Denmark to Iran - Help a youngster prepare
 

Hello HU. I've been recommended this corner of the internet many times the last year when telling people that I'm going around the world on my motorbike.
But for various reasons I've only got to sign up an account and get in here now...

My name is Jakob, I'm 24 years old, from Denmark and soon I will be heading off towards Iran and later Alaska on my modified 1993 BMW R80GS.

I'm hoping to be leaving within 1,5 month - the things holding me back right now are finishing building my bike ready and getting myself prepared with all the stuff that goes along with overland traveling.

I know I'm quite late out but work with a film project (I make films when not traveling) took longer than expected so here I am...

I was thinking it would be a great idea with a preparation thread in here facilitating the opportunity to get help from what seems to be an amazing network.

Just before we begin, I would like to try and keep a "focus" on the traveling part, and not the bike and bike itself.

Picture of me on a Royal Enfield in the Himalayas:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4609/...8c8640b034.jpg_MG_2190 by JVM Photos, on Flickr

My plan for the route is, (influenced by the late departure close to winter) to go as quick as possible trough Germany and eventually down to the Balkan countries for warmer weather. After traveling trough Turkey I would like to go to Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and then Iran.

I'm not in a hurry and my plans are to stay in Iran for as long as possible during the winter time, to then cross up trough the Stans and Mongolia, to reach Siberia in "the right" season (river crossings) whatever that is.


Stuff I need to sort out:

- Visas (I have to look into the time frame and possibilities as a Dane - I already know Iran & Azerbaijan is somewhat limited in time)

- Entering the states after being in Iran (I've been told that can be difficult?)

- Figure out what a Carnet De Passage is exactly and get one.

- Get an overview of weather seasons on my route to try and estimate when to be where (the riding AFTER Iran seems the most important in this case)

- Get a Garmin InReach explorer?? (I have family that would appreciate a device like this) Any thoughts?

- Get vaccinations sorted and pay a visit to my dentist.

- Figure out how to go from Siberia to Alaska (alternatively Canada)

- Figure out what I haven't thought of?


I hope to get some of you onboard on this post and look forward to great inputs.

Cool plans! You'll have a blast going through all those countries.

A few remarks though:

Georgia and Armenia are already pretty cold at night and snow and freezing temperatures are not far away. Unless you plan to spend winter in the Balkans and Turkey and wait until next May, travelling the most beautiful parts of those countries will be difficult. Even in May there can still be snow in the Svaneti and Kakheti regions in Georgia. I would suggest to go through Turkey and visit Iran first. Take your time, it is an amazing country. Then come back through Armenia and Georgia.

It is impossible to cross the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia directly. You can only travel between those countries with a detour through Georgia or Iran.

Your time in Iran might not be as limited as you think. Your original visa will be 30 days max. But once you are in you can extend to up to 90 days.

The advice above is important. Yes, flee south to get ahead of the weather, but most of the Balkans are mountainous and not conducive to winter motorcycle travel. Even otherwise-wondrous coastal regions (e.g., Croatia, Italy) get windy, chilly and wet. I've scooted through those areas a couple of times during November and December, and there were definitely times I wished I'd planned better.

An Iran stamp will attract attention at the US border, but a calm explanation without defensiveness will allay their concerns. Depending on how long you plan to spend in the US (look into this carefully, since the rules about visa waivers are a bit weird), you may find it easier to apply for a visa long in advance, before you have to include Iran in any list of countries you've visited during the last couple of centuries.

Most of your concerns (carnets, getting from Russia to Alaska, InReach vs. Spot locators, etc.) have been addressed repeatedly in these forums, so using the site search should be productive.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

... It's really not the ideal time to go huh. But luckily theres no alternative.

90 days in Iran is great! Is this possible to extend on a turist Visa?

It's really great thanks!

I've also started using the search machine and going trough the forums. It's a goldmine! :mchappy:

Yes, and it is possible to do so in most major cities.

An Iranian stamp will exclude any option of a visa waiver (ESTA). But you'd still be eligible for a normal visa. The good news is those are valid for 10 years and multiple entry, whereas the ESTA visa waiver is only valid for 90 days. You'd have to do an interview at a US embassy to get the visa and then the rest of Mark's advice will help make it a smooth process.

Dang. duibhcek is right: no visa waiver if you've been to Iran. Even if you've already got a waiver, it becomes invalid. So you're on the hook for a full US visa, which will cost you. However per the above it's valid for 10 years, so might as well get it now, before you leave home (and before you enter Iran--just tell them you're planning a different route if they ask, which they probably won't).

Sorry for the misinformation: the rules seem to have changed since whenever I last checked. Google results suggest that the change became effective in 2016.

Mark

Eastern Turkey will get very cold soon. I remember we were passing through in these months, but that was already quite cold in the nights.
Iran was pretty nice after that.

Turkmenistan visa is hard to get as you may already know. Uzbekistan is pretty nice to do in April oray but Tajikistan and Kyrgystan you want to do in Mongolia.
Russia has so much mosquitos it is quite good to be there in September for example, when the mosquitos are lmuch less present.

I wil let you all know when the heat appears :D

Havent't looked into visas for the Stans yet, so dont know about the Turkmenistan visa.

I want to do Tajikistan and Kyrgystan when?

I wouldn't say Turkmenistan is hard. It was actually one of our easiest visa. But the problem with Turkmenistan is that it is a hit and miss situation, more like a lottery than an official procedure. If you're unlucky you're denied for no apparent reason. If you're really unlucky, you get the visa, but are denied entry at the border. Most of the time it's ok, but it's good to have a plan B.
What is sure is that you'll only be able to get a transit visa for max. 5 days (7 on a bicycle).

Haha sorry, most people want to do it in summer because of the mountain passes. But Uzbekistan (and Dushanbe) are then very hot. So it is never perfect.

Hi JakobDK, any idea when you will start your trip? I am on the same route as you, starting from Belgium, also trying to spend as long as possible in warm Iran before going up through the Stan's towards Mongolia next spring. I will leave very soon, going over Bosnia, Montenegro, Macedonia to Greece and Turkey. I travel with my landrover defender but love motorbikes. Would be nice to meet up on the way.
Instagram @tony_ontheroad

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Hello Tony. I hope to venture off before Christmas Eve - so sometime in December.
Throw me an email to Jakobvmork@gmail.com - I'm sure meeting up would be great if possible!!

I have just spoken to the German ADAC that runs the Carnet De Passage business.

They tell me that its officially not allowed to make a temporary import of a motorbike over 250cc... They said that they new of travellers that did this already without problems, but that I might be stuck in trouble if im unlucky.

Another problem is that during my stay in Iran I will have to fly back to Denmark for a couple of weeks.

Does anyone have any experience in leaving your temporarily imported vehicle in Iran for a shorty period of time??

Don't worry about what ADAC told you. The 250cc max rules exists already for years and has never been enforced on foreign vehicles. There's a number of recent topics on the HUBB with more info on that.


I believe Silke from https://travelove.org/ recently left her motorbike in Iran for a while and then returned to continue her trip. I suggest you get in touch with her.