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Race Across the World is back, baby! This time, five new teams are embarking on a mahoosive 14,000-kilometre journey across three countries and we’re following them each week through tears, tasty food, and totally-shouldn’t-have-spent-that-much-money-on-that-taxi. 

On a shoe-string budget of just over £1000 (!) they’ll be making their way to the finishing line to claim a £20,000 jackpot. As they head from A to B, C, and D, we’ll be catching up with each week’s check point, giving you some tips on what you could get up to there and how to get around in prep for your own Race Across the World adventure…

Where is Race Across the World this year?

This year, Race Across the World stretches across three countries, from the Great Wall of China to Kanniyakumari, the southernmost tip of India, with stops in Nepal along the way.

The last checkpoint

Shangri-La City, China

Last week we left this year’s Race Across the World contestants in Shangri-La, a city perched at 3,160 m above sea level where Yunnan, China begins to flirt with Tibet and Sichuan. Named after a 1930s fantasy novel where it was described as a hidden utopia in the Himalayas, Shangri-La is all about vast grasslands with grazing black-necked cranes, sleepy villages, and towering mountains where Tibetan Buddhism runs deep.

The next checkpoint

📍Varanasi, India: 1,690km from Shangri-La (as the crow flies)

Varanasi (also known as Banaras or Kashi) is one of the oldest living cities in the world — it’s even older than Rome. Sitting on the banks of the Ganges River like an old storyteller perched on a throne of steps – they’re known as ghats – it weaves tales of gods, saints, sinners, silk merchants, and Sanskrit scholars. The river isn’t just a body of water here, either – it’s a sacred lifeline. People come from all over India (and beyond) to bathe in it, hoping to wash away lifetimes of karma.

Here, death isn’t hidden – it’s honoured instead. Manikarnika Ghat is one of the holiest cremation grounds along the river, where Hindus believe moksha (liberation from the cycle of rebirth) is most easily attained – hence, it’s a nonstop fire festival of endings. Bodies are carried through the alleys on bamboo stretchers, heads wrapped in marigolds, and accompanied by chanting. The Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat, meanwhile, is an evening ritual where bells ring, priests sway with massive brass lamps, and fire dances in sync with the river’s twilight.

When it comes to getting around, the streets of Varanasi are an architectural choose-your-own-adventure: ancient temples squeeze between crumbling Mughal facades, cows hold court at intersections, and scooter horns provide the backing vocals to the soundtrack of the city. For this year’s contestants of Race Across the World, they’ll have a tricky time winding their way round to get their signatures in that all-important guest book.

Varanasi must-do’s

Kashi Vishwanath Temple (Shiva’s House)

This temple is basically the spiritual epicenter of the city – dedicated to Lord Shiva, Varanasi’s patron deity and cosmic destroyer of ego. It’s one of the twelve Jyotirlingas in India, meaning it’s top-tier holy real estate. Expect tight security and long queues, but it’s worth it.

✨ Bonus points for: Heading out early morning for fewer crowds and more experiencing.

Sunrise Boat Ride on the Ganges

Rise early and step into a wooden rowboat to glide across the Ganges, passing ghats unfurling one by one, pilgrims dipping into the water, priests chanting, and the smoke rising from Manikarnika Ghat.

✨ Bonus points for: Buying some marigolds and candles for a small offering on the river.

Dashashwamedh Ghat

This is the main ghat of the Ganges. It’s where the nightly Ganga Aarti we mentioned takes place – a fiery, musical, incense-infused ritual. Priests in saffron robes, massive aarti lamps swinging, and a hypnotised crowd (you included.)

✨ Bonus points for: Getting there for sunset, even better if you take to a boat and watch from the river.

How to get there

Cross three countries (and the Himalayas!)

This year’s Race Across the World contestants have got a tough stretch for this leg of the trip – they’ll be crossing through 3 countries in order to reach the next checkpoint, Varanasi. New languages, new currencies, and – trickiest of all – new transport systems. Say bye-bye to the high speed bullet trains and hello to the scenic route – the bus is king in Nepal.

But before they can even carry on with the race, first they have to navigate a wee obstacle – the Himalayas. This is impossible on foot or by bus – you’re only option is to fly into Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, and start again from there. From Kathmandu, they can either hang around and explore Nepal for a bit longer by heading west, or they can veer southwards straight towards India instead. Here’s our suggested itinerary for how you could give it a go yourself.

This is how you do it

✈️ Shangri-La to Kathmandu

Thanks to those pesky Himalayas, the easiest (and by far the quickest) way to reach Nepal is to fly to Kathmandu. Airlines like China Eastern offer flights from nearby Di Qing Shangri-La Airport. Sitting at about 4,600 ft above sea level in the Kathmandu Valley, the capital of Nepal is surrounded by rolling hills and framed by distant Himalayan peaks. A mix of Hindu and Buddhist culture, where temple bells ring alongside spinning prayer wheels, it’s home to Monkey Temple, an ancient Buddhist complex, Boudhanath Stupa, a major pilgrimage site, and Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

🚌 Kathmandu to Lumbini

Head west across Nepal by bus to Lumbini. If you head out early, it’ll take about ten hours on one of the tourist buses that head there daily from Kathmandu. Along the scenic way, you’ll pass Mugling, Narayanghat, before arriving in Lumbini, the sacred birthplace of Buddha in the late afternoon.  Explore on foot or rent a bicycle to visit sites like the Maya Devi Temple & Ashoka Pillar (markers of Buddha’s birthplace), plus the international monastic zone with dozens of monasteries built by Buddhist countries.

🚌 Lumbini to Gorakhpur

Take a local bus from Lumbini centre to the Nepal/India border and cross over. From there, you can catch another bus to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh that’ll get you there in a couple of hours. It’s not a major player on the typical tourist trail, but it’s got a few things worth checking out, like the Gorakhnath Math Temple and the world’s longest train station platform. Yes, really. But the city is also a great launch pad for reaching Varanasi by train, as well as taking a cheeky detour to another important Buddhist site, Kushinagar.

Detour

🚌 Gorakhpur to Kushinagar

By bus, you can reach Kushinagar from Gorakhpur in around 2-3 hours, but if you plump for a taxi you’ll get there in about half that time, making this a nifty little day trip detour if you fancy it. Once you arrive, you’re in a sacred place where Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana  – his final passing after enlightenment –  making it one of the four most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage sites, alongside Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, and Sarnath.

Mahaparinirvana Temple is home to the iconic 6-metre-long reclining Buddha statue, carved from a single block of red sandstone and believed to be located where the Buddha took his last breaths. Ramabhar Stupa, meanwhile, is a large, grassy mound surrounded by trees – this is where Buddha’s body was cremated. Countries like Thailand, Japan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Korea have built monasteries here – each with their unique architectural style, whilst the Buddha Museum has artifacts from Kushinagar’s ancient days.

🚄 Gorakhpur to Varanasi

Grab a quick (and cheap) lunch – try some North Indian thali or chaat – then board an express train to Varanasi. Multiple daily trains run from Gorakhpur, and take about 4 to 5 hours.

You’ll arrive into Varanasi Junction, the main station here, which sits about 2 and half miles from the centre of the city – get the full experience and hop in a rickshaw to get yourself into the heart of the action. Take a deep breath – you’re about to experience Varanasi.

Fancy trying your own Race Across the World? Get started with cheap flights to India