Iran to Pakistan - recent informatons
 

Hey guys

Can anybody who traveled recently from Iran to Pakistan or opposite, give me some informations about the crossing and situation in general?

When I drove this April from Islamabad to the north and into China, I got informations from other Overlander's that the police did not allow them to drive to Taftan / Zahedan (border).

How is the situation? Anybody?

Thanks for useful informations.

Roman

PAK - IRN border
 

we crossed the border at Taftan with five bikes last week. No real issues, you get police escorts all the way in Iran from Zahedan to the border, which can be a pain as you'll have to wait in between handovers (can take up to an hour...). In Pakistan we were able to ride without escorts most of the time but had to stop at checkpoints and were taken off the road at sun set as the police doesn't allow you to ride at night. The hotel in Danbaldin is fine with free wifi and beer (not free obviously...)

In Quetta we couldn't leave the hotel without police escorts and got a NOC to travel to Lahore over Karachi as the more direct route (over Sibi and Sukkur) was deemed too dangerous.

All in all a great experience.

Taking train is always an option although should only be used if absolutely necessary.
Rural Pakistan is fascinating and shouldnt be missed :)

Cheers

Omar

Thanks a lot guys. That helps...

See yaa

Do you mean you had to go from Quetta to Lahore via Karachi?? If so, then that is one big detour.. quickly looking at the map, Sukkur is some 500kms from Karachi, and on the route from Karachi to Lahore.

Or you mean from Quetta you had to first head towards Karachi to Kalat and Khuzdar, and from there turn east?

Quetta to Lahore VIA Karachi
 

we actually had to go from Quetta all the way to Karachi (750km) and then turn north-east to Lahore (1700km). The road to Sukkur over Sibi was deemed too dangerous / impassable by the Quetta police commissioner... No idea if this is still the case, it seems that the situation changes on a daily basis...

So was there no way to go to Islamabad? Did they just give you the safest route out of the country? Or did you not inquire about the Karakoram highway?

Foreign nationals can certainly ride to islamabad without any hinderance. But to venture further onto KKH or Northern areas, you must posses a permit to do so. The permit is issued by National Crisis Management Cell, Ministry of Interior, Govt of Pakistan. Applications with an iteniary and copies of visa and passport can be posted or faxed to the folowing address atleast 8 weeks in advance:

Mr Farid Ahmed Khan
Director
National Crisis Management Cell
Room No 407
4th floor
S Block
Pakistan Secretariat
islamabad
fax: +92519211225
Tel: +92519205501 and 9205475

The issuance of the permit or NOC is a lengthy process requiring clearance from security agencies. Your application would need a vigrous follow up and persistance. The authorities here are concerened about the safety of westerners in the KKH area and try their not to let any one go. However some foreigners do get to ride on the KKH without any permit as during the summer season from june to august, the KKH sees a lot of traffic and they are unable to check every vehicle or motorcycle.

Thanks! Much appreciate the info. I'll be entering from Lahore in a year or two. The last time I came from Iran and pretty much had free roam of the country safe for the odd police escort. That was 2006 though.
Kevin

We didn't need any permission to go to KKH - and I never heard about it before.
But a NOC is required from Quetta. We were also not allowed to travel to Sibi - therefore we put the bikes on the train to Lahore - this was also quite an experience.....

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Jiwali borderpost
 

Hi,

a couple of months ago I read about a newly prepared borderpost called Jiwali, at the coast. Does anybody know is this borderpost open now and open for foreigners too? For travelling to Karachi this option seems to be much more convenient.

Anything you know about the Jiwali borderpost would be very welcome.

Thanks, Mathew

Roman, your off again.
(Its Sam from Lahore/Islamabad/no mans land between Krytzistan and Tajikistan here).

This information is from late March, early April. As you know, I wasn't travelling with a vehicle and certainly I do think the process with your own wheels would be much much much easier (took 3 days for me - as getting kicked off buses by the police, having to wait for new ones to pass etc). Providing they can give you security the whole way, it would be easy to do in a day from Taftan to Quetta. I'd probably stay in Bam and leave early, drive to Zahadeen, to the border and cross. Stay at the police station in Taftan and drive to Quetta. If the road to Sukkur is open, defiantly take that as the pass (name escapes me) is quite nice.

You defiantly can't travel at night, as mentioned above (which was the problem for me, as the public buses leave Quetta in the late afternoon/early evening).

I'm not sure at what point the escort will leave you (they did not pick me up until I left Quetta). But I wouldn't be surprised if they had one all the way to Multan.

I really feel that the dangers off this road are incredibly overrated. Certainly, it does not feel anywhere near as intense as any road in Afghanistan. I've never actually heard of any traveller who has had problems on the road (other than a couple of incidents with Shiite pilgrim tour buses).

Matthew, there is no way that that border would be open to foreigners. The Makran coast in Pakistan has not been open to foreigners for quite a while.

Taftan is the only working border between Pakistan and Iran for foreigners. Jeewani was never operational as this part wasnt connected by road just a decade back.

Maybe one day.

Uhhh.. there was this couple Swiss who got kidnapped over there a while ago, driving in a van - it doesn't take much more to tighten the rules.

The Swiss couple did not get kidnapped from Taftan to Quetta. They were up near Loralai, on the Quetta to DG Khan Road. Even locals don't believe its safe for them to go that road, nor will the police permit you to go that road. Many villages in the area have been the epicentre of the Balochi rebellion.