Best route to go from London to Thailand
 

Hi,

I am planning to go on a trip east from London to Thailand going through Nepal as that is a place I always wanted to visit.

What is the best route?
1 - Going through Iran --> Pakista --> India --> Nepal? or
2 - Iran --> Turkmenistan --> Uzbekistan --> Tajikistan --> China?

Both routes go around Afghanistan for obvious reasons, I would be appreciate views from people that have done similar trips. The trip is planned for 2014 as I have secured a sabbatical at work so now just started the planning

Thanks

Don

Last time I checked... An important factor might be your choice of vehicle. If you're on a motorbike it is notoriously difficult and expensive to travel in china due to the fact you need a guide with you at all times (you pay them and their costs: fee, travel & accomodation). obviously its much easier & cheaper if you're in a car/4x4 with a spare seat.

myanmar might be a bit of a challenge... borders are slooowly starting to open up (other thread on the hubb), but I haven't heard anything about possibly crossing the country.
China can be expensive, unless you share the guide with as many others as possible. If you want to avoid China so far the only option is to ship from india to SE-asia.
Iran is acting up, but will likely be just fine by the time you go...

The word “best” may be something you want to get rid of in this context... for one things, it depends on so many things.

But all the way to Nepal it should be (relatively) straightforward, and you´re correct it usually means going either side of Afghanistan. On the northern route you have to get into China for a short bit to reach north Pakistan. For the southern route you need to get into Iran, and you also need to cross some troubled areas in western Pakistan. You will need a carnet for Pakistan & India.

From Nepal to Thailand, it gets more complicated. Burma is not really an option yet, and I doubt it will be next year either... Nepal-China-Laos could also be very tough to arrange, and cost a fortune. There are no other options overland (and there are no ferries to cross the Bay of Bengal), so there you have the reasons why the most common way is to use airfreight between Kathmandu and Bangkok. I´ve airlifted from Chennai, India to Bangkok in 2008, but from what I´ve read mostly here at the HUBB, it appears Nepal would be easier to send from.

We just did airfreight from Chennai to BKK last month and it was pretty expensive $1500. Kathmandu can be half that. perhaps burma will be possible by then...

There are several options, generally north or south. We did georgia-russia-Kaz-uz-taj-kyrg-china to pakistan. the north is amazing. this is a long way making a big loop around the caspian. others did a combination coming from iran thru turkmenistan-uz-taj-kyrg-china again to northern pakistan. & then there is iran-pak thru the south. whichever way, you have to cross into india at amritsar.

China is a hassle to arrange but we hooked up with a wonderful group of bikers right here on the HUBB and there are definitely people starting to search for others for 2014. forming a group brings down the cost substantially.

Nepal will not disappoint :)

We're heading in the same direction in 2014
 

Hiya :)

We are heading in the same direction in 2014 and have not quite decided on which way round the Caspian Sea we'll be heading or which Stans we will be able to visit.

I guess it depends on weather/timing, visas and which countries we need a guide for (I know about China, but I read somewhere that one of the small Stans also required one - must do some more reading on that).

Would be great to organise a group in the "travelers seeking travelers" section for China.... Once we know a little more about when abouts we'll get there I'll get involved ;)

Should defo stay in touch re any findings (are Iran and Burma cross-able and safe, etc) and could even hook up on the way beer When are you setting off? We have said we want to be leaving London in March 2014, give or take any changes due to visas/weather/anything else.

followingtarmac

In my view Iran is by far a smaller obstacle than Burma, which has been closed for foreign vehicles for about half a century. There may be some changes emerging there for the first time just now, but I would not hold my breath, that it (I mean the whole country) will become easily crossable any time soon.

With Iran, possible problems are maybe getting your visa, and related to that, some upcoming elections this year, that sure enough might complicate things, but hopefully just temporarily.

I´d be more worried about safety in western Pakistan right now.

Don't forget than getting a Pakistani visa is pretty difficult these days.. Don't tell them you plan to go overland.

Iran should be OK, but if you are refused, that's that. So better finalise your route after that eventuality.

Past Nepal, you're going either to have to pay a fortune to cross China (depending on whether they let you in at the Tibetan border at all), or ship by sea or air to SE Asia.

Oh, and do you really have to skip Afghanistan? :innocent:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...hanistan-47438

Well, probably. doh

You live just a few miles from me, feel free to pop round some time for a chat etc

Daniel

I think people can pretty much forget about travelling across Myanmar for the foreseeable future, politics is one thing, internal warzones another.
The basic lack of a route is a much more major one!!:oops2:

There should be at least one traveller (or perhaps a couple travelling together), who have entered Burma with their own vehicle from India in 2013, after trying persistently, and finally receiving permits from the Burmese government.

They were at least planning to head to Thailand, but I don´t know, if they managed that or not. Their message is somewhere in one of the many threads on this subject.

So, nothing is impossible. But getting this kind of permit will not be easy, I think. Going overland all the way from India to Thailand or vice versa is still very, very rare.

edit.

Hello,

India Myanmar bordergate is closed..Highway construction agreement between 2 governments is just signed and will be finished within 5 years...
Those 4 first in Myanmar bikers entered from Thailand and exited to Thailand with a military guide..
One of my best Turkish friends was in the area 2 weeks ago for the second time to do it to Thailand so in Nepal now for plan B which is through China and that is also very very very hard to do unless your country has a cultures exchange agreement programme with these countries..
In Myanmar you can not ride on all the roads..Most roads are prohibited and some roads need regional special permission.

All the best.