accom ~$1,150/wk Food ~$530/wk→ flight Stockholm→Helsinki ~$75–160 | Icehotel, Jukkasjärvi ~$490/night Lakeside allemansrätten wild-camp free 🚐 | Good · Bohuslän granite cracks pure trad crack climbing — yes |
| Finland 4 weeks | Fuel ~$835 Food ~$150/wk→ end (or Helsinki→Tallinn ferry south) | Accom ~$1,200/wk Food ~$540/wk→ end of loop | Glass-igloo aurora stay, Lapland ~$500–1,650/night | Some · Olhava granite wall partly trad |
| ~52 weeks | ~$24k for the year | ~$84k for the year | Ice-hotel / glass-igloo are once-a-trip splurges, not weekly. Van excludes its own purchase + ~$40k round-trip shipping. | |
| Leg · weeks | 🚐 Van | ✈️ No-van | ✨ Experiences | 🧗 Climbing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poland 5 weeks | Fuel ~$570 Food ~$120/wk→ Lithuania: drive (Schengen) | Accom ~$620/wk Food ~$360/wk→ bus Warsaw→Vilnius ~$40 | Wieliczka salt mine ~$54 Auschwitz guided ~$30 Tatra wild-camp free 🚐 | Good · Sokoliki granite cracks trad mecca — yes; + Jura sport |
| Lithuania 3 weeks | Fuel ~$335 Food ~$115/wk→ Latvia: drive | Accom ~$560/wk Food ~$330/wk→ bus Vilnius→Riga ~$30 | Hill of Crosses self-drive ~$15 🚐 Curonian Spit dunes ~$25 | Limited — bouldering only |
| Latvia 2 weeks | Fuel ~$215 Food ~$115/wk→ Estonia: drive | Accom ~$560/wk Food ~$340/wk→ bus Riga→Tallinn ~$25 | Riga Art Nouveau ~$20 Gauja NP / Sigulda ~$25 | Limited — flat, no cliffs |
| Estonia 3 weeks | Fuel ~$255 Food ~$120/wk→ Hungary: long drive, re-transit Poland (+fuel/days) | Accom ~$590/wk Food ~$400/wk→ flight Tallinn→Budapest ~$150 | Soomaa bog-shoe trek ~$131 Tallinn Old Town free–$25 | Limited — Ehalkivi boulder |
| Hungary 4 weeks | Fuel ~$435 Food ~$115/wk→ Slovenia: HU vignette ~$25 | Accom ~$560/wk Food ~$380/wk→ train Budapest→Ljubljana ~$40 | Széchenyi thermal baths ~$60 Budapest ruin-bar crawl ~$50 Hortobágy puszta 🚐 | Limited — minor sport crags |
| Slovenia 3 weeks | Fuel ~$295 Food ~$130/wk→ Croatia: SI vignette ~$30 | Accom ~$640/wk Food ~$430/wk→ bus Ljubljana→Zagreb ~$20 | Lake Bled + Vintgar Gorge ~$25 Soča Valley wild-camp ~$40 🚐 | World-class · Osp / Mišja Peč + Julian Alps sport + alpine; partly trad |
| Croatia 6 weeks | Fuel ~$710 Food ~$140/wk→ Bosnia: Green Card ~$50–80 | Accom ~$700/wk Food ~$450/wk→ bus Split→Mostar ~$35 | Plitvice Lakes ~$66 Dalmatian island day-sail ~$300 Dubrovnik walls ~$60 | World-class · Paklenica (Anića Kuk 350m) 11+ pitch multi-pitch, mostly bolted |
| Bosnia & H. 4 weeks | Fuel ~$425 Food ~$110/wk→ Serbia: Green Card ~$50–80 | Accom ~$470/wk Food ~$300/wk→ bus Sarajevo→Belgrade ~$40 | Mostar Old Bridge dive ~$50–80 Sarajevo war-history tour ~$45 | Some — developing sport scene |
| Serbia 3 weeks | Fuel ~$370 Food ~$110/wk→ Montenegro: Green Card ~$50–80 | Accom ~$490/wk Food ~$300/wk→ bus Belgrade→Podgorica ~$45 | Belgrade fortress + nightlife ~$40 Drvengrad + Šargan Eight ~$12 🚐 | Some — local sport, a little multi-pitch |
| Montenegro 3 weeks | Fuel ~$300 Food ~$125/wk→ Albania: Green Card ~$50 | Accom ~$590/wk Food ~$370/wk→ bus Kotor→Tirana ~$40 | Bay of Kotor kayak ~$33 Durmitor / Tara canyon wild-camp ~$40 🚐 | Good · Durmitor / Prokletije multi-pitch; partly trad |
| Albania 4 weeks | Fuel ~$465 Food ~$100/wk→ Greece: Green Card ~$50 | Accom ~$470/wk Food ~$260/wk→ flight Tirana→Athens ~$180 | Theth–Valbona Alps hike ~$20 Albanian Riviera wild-camp free–$40 🚐 | Some — Brar sport (developing) |
| Greece 9 weeks | Fuel ~$680 Food ~$135/wk→ end (ship van home / fly out) | Accom ~$720/wk Food ~$480/wk→ Cyclades ferries ~$70–90/leg | Meteora monasteries ~$41 Cyclades island hop (ferries ~$70–90/leg) | World-class · Meteora (trad!) + Kalymnos Meteora rewards a rack; Kalymnos = sport |
| ~52 weeks | ~$18k for the year | ~$55k for the year | No-van shown at touring pace; slow monthly stays cut it toward ~$30k. Green Cards (AL/BIH/ME/SRB) ~$50–80 each at the border. | |
| Leg · weeks | 🚐 Van | ✈️ No-van | ✨ Experiences | 🧗 Climbing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia 10 weeks | ✓ works here subsidised fuel ~$0.30/L; carnet; drivable Peninsular + Borneo→ Thailand: van CANNOT cross | Accom ~$280/wk Food ~$220/wk→ flight KL→Bangkok ~$130 | Sepilok orangutans ~$13 (+flight) Batu Caves free–$2 | Good · Dragon Horns, Tioman (300m granite) SE Asia's trad surprise — yes |
| Thailand 12 weeks | n/a — bars big foreign campersFVP $2,000 + 5-agency 60-day approval; >3.5t refused | Accom ~$245/wk Food ~$200/wk→ flight Bangkok→Luang Prabang ~$185 | Chiang Mai ethical elephant sanctuary ~$110 Similan liveaboard dive ~$1,520 (1-day ~$200) | World-class · Railay / Tonsai · sport + DWS bolt-only — rack stays packed |
| Laos 8 weeks | n/a — border vehicle crossings severed | Accom ~$245/wk Food ~$170/wk→ flight Luang Prabang→Siem Reap ~$255 | Mekong 2-day slow boat ~$40 Kuang Si Falls ~$5 | Some — Vang Vieng sport (no trad) |
| Cambodia 9 weeks | n/a — no Thai border; van can't reach | Accom ~$210/wk Food ~$160/wk→ flight Siem Reap→Hanoi ~$135 | Angkor Wat sunrise ~$56 (+tour $35) Tonle Sap floating villages ~$40 | Limited — one small commercial crag |
| Vietnam 13 weeks | n/a — foreign self-drive banned | Accom ~$300/wk Food ~$230/wk→ end / fly home | Ha Long Bay overnight cruise ~$200 Hai Van Pass motorbike ~$70 (needs a bike) | Good · Cat Ba / Lan Ha DWS mecca deep-water-solo — no trad |
| ~52 weeks | van = ship-in cost wasted | ~$32k for the year | Excludes return airfares to Australia. Drop the 4-day Similan liveaboard and it's nearer ~$30k. | |
| Leg · weeks | 🚐 Van | ✈️ No-van | ✨ Experiences | 🧗 Climbing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey 9 weeks | Fuel ~$950 Food ~$110/wk→ Georgia: Sarpi land border, free | Accom ~$130/wk Food ~$200/wk→ flight Istanbul→Tbilisi ~$150 | Cappadocia hot-air balloon ~$300–530 Ephesus + Pamukkale ~$60 | World-class · Geyikbayırı + Aladağlar sport mecca + alpine trad |
| Georgia 7 weeks | Fuel ~$343 Food ~$95/wk→ Azerbaijan: Red Bridge border, free | Accom ~$110/wk Food ~$150/wk→ flight Tbilisi→Baku ~$215 | Kakheti wine day ~$50–85 Svaneti / Ushguli tower villages ~$250 🚐 | Good · Chiatura + Caucasus alpine growing sport; big mountains |
| Azerbaijan 4 weeks | Fuel ~$76 (cheapest!) Food ~$95/wk→ ⚠️ Caspian ferry Baku→Aktau ~$680 total, no schedule (wait 1–9 days) | Accom ~$120/wk Food ~$150/wk→ flight Baku→Almaty ~$235–300 | Gobustan mud volcanoes ~$90 Baku old city (UNESCO) ~$10 | Some — Beşbarmaq sport (all new bolts) |
| Kazakhstan 7 weeks | Fuel ~$402 Food ~$100/wk→ Uzbekistan: land border, free | Accom ~$120/wk Food ~$150/wk→ flight Almaty→Tashkent ~$165 | Charyn Canyon self-drive ~$75–150 🚐 Kolsai / Kaindy lakes ~$80 | Good · Tuyuk-Su + Tien Shan multi-pitch; partly trad |
| Uzbekistan 8 weeks | Fuel ~$322 Food ~$90/wk→ Kyrgyzstan: land border, free | Accom ~$110/wk Food ~$140/wk→ flight Tashkent→Bishkek ~$100–135 | Samarkand Registan ~$15 Bukhara old town ~$20 | Some — Chimgan alpine/mountaineering |
| Kyrgyzstan 6 weeks | Fuel ~$267 Food ~$90/wk→ Tajikistan: Pamir border, remote but free | Accom ~$100/wk Food ~$130/wk→ flight to Dushanbe ~$130–180 (poor links) | Song-Köl yurt stay self-drive ~$26–45/night 🚐 Eagle-hunting demo ~$70–150 | World-class · Karavshin / Ak-Suu big walls expedition trad granite — yes |
| Tajikistan 5 weeks | Fuel ~$296 Food ~$90/wk→ end of chain (Mongolia gated; loop back or ship home) | Accom ~$105/wk Food ~$130/wk→ end (no clean eastward exit) | Pamir Highway self-drive — GBAO permit ~$105, fuel only 🚐 (vs hiring a 4×4 + driver ~$150–200/day) | World-class · Fann Mountains big-wall granite expedition trad — yes |
| ~46 weeks + buffers | ~$9.8k for the year | ~$17.4k for the year | Van roughly halves day-to-day spend AND unlocks the van-only headliners. Excludes the van + ~$8–15k sea-freight/carnet to reach the region, and the unscheduled Caspian ferry. | |
| Leg · weeks | 🚐 Van | ✈️ No-van | ✨ Experiences | 🧗 Climbing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast NYC + New England · 5 wks | Fuel ~$450 Food ~$150/wk→ drive SW | Accom ~$1,500/wk Food ~$520/wk | NYC walking free Acadia NP loop ~$60 Kancamagus byway free 🚐 | ★★★★★ The Gunks (NY) conglomerate trad — High Exposure 5.6 |
| Southeast Blue Ridge / Nashville / NOLA · 5 wks | Fuel ~$730 Food ~$140/wk→ drive W to TX | Accom ~$1,150/wk Food ~$480/wk | Blue Ridge Parkway free 🚐 New Orleans music night ~$120 | Good · Red River Gorge, KY sandstone sport + ~half trad |
| Texas + Big Bend 4 wks | Fuel ~$780 Food ~$130/wk→ drive NW to NM | Accom ~$1,050/wk Food ~$480/wk | Big Bend desert + Rio Grande hot springs ~$0–40 Dispersed camping free 🚐 | Limited — remote; rest leg |
| New Mexico + Arizona Grand Canyon, Sedona · 5 wks | Fuel ~$810 Food ~$140/wk→ drive N to Utah | Accom ~$1,200/wk Food ~$520/wk | Grand Canyon NP free (pass) Sedona red-rock byway free 🚐 | Some · Sedona desert towers soft sandstone trad |
| Utah "Mighty 5" + Moab 6 wks | Fuel ~$670 Food ~$130/wk→ drive E to CO | Accom ~$1,150/wk Food ~$520/wk | 5 National Parks free (pass) BLM dispersed near Moab free 🚐 | ★★★★★ Indian Creek Wingate splitter trad — Supercrack 5.10 |
| Colorado Rockies 5 wks | Fuel ~$615 Food ~$150/wk→ drive W to Sierra | Accom ~$1,300/wk Food ~$520/wk | Rocky Mtn NP free Million Dollar Hwy byway free 🚐 | Good · Eldorado Canyon sandstone trad — Bastille Crack 5.7 |
| California Sierra Yosemite, Bishop, J-Tree · 6 wks | Fuel ~$700 Food ~$150/wk→ drive to coast | Accom ~$1,300/wk Food ~$520/wk | Yosemite + Death Valley + Joshua Tree free Alabama Hills dispersed free 🚐 | ★★★★★ Yosemite trad El Cap / Snake Dike; Bishop boulder; J-Tree |
| Pacific Coast LA → SF → Oregon · 5 wks | Fuel ~$670 Food ~$150/wk→ drive N to WA | Accom ~$1,450/wk Food ~$520/wk | Highway 1 / Big Sur free 🚐 Redwoods NP free · SF day ~$80 | ★★★★ Smith Rock, OR sport birthplace + trad — Moonshine Dihedral 5.9 |
| Pacific NW Washington / Cascades · 4 wks | Fuel ~$505 Food ~$150/wk→ drive E to Glacier | Accom ~$1,250/wk Food ~$520/wk | North Cascades + Rainier + Olympic NPs free FS dispersed free 🚐 | Good · Cascades alpine granite Washington Pass — Liberty Bell |
| Northern Rockies Glacier, Yellowstone, Tetons · 7 wks | Fuel ~$780 Food ~$140/wk→ loop back / fly ~$500 | Accom ~$1,200/wk Food ~$520/wk→ flight ~$500 | Going-to-the-Sun Rd free 🚐 Yellowstone + Tetons free | ★★★★ Grand Teton alpine granite trad — Exum Ridge 5.5 |
| ~52 weeks | ~$17k for the year | ~$99k for the year | Getting the van there is the one-time cost: ~$12–18k round-trip shipping, OR buy & resell a US rig. America the Beautiful nonresident pass ~$380/yr. | |
| Leg · weeks | 🚐 Van | ✈️ No-van | ✨ Experiences | 🧗 Climbing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia 9 weeks | Fuel ~$770 Food ~$110/wk→ ship-in port (Cartagena); drive S | Accom ~$390/wk Food ~$190/wk→ bus/fly Bogotá→Quito ~$110–180 | Cocora Valley wax palms ~$0–30 Tatacoa Desert stargazing camp ~$60 🚐 | Some · Suesca Bogotá's home crag (sport) |
| Ecuador 5 weeks | Fuel ~$530 Food ~$100/wk→ drive S | Accom ~$330/wk Food ~$160/wk→ fly Quito→Lima ~$230 | Quilotoa crater-rim wild camp free 🚐 Cotopaxi NP ~$15 | Limited — minimal scene |
| Peru 9 weeks | Fuel ~$1,330 Food ~$130/wk→ drive S | Accom ~$520/wk Food ~$230/wk→ fly Lima→La Paz ~$280 | Machu Picchu ~$230 Cordillera Blanca / Laguna 69 ~$50 | ★★★★ Cordillera Blanca alpine La Esfinge granite trad (5,325 m) |
| Bolivia 6 weeks | Fuel ~$650 ⚠️ shortages Food ~$80/wk→ drive/cross to Atacama | Accom ~$250/wk Food ~$120/wk→ bus Uyuni→San Pedro ~$80 | Salar de Uyuni self-drive ~$200 🚐 SW Lagunas Route | Limited — mountaineering (Huayna Potosí) |
| Chile Atacama + Patagonia · 10 wks | Fuel ~$1,770 Food ~$160/wk→ land border to Argentina | Accom ~$620/wk Food ~$160/wk | Carretera Austral self-drive ~$300 🚐 Torres del Paine W ~$350 · Atacama stars ~$130 | ★★★★ Cochamó "Chile's Yosemite" granite multi-pitch trad, 8–30 pitches |
| Argentina Patagonia + BA · 13 wks | Fuel ~$2,070 Food ~$130/wk→ end (re-ship from BA / fly home ~$2,000–3,000) | Accom ~$390/wk Food ~$170/wk→ flight home ~$2,000–3,000 | El Chaltén / Fitz Roy hikes free 🚐 Perito Moreno glacier ~$50 | ★★★★★ El Chaltén / Fitz Roy alpine granite + Piedra Parada sport |
| ~52 weeks | ~$24–27k incl. shipping | ~$37.5k for the year | No Carnet de Passage needed anywhere in SA — free TIPs at each border. Ship Europe→Cartagena ~$4.5–6k one way; re-ship/sell from Buenos Aires at the end. | |