Central Asia general experiences during preparation
 

a couple of experiences preparing the trip.

The guy who helped us most was David Berghoff from www.stantours.com
He got us all the letters of invitation (LOI) we needed.

Visa: we got them all in Berlin
KYR: no LOI needed, visa within 3 days
KAZ: we had a LOI, but not any longer needed since march 04. Visa within 3 days
TAJ: we had a LOI, but the tajik consul said it is not any longer needed. We crosschecked the information with David Berghoff. The LOI seems to depend on the consulate. Visa within 5 days
UZ: no LOI needed, visa within 5 days
TURK: LOI needed, but too dear. You gotta book a guided tour to get the invitation. 70-80U$ a day. We decided for a transit visa, 7 days. To get one you need already the visa for the country you are heading for. This was the only visa where the passport copies had to be sent to the national capital. It took a fortnight.

Carnet: no

Special permits:
KYR -> TAJ: going from Sary Tash west to Dushanbe, you need one.
For the Pamir Highway you need one. Can be arranged by Stantours. It takes 3-7 days in Dushanbe, about 50U$.
Note: the Pamir Highway can only be ridden anticlockwise. You can return within Tajikistan, but you can´t enter the highway from Osh, Kyrgystan,

A pass from the Pamir Highway (TAJ ) going east to the KKH (China) is supposed to open midst of may 2004.
Source: Michael Davis, traveltajikistan.com

Remark: all the above mentioned ´stans had a booth at the International Tourism Fair in Berlin.
Note: Afghani´stan had no booth.


Goetz

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