Originally Posted by eurasiaoverland (Post 626685)

[...]
Iran - open as usual with a PCR test. Same procedure as before with visas, same difficulties for American / British / Canadian passport holders. The currency is worthless and you almost can't spend your money.
[...]

Originally Posted by crisidsto (Post 627301)

Hi EO,
thanks for the interesting post.
I don't know if this thread is the correct one for my question, but I will give it a try.

The following is my situation:

I've never been to Iran.
I planned to go in 2019, but the 250 cc rule came out and had to change my plans (actually I was lucky because, in the end, that year, I visited Mangystau and Afghan Wakhan...and who knows when this will be possible again).

Now, after the last 2 years almost stuck in Europe, it is time to start making new plans.
I have some free days next April.
After some reseach, I decided that probably it's time for Iran.
As soon as I decided this, I found out that Ramadan will start april 2nd, so all my vacation would be under Ramadan.

I tried to research a little about this: it looks like archeological sites will be open, restaurants and cafes mostly closed during the day. Nights looks interesting, from what I'm reading.

Now I need to make a decision: does it makes sense, in your opinion, for somebody who never visited the country, to visit it the first time during the Ramandan? I mean, will I miss something important about the people and the country? Can this ruin my experience?

BTW I'm normally a drinker and a smoker: I am prepared to avoid alchool, but also cigarettes looks a bit too much ;-)

I know this can look like a stupid question, but I would like to have an opinion from somebody who extensively visited that part of the world

Thanks!

Originally Posted by eurasiaoverland (Post 627304)

Hi Crisidsto

Nice to hear from you. You must have been one of an unlucky few who were rejected for having a bike over 250 cc. As I remember, the rule was only in place for a few weeks.

Originally Posted by eurasiaoverland (Post 627304)

March / April are the best times apparently to visit Iran, before the heat, and with the plains scattered with grass and wildflowers, or so I have been told. Despite many visits to Iran I have never managed to be there in April. Everywhere in the country is good to visit at that time, I would say, without the cold in the mountains (it got down to -23ºC when I drove past Tabriz in January this year!) and the Gulf coast will be getting hot, but not unbearable.

Ramadan is an inconvenience but definitely not a reason to cancel a visit. Restaurants along the highway will be open for travellers who are not required to fast. Just find somewhere discrete to smoke. If you get yourself invited to a family home, you may find that they don't fast (behind closed doors), and if they do, the evening meal will be long, and fun.

So I say just go for it. I'm sure you know but I'll say it just in case - make sure you have enough cash for your whole stay and a bit extra.

Have a great trip,

EO

Originally Posted by crisidsto (Post 627306)

Actually I was not rejected. I was on my way from Bulgaria to Georgia, where I was going to store the bike, when people started being rejected. It was late april. At that time I did not applied for Iran visa and CDP yet, so I decided to change plans.
By the time came to restart from Georgia, the rule was already off, but my plans were already different, and now I can only say that I was very lucky with those new plans



Thanks for your opinion. Sounds good.
cristiano

Originally Posted by eurasiaoverland (Post 626685)

I have just come back from a fascinating, wonderful, bucket-list tour of Iraq in my trusty Hilux Surf, something I have wanted to do for many years.

I see a lot of people planning to do overland trips in Asia at the moment, and with Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, India, Burma and basically all of SE Asia closed (for overland entry), I think these trips are not going to happen this year. More worryingly, I think that key countries such as Turkmenistan, China and Burma could easily remain closed for a few more years. That said, you can currently get as far east as Pakistan, which in my opinion is the most worthwhile country in the region (actually, the planet), but that is a dead end, unless you want to test the new security status quo in Afghanistan (my intel is that the south is now relatively safe).

However, the situation in the Middle East is the opposite to closed-down Asia; it has never been so open to visitors. There are covid restrictions (vaccination, quarantine, testing etc.), but there is no single country except perhaps Yemen which is closed to overlanders. In recent years, due to the Syrian civil war and demise of some key ferry routes, the region has slipped off the overlanding radar, but I would say, for those with a sense of adventure, it is very much back on the radar.

So I'll give a bit of a run-down based on research and experience:

Turkey - open and the same great place as ever. I entered Turkey several times in the last few weeks and have never been asked for any vaccination or test. Life goes on there as normal. The currency has also crashed, making it much cheaper than usual.

Iran - open as usual with a PCR test. Same procedure as before with visas, same difficulties for American / British / Canadian passport holders. The currency is worthless and you almost can't spend your money.

Iraq - since March 2021, for the first time since at least the 1980s, Iraq issues tourist visas to individual, independent travellers - only at international airports and some land border crossings (though not with Turkey). The country is safe and calm and you will be one of the first tourists to see this place in a generation.

Jordan - open as usual.

Syria - open, by arrangement with a travel agent. You may enter from either Jordan or Lebanon. Borders with Turkey and Iraq are closed to civilians. Damascus and parts of the coast are safe; your travel agent will be able to tell you exactly where it is possible to go. Transiting from Jordan to Lebanon or vsa-versa is safe.

Lebanon - open. There is a (very) expensive ferry running twice a week from Tripoli to Tasucu (Mersin) in Turkey. Note that older (without a DPF) diesel vehicles are proihibited from entering the country.

Israel - open as usual.

On the Arabian peninsula, Saudi, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait are all open. The long awaited border crossing between Oman and Saudi has recently opened. If you really wanted to see Yemen, I think it can be arranged, but it's probably not the best time.

So, while the long overland routes across Asia are closed, perhaps have a think about the Middle East.

Good luck

EO

Originally Posted by nomadtraveler1987 (Post 629772)

Thanks for such a detailed report.Can you provide some more info on Jordan.Was planning a trip.

Originally Posted by eurasiaoverland (Post 626685)

I have just come back from a fascinating, wonderful, bucket-list tour of Iraq in my trusty Hilux Surf, something I have wanted to do for many years.

I see a lot of people planning to do overland trips in Asia at the moment, and with Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, India, Burma and basically all of SE Asia closed (for overland entry), I think these trips are not going to happen this year. More worryingly, I think that key countries such as Turkmenistan, China and Burma could easily remain closed for a few more years. That said, you can currently get as far east as Pakistan, which in my opinion is the most worthwhile country in the region (actually, the planet), but that is a dead end, unless you want to test the new security status quo in Afghanistan (my intel is that the south is now relatively safe).

However, the situation in the Middle East is the opposite to closed-down Asia; it has never been so open to visitors. There are covid restrictions (vaccination, quarantine, testing etc.), but there is no single country except perhaps Yemen which is closed to overlanders. In recent years, due to the Syrian civil war and demise of some key ferry routes, the region has slipped off the overlanding radar, but I would say, for those with a sense of adventure, it is very much back on the radar.

So I'll give a bit of a run-down based on research and experience:

Turkey - open and the same great place as ever. I entered Turkey several times in the last few weeks and have never been asked for any vaccination or test. Life goes on there as normal. The currency has also crashed, making it much cheaper than usual.

Iran - open as usual with a PCR test. Same procedure as before with visas, same difficulties for American / British / Canadian passport holders. The currency is worthless and you almost can't spend your money.

Iraq - since March 2021, for the first time since at least the 1980s, Iraq issues tourist visas to individual, independent travellers - only at international airports and some land border crossings (though not with Turkey). The country is safe and calm and you will be one of the first tourists to see this place in a generation.

Jordan - open as usual.

Syria - open, by arrangement with a travel agent. You may enter from either Jordan or Lebanon. Borders with Turkey and Iraq are closed to civilians. Damascus and parts of the coast are safe; your travel agent will be able to tell you exactly where it is possible to go. Transiting from Jordan to Lebanon or vsa-versa is safe.

Lebanon - open. There is a (very) expensive ferry running twice a week from Tripoli to Tasucu (Mersin) in Turkey. Note that older (without a DPF) diesel vehicles are proihibited from entering the country.

Israel - open as usual.

On the Arabian peninsula, Saudi, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait are all open. The long awaited border crossing between Oman and Saudi has recently opened. If you really wanted to see Yemen, I think it can be arranged, but it's probably not the best time.

So, while the long overland routes across Asia are closed, perhaps have a think about the Middle East.

Good luck

EO

Originally Posted by nomadtraveler1987 (Post 629772)

Thanks for such a detailed report.Can you provide some more info on Jordan.Was planning a trip.

Originally Posted by bikebase (Post 629840)

Did you manage to get any photos of the trip sounds interesting


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Originally Posted by nomadtraveler1987 (Post 629772)

Thanks for such a detailed report.Can you provide some more info on Jordan.Was planning a trip.