rus-kaz-uzb-kaz-rus border crossings
 

On trip across the bottom of russia/ stans may - aug 2013 and need some advice / updates on border crossings.
using david at Stan tours for LOI and visas, wendy choi in korea and yuri in Vlad for customs .
Rough route khaborovsk chita barnoul then cross into Kaz at shemonaika down to almaty cross into Uzb at either chernayevka or Yalama look at south side of Aral sea then leave to Kaz at Tajen head towards russia and cross at Zhanaul. Volgograd Ukraine and home :) . any advice on route or proposed crossing points ( i will keep checking caravanistan.com for updates ) .Also any one based in Manchester area whose been there and done fancy a beer and chat get in touch

cheers Speech

Shemonaika was okay for us last year (we did Kaz->Rus), bit slow but it was a weekend, waited about 40mins to get into the Kaz control and about 30 to get into the Russian one. Russian side were pretty uninterested in everything, Kaz side got very exited about our concurrent passports (wanted to see Russia Visa and it was in the other passport), a bit of explaining to do but all okay.

Yalama border crossing was quite good for us last year (Kaz->Uzb), rode around all the trucks straight to the border gate and they let us straight in.

Kaz was really easy (but as above freaked a little when they saw concurrent passports), Uzbek side was really good modern crossing and relatively friendly staff, including some English. Made us unpack everything, but were very friendly and courteous about the whole thing.

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Hi Speech,

Sounds like a good plan.

Caravanistan are very good.

Can you post up a route plan map?

vette

will get onto than when bruce porter returns fron south america as he s on this trip too

You will need to be more specific.

I cant find these on google maps.

Co-ordinates? nearby cities? map screen shots?

walter

Tajen- 44,895890 55,997014 in north west top corner of UZB leave Kungrad at southern aral sea head 385 km Nw to beyneu
( been told the disapearnce of Aral sea is more impressive from UZB)

Zhanaul top Left of Caspian sea 46,546664 48,749814
( looks like to be on the straightest route from Aral sea to volgograd also looking for caspian sea monstrs)

is it better to double back and go up east side of aral sea?

cheers speech

OK That one I Know as Karakalpakia ... its a good crossing. No fuel on the Uzbek side between Kungrad and the border. There is fuel at Akjigit, on the Kazakh side just over the border.

Re - Aral sea go to Muynaq for the best fishing trawler graveyard in the desert pics ... waypoints in my waypoints file

Thats the main E40 crossing just outside of Astrakhan (on the E40 highway to Atyrau) ... also good modern crossing. Both those crossings were on my route in 2009.

Re Caspian Sea Monsters, you need to down the west side of the Caspian to Kaspiysk, a town about 15 km south of Makhachkala in Dagestan. Thats where it lives.