Travelling through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

[Ants BK]

Hi all

My friend and I are travelling from Bangkok to London in a tuk tuk (for charity) via China and the above mentioned 'Stans'. We are leaving on May 1st.

Does anyone have any tips about travelling through these 2 countries?

1. Which would be the best route from China through to Russia?

2. What MUST we see?

3. Are there any areas we should avoid?

4. Are the roads between Atyrau and the Aral Sea terrible?

5. In general what are the road conditions in the 2 countries?

6. What is the M32 between Turkestan and Ural'sk like?

Thanks and look forward to any tips!

Ants

[hobnob]

Hi guys what a sense of humour, we are doing the same route in a 4x4 and we are shitting it so you will need some divine intervention to get you thru. My wife has a thing about tuk tuks and would like to donate to your charity, any details???

If you check out Ewan mcGregors RTW trip you will see why they call the main kazak to russia road The Road of Death Chokdee lads i think youll need it.

[vincent danna]

welcome, have a look on the northern asia forum, you ll get some answers to your questions.

[simmo]

Dont worry hobnob, the main Russia Kazak road is not that bad. They had books to sell. Ok its a bit rough..potholes/rough dirt in places but you would do it in a mini minor or a tuk tuk easily. Vincent has done it as well on his GS.

Ants good luck, I took a Tuk Tuk down the coast of Sri Lanka, Colombo to Gaulle with my wife, good fun, just get rid of the roof spoils the view when you are in the back.

alec

http://users.netlink.com.au/~asimpson

[Ants BK]

Thanks guys for these. Yeah, we know the roads around Atyrau and the Aral Sea aren't great - I'm going to meet the producer from The Long Way Round soon as they went that way and hopefully he can give me some first hand advice!

Hobnob - how lovely of your wife to want to donate, its for MIND, mental health charity and we'll have the website running in the next few weeks. If you want, email me on bolingbrokekent@hotmail.com in a week or two and I can give you more details.

Thanks again,

Antonia

[Ants BK]

Also, Hobnob - are you doing exactly the same route? When? And are you going through China? If so how the hell have you managed to sort out all the paperwork? There seems to be a mire of conflicting information.....

[henryuk]

I am doing a route from Greece/Turkey through 'the stans' to Mongolia. How far have you got with the China route, my trip was supposed to go through India the across China to come into Mongolia from the south east, couldn't do it at all.

Only seems to be one place that you can get to -with the paperwork done via The Caravan Cafe.

When are you off - I am supposed to leave March 5th - can't wait!

[Ants BK]

Hi Henry,

How come you never managed to get the China bit off the ground? What problems did you encounter and what route have you decided to go instead?

And what do you mean re the Caravan Cafe?

We are leaving in May and its early doors at the mo - we're intending to enter China from Vietnam and thengo via Nanning, Chengdu, Xian, Hami,Urum-qui and from there into Kazakhstan. Its v difficult though but we are determined!

Would love to hear more re your route. Have you got a Carnet?

[seanh]

I rode through western Kazakstan in November 2004 (was it that long ago?), via Almaty/Turkestan/Kyzylorda/Aralsk/Aktobe/Uralsk.
The road up to Aralsk was good, beyond that it went to hell. The first section was all dirt but good because it was dry. Aktobe onwards rain had turned the dirt into slippery, sticky clay and i often found it easier to ride off-road (i ride an R65, so it was tough going).
They were in the process of building a flash new road over that section, but i think it's optimistic to think it's been finished.
Might be tough in a tuk tuk.
Sean

[mpescatori]

Hello Ants, kudos to you for the trip in the TUKTUK. By the way, in Europe they are often known by their Italian name, 'Ape' (Ah-pey) meaning 'Honeybee' or 'Busybee'.

Have you considered driving the Silk Road? Definitely a magnet for publicity, after all if it's a fund raiser for charity you need publicity.

A question for all the readers of this Forum, is Kazakhstan or India the better option to enter China? I am daydreaming to drive for the 2008 Olympics, and I don't know which is the better option...
(btw, I understand that the entire route is asphalt from the Turkish border, through Iran and the Stans into China...)

Maurizio from Italy

------------------
Maurizio

[Ants BK]

Hi Maurizio,

Thanks for this. Yes, we considered the dilk route but its not going to work for us this time, maybe next time!

Have a look at our site next week www.tuktotheroad.co.uk.

Not sure re the China question, we're entering through Laos.

Happy biking!

Ants

[mpescatori]

Brighton ! You girls are from Norfolk ! I can't believe it ! I lived three wonderful years in the UK way back in (cringe) 1995-97 (that's three years if you count carefully ) and that's where the voyager bug bit me!

I am daydreaming about travelling overland Venice to Beijing - my son being the age of (young boy) Marco Polo, maybe one day...

I realized you are two irls only by visiting your site - take care, be extra careful, and enjoy it !

Maurizio

[knobbly]

I second that, be careful, be very careful, best of luck to you and hopefuly may see you on the road somewhere between the chunnel and china.

[henryuk]

Ants

Had my passport delayed in the post, had to reschedule my valve clearance check to this wednesday, and its now chucking it down with snow, so not quite left yet, still I have loads of time to get to Turkmenistan.....

Don't have a carnet, don't need one for my route!

I was going to cross the far Western tip of China through the Torugart (?) pass through kashgar. The caravan cafe were able to sort all the paperwork and the required 'guide' but it would have cost me over $1000 for four days in China, think I'll go on my pushbike and take my time!

[Phil Flanagan]

Hello 'hobnob'
so when are you planning this trip to Russia then ?
I am just finishing a conversion of an iveco 4x4 ex raf vehicle to 'living vehicle'.
Having travelled extensively through West Africa and mainland Europe now planning to go across Turkey thru 'stans' into Mongolia and the Russia and finanaces permiting across to Canada.
Are you interested in perhaps travelling together ? or at least run same route and meet along way periodically ?

Phil.

phil@travel.uklinux.net