Need infos about current security situation Iran/Pakistan
 

We (Eva and Thomas) plan to go to Nepal from Germany in August 2009. Our route will be Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, KKH, India, and in the end Nepal. We will ride with 2 KTM Adventure bikes.
We heard a lot of bad things about Iran and Pakistan in the last weeks, so our most concern is about safety on the road. If anybody is at Iran/Pakistan border at the moment, we would love to hear some (good :rolleyes:) news from there. Also information about the situation at the KKH would be very helpful.
We heard about police escorts the whole way through Pakistan, is that true?
Another possibility would be, the group together some more people and make the trip through Pakistan with more people (let’s say, make our own escort :clap:). So if anybody has similar plans, would be great to hear from you and share some information.

safety Pakistan
 

Hey,

I'm doing the same trip but will be leaving from Turkey around may 1st.
I'll stop for a week around Esfahan/Yadz (end off may) and do a check with the local people/embasy/news.
When there I will also be looking for other overlanders to group up. After I team up it will be ' Inch Allah '.


Greetings from Belgium.

PM me if there around the same time.

Pakistan /Iran
 

Eva Thomas Look up a thread I posted 2 days ago to Andea. HUBB Planing Trip/ Travelers seeking Travelers, Title:Overland to Italy from India. (might help)The only problem with escort in Iran (They insist yes Iran, close to Pakistan border only). In Pakistan (Your choice, sevice ofered to trevelers just for the asking) they are a little slow, to ovecome this problem just overtake them they will keep up with you. Police /Military escort is a pain but recomended in some areas, I have good reason for saying so. Keep well. Kenski

Hi Eva and Thomas,

We are currently in Iran (Tehran) and plan on going into Pakistan in about 3 weeks or less. We will certainly post what the situation in Balochistan is like once we go there. But from what we have read here on the Hubb, tourists are generally safe in Paksitan (depending on the route you take of course). When we were at the Pakistani embassy yesterday we were asked which route we would take from Quetta to Multan. Nods of approval were given when we indicated that we would avoid going too close to Afghanistan. As for Iran, no problems so far (quite the contrary in fact, amazing people here). Have heard that escorts past Bam to the Pakistan border are probable.

We'll keep you posted!

Update News
 

Thanks for all the infos!
Have heard some bad news about the situation at the iran/pakistan border, some pakistan people who are in pakistan now told us, it is very dangerous at the moment between the border and Quetta, some people were kidnapped, don't have more detailed infos.

So Brian and Marie, please be very careful when crossing to pakistan, we love to hear fro you directly, how the situation is!

Best wishes
Eva and Thomas

Border
 

Hi I should be heading east to west across that border in three weeks. How upto date is your info ? It's not just the UNHCR guy who got kidnapped a few weeks ago is it ? I've not heard of anything since him, and he was returned.

Morinipete
Moto Morini - using yesterdays technology to create tomorrows problems today

Hi Morinipete,
I heard this info yesterday, but not directly from the pakistani guy, only via a third person, but I trust the source of this info.

I will try to get some more detailed infos and post it here, let us hear how you are going.

Good luck!

When we were in Esfahan, Iran, in November -07, we heard from many of the locals, that it is oh so dangerous near the border with Pakistan, and that they´d never, ever go anywhere near that region.

We did, however, go there, and had absolutely no security-related problems either in Iran, or in Pakistan. Quite the contrary - the people in these two countries are among the most friendly and welcoming we have ever met.

Not meaning to underestimate the threats at all, and no doubt are threats in that region today. If bad luck strikes, you may get in deep trouble. Still the probability of something like this is very small, especially for the normal tourists, who move along the main routes, taken care by the police, and usually get to go through without any problems.

The locals usually only know about the area that they live in, and just like us, are scared of the unknown, that´s why ´the other´ areas easily get a negative reputation.

Just like the travel warnings, if you didnt filter their information anyhow, you would not dare go anywhere. But the final decision, whether or not a region is safe enough to travel at any given time, will be up to you. We skipped East Timor, because our visit would´ve been just after they tried to kill the president&prime minister. Probably would not have gone to Pakistan right after Benazir Bhutto was killed, either, but luckily we were already in India, when that happened.

edit. you plan to go in August? The heat in the Dasht-e Lut and Baluchistani deserts in Iran&Pakistan may be your real threat, as it can really get unbearably hot over there; its one of the hottest areas on the whole planet at that time, with temperatures well over +50C.

We plan to start in mid of August in Germany, so we will be probably in mid/end of September in the border region Iran/Pakistan. Hopefully the heat isn't that hard at that time.

I think the filtering of information out of the bunch of opinions you get is the most difficult thing when planning a trip into that region. We don't want to get in danger (well, motorbike riding is dangerous, of course), but we don't want to get in some great huzzle ourselves, nor put anyone else in such situations, just because we want to make a holiday (in fact, it is a dream, not only a holiday...).

So, any in-time informations are welcome, thanks a lot for sharing, we are looking forward to hear anything that we can get...

Thomas

Look at the 'best way to cross pakistan' thread in the South Asia regional forum

Border is safe, escort usually, but not always madatory for bikers in Pakistan, mandatory in Iran (if they catch you) from Zahedan to border.

Currently big trouble in Pakistani - Baluchestan

DAWN.COM | - Balochistan | Balochistan violence claims five more lives

but august is a long way away, things change.

Police escort is probably a good idea, though it draws attention, and they're not exactly the SAS either...

Good luck, don't be scared of Pakistan


Daniel (in Hyderabad, Pakistan)

Pakistan / Iran
 

hallo Eva and Thomas,

I also start my trip to nepal in mid of august09! (so maybe one more bike in your escort through pakistan)
but I think also about a PlanB to avoid pakistan, maybe I´ll get there in a dead-end because of the situation on site. I don´t need sleepless nights all along my trip... are you going to cross pakistan in any case? do you have already the visa for pakistan?

are you going to visit the hu meeting in Ober-Liebersbach, I think I´ll be there...

so on...

We are currently in Bam and plan on crossing into Pakistan tomorrow (stopping in Taftan tomorrow then onto Dalbandin then... who knows). We are traveling with 2 other bikers and a 4x4. We will post results of our foray into Pakistan as soon as we can.

Brian and Mary
thanks for posting, wish you all the best, good luck, we are looking forward to here from you on the other side.
We got some more infos about the situation, most of them are positive, in fact there is a danger but the whole situation is always described as calm.
So, keep on movin'!!

Best wishes from
Eva and Thomas

(you will follow on your way in August!)

We just arrived in Lahore after yet another very very hot day and as promised, here is an update on crossing Pakistan. Like many people we were hesitant to cross but are happy we did. We encountered no problems at all. The route was the following:

Taftan to Dalbandin (nice road, no escorts, 3 hours)
Dalbandin to Quetta (road not so nice but still not too bad, no escorts, 7 hours, lots of pics)
Quetta to Sukkur (first part through Bolan pass was was potholed then good for about 200 kilometers then potholed again until Sukkur, 10 hours, received escorts just after Bolan pass)
Sukkur to Multan (good highway, 7 hours, escorts all the way)
Multan to Lahore (good highway, 5 hours, escorts when they could keep up!)

During this crossing we took the time to wave at just about everybody. The most enthusiastic responses were by far from the people of Balochistan. Every time we stopped for gas or something to drink we encountered very friendly people in this province. People were also nice elsewhere in Pakistan but they really stood out in Balochistan.

For the crossing we tried to get a little convoy together. In retrospect, this was overkill and complicated. We ended up being 4 people on 3 motorcycles and 2 people in one car. But to get these vehicles to leave at the same time proved impossible so we seperated on the first day.

If I were to do it again I would prefer going with just one other bike or car assuming both vehicles go at the same pace. Not wanting to do it alone would have more to do with moral support in the event of breakdown than any security concern.

And speaking of security, we saw nothing unusual but some of the escorts kept on telling us that there were 'security problems' further up the road. In reality, the way some of these escorts drove coupled with the 45 degree heat was far more dangerous than anything else we could have encountered!

If anybody is coming through Pakistan, just keep an eye on local news in the days leading up to your crossing as things change fast. I would not hesitate to do it again, just as long as the weather would be a little cooler!

Hope this helps!

Sounds very similar to my experience in September last year - so not much has changed despite the media beat-up. The only trouble we had(I joined up with 2 other bikers) was a few bombs going off while we were in Quetta.

Happy Travels:mchappy:

Thanks for all the infos!
 

All together at the Hubb, thanks for all the infos (and the good vibes:-)) you are all giving to us!!
We finally decided to make the trip, so we are looking forward for our own trip.
@Brian and Mary: Thanks for the infos, hope your journey will go on the same (safe) way it did till now! Love to hear from you on your ongoing journey!
@Bunda: Our starting date will be (probably) the 12. of August, let us know how your time schedule for the trip will be, perhaps we can meet and roll some days together, especially the problem zones are a bit more safe (and if its only for the moral) to make together...
@KennyE: Bombs in Quetta, shot holes in the windshields of the escort car, sound a bit like adventure. How was your security feeling in the area? Have you felt safe or was it a bit scary?
@(all the others) Keep on posting and keeping our moral up!!

We keep on posting all our infos that we will get the next days and weeks.

Greetings from (getting more and more excited)
Eva and Thomas

Hi Eva& Thomas,

At no stage did I feel threatened, although I did feel that we attracted more attention to ourselves in the towns/cities by having the escorts. The escorts were a bit tedious at times but we gave them a hurry up when needed. The Pakistani people are a friendly bunch.

Enjoy your trip.

I did it in 2006. At the time, there was a small war going on between rival tribes on the Iranian side. Also, there was no gas to be had in Zahedan, so the police took me to an (illegal) vendor. Taxi and police cars have their own pumps in Zahedan. No go for bikes!

From Zahedan to the border I got an escort. At one point it was a full-fledged truck with 5 guys and a center-mounted machine gun in an open bed.

No escort in Pakistan till Quetta. From the border to Dalbadin, it took me 8 hours. I got stuck for an hour or so (see http://tinyurl.com/c4trxf) when I had to take a detour because they were working on the road. That was August 14th and a LOT of sand had blown onto the road in various places.

From Quetta I went to Peshawar, then up to the KKH and down to Islamabad and out to India. Pakistan is GREAT ... you'll love it.

Iran/Pakistan
 

My partner Mick and I leave the UK 1 August to travel across Europe to Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and India, we aim to be in the Himalayas, especially Nepal and Bhutan by the end of September.

If things go really pear shaped, has anybody got any information about maybe a boat from either Oman or Iran to Mumbai? We can wory about coming home at a later date :mchappy:

Sue - the Old Adventurer - getting her old age pension in July and making whoopee!!

Hi Sue

Don't be put off by too much you hear about Pakistan. I've lived here a while, and it's really not as bad as the hype... Baluchistan seems to have settled down a bit, though it's not risk-free. Just remember though that even at the worst of times, I'd still say there's a greater risk from dangerous traffic and roads as there is from any kidnapping etc... I'm not sure if that's comforting!! India is even worse!

If you do decide to ship from Arabia to India, be prepared for a wait. There are ferries which take new cars, but they don't take private cars, unless you're lucky and make some good contacts. You can always container it, but it's a bit of a ballache and expensive...

So go through Pakistan!

Make sure you get your visa at home though, it's much easier.

Take care

Daniel, in Hyderabad, Pakistan

Care to eloborate? Curious minds want to know.

Thanks Daniel for your encouraging words. We have decided to go to India via Iran and Pakistan, reading travellers posts is always uplifting, it's the news reports that unsettle - but then - good news never sold papers!

Won't apply for my carnet though until I get that Pakistan visa in my passport!

Get the Iranian visa first. It's much harder to get.

Hi Eva and Thomas,

If you like a preview of your trip watch my videos on: Going East - Home

We did travel from Holland to Nepal end 2008 with no major problems.
Enjoy!

Hi Sue,

we also decided to make our trip, despite all the negative infos we get in the news. We will decide in iran, wether to make the border crossing or not, but at the moment, all looks like we will do it. At the moment we are a bit concerned about the fightings in northern pakistan, because our main target for our trip is the kkh. Let's watch the things as they go on, we have found some more local infos in Pakistan Newspapers : Newspapers from Pakistan : Pakistan news, looks a bit more realistic than the stuff you here...

So, we are also looking forward an hope :-)

Eva and Thomas

@Daniel: Thanks for positive words, we need it at the moment ;-)

Hi Guys,

Just crossed Pakistan last week and we had no problems @ all.
We met several other travellers onroad who were positive aswell.

For our route you can check the google map op our website Rondjeom.com (in Dutch only). If you don't want to ride a very long day on bad roads, take the two day route from Quetta South to Sukkur and then up to Multan instead of our route.
We only had a escort the last 150 kliks from Dera Ghazi Khan to Multan.

We did not ride the KKH because of the unrest in the north, but met other travellers who went there without any problems.

So far no problems, the heat and traffic is our only concern so far...

Greetings Sander

Sander en Jolijn: :thumbup1:

Bad news
DAWN.COM | Provinces | French tourist kidnapped in Chagai
The guys on the roof are police, not easy to know who you are dealing with.
Peter,in Oslo

Advise: Keep as low profile as possible.
When we were in Quetta end 2008 we also did get inside information about kidnapping. We then did stay 2 extra days in the hotel and restarted our travel unexpected.
You can read our story on Going East - Home

What do you mean with "very long day on bad roads"?:eek3:

I'm planning the cross of Pakistan for october. Bike is a Honda CB500 (road bike).

Possible/unpleasant/highly unpleasant/impossible ??

The road from Zahedan (Iran) to Quetta is touchy. Some serious sand if you get unlucky. Don't skip the Karakorum highway, it's the highlight of the country.

Just like Sander we also did take the road from Quetta to Multan. It did take 15 houres driving on our BMW R1200GS, including some houres in the dark!
Staing overnight in i.e. Dera Ghazi Khan was not allowed becaurse of Talliban threads.

If you would like to know how the roads are between Quetta and Multan watch our movies on Going East - Home
You can also always mail me for info.

Enjoy!

Hey Sue!

Me and my buddy are planning to leave İstanbul mid-end September and head to Nepal. And my highlight about this trip is Bhutan and Nepal like you. The time period of our trips is almost identical.. What a coincidence!..lol

İ am about to start my search for Bhutan Visa. But it seems that it is not so easy to get. Do you have any useful info about it?..

Bhutan entry
 

Bhutan

ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: Independent travel is not permitted in Bhutan. Visitors are required to book travel through a registered tour operator in Bhutan. This may be done directly or through a travel agent abroad. Further information, including a list of authorized tour operators in Bhutan, may be obtained from the Tourism Council of Bhutan, PO Box 126, Thimphu, Bhutan, telephone +975-2-323251, 2-323252, fax +975-2-323695. Entry by air is available only via India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Thailand. The border with China is closed. The minimum daily tariff is set by the Bhutanese Department of Tourism and cannot be negotiated. The rate includes all accommodations, all meals, transportation, services of licensed guides and porters, and cultural programs where and when available.

[applies to all nationalities, except maybe Indian]

....[or]...
Travelers’ Information - Tourism Council of Bhutan - Official Website

....[and]...search on
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/southern-asia/

To ride, you may need to hook up with a [motorcycle] tour operator

..

Thanks for the great info Courtfisher.

İ ve heard that daily cost of entry is between 150-250$ for Bhutan. That means a 1 week visit cost at least 1000 maybe 1500$..


:(

Tires in Pakistan
 

BTW, does anybody has informations about getting tires in Pakistan, especially in Islamabad?
Well, I dont' think about Pirelli MT21 (but would be great:clap:), but anything else, that gets us further on to Nepal...

@Vander: Looks that our time schedule is pretty similar, so perhaps we meet somewhere in the dust...

Greetings
Eva and Thomas

For what it's worth.. I put on a new set of Metzler P2 on in Holland, bought a spare in Turkey and didn't use the spare till Cambodia. Next time, I would not take a spare. You can get a spare in Islamabad if needed.

My plan is to be "prepared" for Pakistan somewhen early to mid october. Would be great to join somebody there :thumbup1:

But I have to say that unless the situation stops deteriorating I will seriously consider to ship the bike from Iran to India or directly to SE Asia. I posted some questions about it in the regional forum.

Thing is, I don't have a concrete place to go or to vist that is completely decided, I just want to be ridding around for 2-3 months and the typical european destination doesn't fulfill my biking ambitions and dreams + now I have the time and budget needed (more of the first than of the second).

Big celebrations :D Iran Visa numbers obtained today, we'll be on our way as planned.

Regarding your query re Bhutan we met the guy from Himalayan Advenures at the 'bike show last year and he says he can help us with entry in to Bhutan. This will probably mean us doing a 'tour' with him with paid guide(s) still thrashing this out, will let you know how we get on, maybe if more were to go it would work out cheaper?

Sue

..

Cong for your iran visa.

But as i heard from news couple of days ago, İran closed the border with Pakistan due to security problems. i hope this situation dont last too long. Otherwise our iran-pakistan-india route will become a dream.

About Bhutan;

Just mailed a guy from a tour operator in Bhutan and he said that Bhutan government fixed tour prices. He gave me a discount price of 190$/day..This includes all accomodation,foods,permits,healt thingies and a support vehicle.

i am gonna mail a couple og operators too. Maybe i can catch a better price..


i ll let u know.


Mehmet

Try this guy:

Kinley Tshering
Himalayan Adventures
PO BOX 1436 Thimphu
Kingdom of Bhutan
Email. adventure@druknet.bt :
adventure1@druknet.bt
Tel. ++975 2 328829 (off) 322310 pvt.
Fax. ++975 2 328830
Mobile. 975 17603514
www.himalayan-adventures.com

Bhutan
 

Hi,

Friends of mine are currently in Bhutan, then will travel onto Nepal and China.
You can find their details and perhaps contact them on http://osp.kw.blogspot.com and look under tracking for their maps.

Hope this helps.

I shall be leaving Kuwait for Iran on Thurs 18th June and hope to enter Pakistan 1 week later.

Take care on the road

..

Mombassa..

Thank you about info for Bhutan tour guy. i will contact him and we ll see what can he do..

heavens angel..

i checked the blog of your friend's but it seems that it doesnt exist right now.

i ll check later. Maybe they couldnt have find time to update..

Bhutan
 

Sorry that website address should be
Our Shared Planet Motorcycle Adventure

Good info
 

Hi Brain Marie

Just found your posts on Hubb, very good, information on times from one place to another.

Started reading your website, photos great, hope to be leaving for India, around end of Feb 2010.

Roger

..

Ty for the link heavens angel..

Nice trip report there..

already on your way ??
 

Hi Eva & Thomas,

are you already on your way or do you start in August ? We are on the moment in Iran and expect to cross the border in 2 weeks. Perhaps we can join you, but if you are still in Germany, then we will let you know how we experienced the border.

Renske & Fons

Could meet up?
 

Hi Guys,

We are leaving the UK end of June in a 4x4 truck/camper. We plan to go through Eastern Europe to Turkey and have to pick up our visa in Istanbul for Iran by end of August. We're travelling through Iran and possibly through Pakistan to India and then onto SE Asia.

Brian and Maire amongst others have inspired us not to ship the van - which is an option from Bandar Abbas to Mumbai - but to look for others to go with (Iran to Pakistan).

I don't know exact timings, but wondered if anyone is interested in hooking up?

Thanks and happy travelling to all!

Jo

heat
 

Thanks for the insight guys. I'm a bit more at ease now, going the same route in a couple of weeks. The heat is one of my concerns too. We'll see. Thanks again.

Still planning to go...
 

Hi there,

we are still planning to leave at 12. of August from Germany. But of course we now have a closer look at the situation in Iran. So, Renske & Fons, if you are still in Iran and have a chance to tell us something, would be great to hear from you. In the media in Germany, the situation looks dangerous and dark, but we all know hoe things could look rather different, when you are at location.

Still in hope that everything gets calmer...

Eva and Thomas

I'm planning on crossing Turkey in September and then see Iran in October and Pakistan in November (roughly)... will be on a bike on my own, starting from the UK with a small break in Athens, Greece to prepare the bike see family etc.

Let's see how the situation will unfold...

Well, I'm tempted to give a few details here, for people planning to go to India.
Basically, from Iran, you have three solutions:
1) Dollars
2) Talibans
3) Bandits
Let's get into details a bit.
The dollars solution, is through China (and then people usually go on to the KKH - not heard of many people crossing tibet to go to Nepal though...). It takes time and money on the chinese side - apparently, as far as I know, from 750$ to 2000$. That's just for quick transit. You can do that from either Kazakhstan or Kirgizstan.
The Talibans option is the following: you go to Afghanistan from Iran, close your eyes, pray, and end up a few hours or days later in Pakistan. Or not. Two borders between Afghanistan and Pakistan: Khyber pass (very dangerous, with military escort from Khyber to Peshawar - i've just put a post about that one:funmeteryes:) and Kandahar (suicidal).
The bandits option is through Balouchistan. Tourists keep being kidnapped there (the last one was french, and that was three weeks ago). But most of the time it works just fine (well, as fine as it gets in the area. Military escorts are just compulsary.
Have fun, and good luck. Trip planning in the area is just a pain....:(:mchappy:

Still waiting for Iran Visa
 

Just a small update, plan is still to leave at 12. of August, but we were waiting for the iran visum...

Eva and Thomas

hi eva und thomas,

did you get the iran visa yet?
what are your plans in terms of crossing pakistan, do you have already a visa for crossing pakistan?

gruß bunda

Hello all just crossed from Iran into Taftan, & now in Islamabad. Was worried about this one but needn't have been. Encountered nothing but friendly people all the way. No hostility at all. Escorts start in Bam (Iran) and continue all the way to Islamabad (or Waggah if going straight there). This is the main problem - escorts are now everywhere you go, even staying in hotel with us in Sukkur/Multan! Escorts in Iran are annoying, young soldiers who like to take the piss. In Balochistan, police are first class. We wanted to stay in Dalbandin but since the kidnapping there the police politely insisted we stay in Nok Kundi. They look after you very well in the police station guest house, and all for free. Quetta is having some problems but we saw none of it and again the locals were very helpful when we went out. Police said that you need a permit to go directly from Quetta - Multan now, so we went down via sukkur. Police in Sindh seem paranoid as hell but nice but the real crazy driving started in Punjab where the escorts are a real danger to you as they drive like mad men and give no room. If you try to drive past to get some space they will box you in and swerve to stop you passing. Really crazy, excessive stuff. Speed varies between 20 - 120kmh depending on driver. We are in Islamabad to sort Indian visa now, British people should be warned that the Iranian government have disconnected phone lines to U.K so Indian embassy can not issue a visa to U.K citizens from Iran at the moment. Pakistan visa still possible. Hopefully this will change soon. Would definitely cross again, its a shame the police keep you moving through so quickly as Baluchistan looks a very interesting place to spend some time.

HI
We are planning a drive from Denmark to India. ( not on bikes but in a car) Leaving Denmark end of August, it would be great if we could meet up with somebody to go through last part of Iran and Pakistan.
We are still working on the visas as well.
Regards
Michael and Susanne

Changing of plans
 

Hi all together,

very sad, but we have cheanged our plans. because of the current situation in Iran and Pakistan, we decided not to go on our trip to nepal. We don't think, that it would be that pleasure we wanted it to be, andwe also think, that people in iran at the moment perhaps don't want to care for travellers. So we devided to make a trip to a completely different target, we will go from ethiopia to Capetown at the end of august.
Thansk to everyone helping us in this thread, good luck and a safe journey for all the peolpe who head to iran and pakistan, have a great and safe time!

Eva and Thomas

Travelling to Nepal
 

What a shame Eva and Thomas have decided not to travel overland to India. Mick and myself are at the moment at Alexandroupoli before we cross the border into Turkey tomorrow.
Travelling four years ago through Russia into Mongolia and into the Stan countries, at each border crossing the country we were going into couldn't believe we had crossed the previous country in once piece. They warned us we would be murdered raped or robbed - beaten up and thrown to the dogs. We found the people of each country so unbelievably special. The less they had the more they wanted to share. Perhaps my hub user name 'Old Adventurer' is the key? Both Mick and myself are in our 60's, we are no threat to anybody, they probably can't believe their eyes that two old farts are riding motorcycles halfway across the world.
If the Iranians don't let us into the country it won't be for the want of trying. ditto to Pakistan.
Enjoy your trip Eva and Thomas where ever you get to, we would have loved to have met you in Nepal
Sue

I used this thread quite a lot before entering Pakistan from Iran. Now we have just left Pakistan maybe I can contribute a little.

No-one in their right mind should be worried about Iran, the government there are a little odd undoubtedly but the people are lovely and welcoming and really no threat at all. Even the police are great, we had tea at the side of the road with them. The only excuse for not going to Iran is not getting a visa.

Pakistan is a little different as there clearly are some troubles there but again we have nothing but praise. The Pakistan leg of our journey has been the best so far, and particularly Baluchistan. The people were amazing, no sign of trouble. We did have escorts for the majority of our time there and they did drive haphazardly but that was o.k. I would love to go back there and would do so without hesitation. There is a risk but it is small, it is nothing like as big a risk as driving on Indian roads which we are now having to content with. This truly is dangerous.

Did you go up the Karakorum? Is it open again? I heard it was closed due to construction (when I was there in 2006 the Chinese were measuring things up to start work)

I completly agree.:thumbup1:
Whe had the same experiance end 2008 traveling from Holland to Nepal.
Iran: Super frendly,
Pakistan: Verry poor but also frendly
India: Frendly but driving is somtimes hell,
Nepal: Paradise....
:mchappy:

It's quite heartening to read positive reports from people on the ground, however my case here (against my family and friends who are convinced I am suicidal) is not helped by the latest kidnap of a Greek national in Pakistan on the 8th of September... http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-...ySecurity&pg=2

Unfortunately it takes a couple of bad incidents to smear an entire country, especially for countries that westerners don't know and therefore fear.

Thanks for the information so far, please keep it coming! Hope to be able to add some live info later this year - planning to be in Iran/Pakistan in November/December 2009 (if the Pakistanis entertain my 2nd visa application...)

Alexandros

There was a kidnapping case of a French tourist a few months ago. 2 or 3 cars that went West from Dalbadin ... one of the people was taken. Is there an update on that anywhere?

Hi, we did get up the Karokaram, it is still open but most definitley under construction, most of it has been torn up and the Chinese are rebuilding it, frequent waits due to them blowing up a section of clliff and then having to clear it etc but still really really good despite all the dust.

There seems very little news on the frenchman kidnapped a few months ago, when we were there a police officer told us ransom demands had been made but cant find news anywhere of this to confirm. Its bad news if this has happened again though I would be suprised if it had happened to an overlander as we were escorted virtually te entire length of the country (though not on KKH).

I think now it's a lot harder in terms of riding alone, but when I did it, I crossed from Iran and didn't see and escort until we got into DG Khan. We got intercepted by the police and they stayed with us till we were put on the road to Peshawar a few days later. From then on, there was no escort issue at all. I've heard it all changed... sad really. I got an escort from Zahedan to the border, then nothing all the way to DG Kahn. Glad you were able to make it up the KKH. I stayed in Minapin for a few days as well and hiked to the Rakaposhi basecamp etc. God I miss that country... what a wonderful place to be....

Pakistan security
 

French tourist released 21 aug, probably some ransom paid.from BBC Websites

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  • News - South Asia - French tourist freed in Pakistan . Last updated: 21 Aug 2009

My experience is that the security situation is very unstable and unpredictable. The police do run escorts of foriegners when they feel this may be necessary, and they are usually overcautious. Some, in Punjab were highly trained professional bodyguards/gunmen, whilst others were local police schlepping their way through their day, with nerve-wracking firearms discipline. The people I met, no kidnappers, were very friendly, and did not hold an individual tourist responsible for their governements involvement in the Afghan conflict. There was a lot of resentment about the use of drones to attack mudbrick villages in the mountains though.
If you drive with an escort you will never know if it was really necessary, they are usually a pain in the ass, and just want to get you off their patch. I think we have to see them as a necessary annoyence, it is only a very small part of a long journey with these restriction.
Peter, in Oslo

Safe, I think
 

I just went the same route. I'm in India now. I had the best time in Iran and especially Pakistan (Juli / August). You can find out all about my experiences by checking my online diary. Open-Explorers | 210 | 2 wheels 1 world 0 money If you have any additional questions or need contact numbers, etc. let me know. Have a good trip.

Thanks! Glad to see that ended well.

Hi There. I am in Nepal now after some looong hard rides in India from bangladesh and YES, the roads in eastern , middel India would put and hardcore bike of the limits. Unbelivable. Ok stay on the main roads daytime works but then take shortcuts and nightmare starts. After traveling a lot over the years it is just a laugh to see the roads and the traffic in India.
Just love to hear the good and nice talk of Pakistan and Iran where I will be in a few weeks from now. Rain or not, hot or not, escorts or not- thats life on the road. Just cope with it and have a smile.
Manne

Zahedan "dangerous"
 

FYI

In correspondence with the Greek embassy in Tehran, I got told:

[...]we also require from the applicant to also sign a form stating that they have
been fully briefed by our Consular Section on the hazards of road travel
to Pakistan (theft,kidnapping etc) since such travel is not recommended at
all especially if you cross from the dangerous area of Zahedan.[...]

Interesting, since as far as I'm aware Zahedan-Taftan is the only way of entering Pakistan from Iran...

Any idea why they're pointing the finger to Zahedan?

Thanks,

Alexandros

There have been a few kidnappings in Zahedan. Also, there are two factions at war near the border on the Iranian side. Neither is an issue, because when you arrive in Zahedan, the police will be called anyways by the hotel (they have to) and you'll be attached to an officer for the time you are there, then handed off to an escort to the border. Expect to arrive at the border at noon or 1 PM if you leave at 6 am. I was hoping to make time to Dalbadin, but I got there only at 8 PM.. The police will help you buy gas in Zahedan. There is one gas station for taxis. The others are mostly empty as most gas is smuggled to Pakistan. There are off-license sellers. You won't find them as a tourist but the cops will help. It all sounds weird but it'll be perfectly normal when you're there. Enjoy your trip! It's a blast.

One more option is to skip Zahedan an stay a night in Taftan.

Taftan is not a perfect (:cool4:) place to stay, but it allows you to start the next day verry early driving to i.e. Quetta. We did it end 2008 and you can see the movies and read the story on Going East - Home

Enjoy!

Has anyone crossed in the past couple of weeks? I've heard that the situation is beginning to hot up and am due to cross from Iran to Pakistan in around a month by 4x4. The targets appear to be Intelligence and military but would like to hear of anyone's experiences. Also I expect the escorts to be mandatory and fairly lengthy through Pakistan by now, is this the case? Regards, Matt.

Well the FCO bad-news-alerts are certainly increasing in frequency... latest explosion today again claimed a few lives. http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-...eania/pakistan

I'm planning to enter Pakistan from Iran also in about a month from now, so will be closely monitoring this thread for any advice from the ground.

Alexandros

Just been through Pakistan
 

Dear All,

By no means a guide to anyone else - just our experience. We are in a 4x4 and travelled with another couple in a 4x4. We were escorted from Bam in Iran through to the border and by the time we had faffed about with different escorts managed to get into Pakistan by 4pm. We stayed in the customs house carpark in Taftan and were advised not to go out at night.

We got to Dalbandin the next day and were taken to a prison to stay. We said we would try our luck with the hotel and stayed in their carpark instead for 100 rupees.

Next day Quetta - Bloomstar hotel has a carpark that overlanders can stay in. The day we arrived the education minister had been killed in Quetta so security was tight. Again, we were told not to go out on the street by the hotel and police.

We went out during the day and I would say the reception from people is mixed - some pleased to see you, some indifferent.

The journey from Quetta to Lahore was police and armed escort all the way. We were not allowed to stop and sleep in the vehicle at any hotel and had top stay in police stations. This was not a pleasant experience.

We ended up at the PDTC motel in Wagah at the border. This was fine.

We were pleased to cross the border.

I am unaware of what danger, if any we were in because it is hard to be objective in that situation. We were not free to do much apart from drive. I do know that the universities, schools and colleges had been shut for a few days when we got to Quetta due to concerns for terrorist attacks, although some say that the gov't is concerned about potential uprisings and so on.

We ended up in transit which was nto what we wanted, but we got through and are enjoying India!

Sorry not to be more positive, but that's the state of play.

Jo

That's incredibly sad that you had to get through the country that way. I feel very lucky I did it in 2006. I spent 5 weeks in Pakistan and it's one of the nicest places I visited on my trip. Nepal probably wins, but the mountains and remoteness of Pakistan are just amazing. What a shame you were rushed through it like that.

It sounds simmeler to our trip end 2008, only difference is that we did not get a escort from Taftan to Quetta, witch we did in one (long) day. For those wo are interested Going East - Home