Kaziranga Welcomes Dutch Traveller’s ‘Home on Wheels’ After Journey Across 80 Countries

Kaziranga National Park, famed worldwide for its one-horned rhinos, has just welcomed a very unusual visitor – a Dutch traveller who has been exploring the globe in his very own “home on wheels.”

The traveller, Henke from the Netherlands, has been on the road for the past one and a half years in a 25-year-old Toyota Land Cruiser that he has transformed into a fully equipped mobile home. At 65, after retiring from professional life, he decided to fulfill his lifelong dream of seeing the world, not through flights and hotels, but with his trusted vehicle as his only companion.

So far, Henke has driven through more than 80 countries, beginning his epic journey from Australia. From there, he crossed into Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, China, Tibet and Nepal, before finally entering India through the Nepal border in April this year.

“I am from the Netherlands. I left my country one and a half years ago. From Australia, I bought this car which is now my home as I travel miles. I love travelling, exploring cultures and meeting people all over the world,” Henke told the media during his stay in Assam.

Kaziranga, he admitted, has left him mesmerised. Having travelled to national parks across the globe, he said there is something very “unique and different” about Kaziranga. “I really feel blessed to be here and watch the one-horned rhinos,” he shared, praising the conservation measures in place for protecting the endangered species.

Henke also revealed that though his initial plan was to travel through India into Pakistan, the closed border forced him to rethink. “I will have to go back to Nepal next year, then to Tibet, Kazakhstan, and hopefully one day back to the Netherlands,” he said, adding that Africa is also on his list of future journeys.

For Henke, travelling has never been just about sightseeing. His adventures, he says, are about immersing himself in local art, traditions and, most importantly, human connections. “Meeting people and knowing their culture is the biggest joy of my journey,” he said.

As he drove his “home on wheels” through Kaziranga’s lush surroundings, the Dutch traveller once again proved that retirement is not an end, but the perfect beginning of a new adventure.

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