Hippie Trail
                                  
Hippie trail
INTRODUCTION
The hippie trail was a 6,000 mile route through Europe and 
the Middle East into Central and Southern Asia.
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TRIP TO INDIA
Inspired by the beat generation, Kerouac, Ginsber and 
The Beatles 1967 trip to Rishikesh in India to take part in a 
meditation retreat at the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh 
Yogi, hordes of members of the 60s and 70s 
counterculture movement took the road east seeking 
freedom and enlightenment.
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MODE OF 
TRANSPORT
Few could afford to fly so most went overland, crossing 
Asia by themselves or in small groups, by whichever mode 
of transport suited their budget.
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ROUTES
The hippie trail consisted of several starting points in 
Europe, mainly London and Amsterdam, but all routes 
would meet in Istanbul. Moving next through Turkey and 
northern Iran to Teheran, the capital.
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ROUTES CONT.
At that point to Herat, Afghanistan, and into Kabul with its 
must-see Chicken Street lined with shops selling jewelry, 
antiques, knickknacks, artworks and Oriental rugs, and 
maybe smokes.
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ROUTE TO 
INDIA
The hippie trail continued to India where a crowded train 
would take you to Delhi. The journey continued to 
Kashmir and Goa, but the ultimate destination was 
Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, was the .
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HIPPIES
Those who went on the hippie trail often referred to it as 
going to India, or going east. They did not call themselves 
hippies preferring the term freaks. 
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TRAVELERS
While other travelers, those who were not freaks, refered 
to the route as the overland, there was a distinct hippie 
trail. 
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THE JOURNEY
In every major stop along the way, there were hostels, 
restaurants, and cafes catering to the long-haired 
westerners, who travelled together as they went east.
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ABRUPT END
The hippie trail was brought to an abrupt end in 1978 
when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, and in 1979, 
there was the Ayatollah Khomeini Islamic revolution in 
Iran. Places like Goa in India remained popular 
destinations, but it was no longer possible to get there 
overland.
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