Iran towards end of July, continuing through Pakistan.
 

hi,
I'm hoping to enter Iran towards the end of July and continue on through Pakistan to India. I will be riding solo on an Africa twin. would be great to meet up with people heading the same way, particularly western Pakistan area. I will be in Istanbul in approx 2 weeks hopefully obtaining Iran visa and replacing servicables. let me know if any one is passing through to share a beer and maybe a section of the intended route to India.

cheers, Ben.

Sorry, bit :offtopic: but how much is your carnet costing you? I'm thinking of a trip round central Asia via Iran...

Good luck and bon voyage brother beer

Same date - same direction
 

hi Ben,

I was looking for the excat same direction, pretty similiar dates. But no chnace to get me a Pak-visa at the moment...
What about yours??

Cheers Alex

Hello Friends,

in light of recent events in Pakistan I am not going to risk driving through with my girlfriend at this time. One of my friends is a political correspondent and the information I'm getting from her as well as the general media is that there are far too many independent armed groups active in the county. The main territory of these groups is supposed to be along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where military presence is very scarce. The activities of such groups range form hostage taking to straight forward execution.

However, the most recent event happened in a much "safer" part of Pakistan, with a much more significant army presence.

Gunmen kill 11 at base camp in Pakistan - CNN.com

The general climate in Pakistan is very tense at the moment according to security reports:

Pakistan Security Brief - June 25, 2013 | Critical Threats

These events may also make getting a visa much more difficult.

I am currently investigating getting aboard cargo ship in Iran (Bandar Abbas) and sailing to India. I will post my findings as I proceed.

Safe travels to you all!

Oli and Charli: I can't answer you in a PM because I don't have enough posts on the HUBB. Please PM me your email address.:)

hi Alex,
I got Pakistan visa without too much hasstle through Jerry's in the UK. They are the contact in Manchester and I got a 60 day visa back within 24 hours, very straight forward. I have my authorisation code for Iran but yet to pick up the visa, next week in Istanbul all being well.
My carnet is through the RAC. An insurance broker must be used and this costs 10 percent of the carnet value needed. half of this is refunded once completed. the actual document is approx £200.
As for the situation in Pakistan I am very much aware of its fragile state, particularly in the west. I'm sure more information and decisions will come to light the closer to the border I get. I hope to meet travellers coming the opposite way to see what has to be said. Plans may change but if anyone else is toying with the same idea let me know.
Ben

Hey guys,

we are planning to go though Iran and Pakistan in the next few weeks, depending on when our Iranian Visa will finally be issued... waiting for six weeks on that now, due to the elections.

Currently we are on a lovely campsite close to Sile, Turkey, at the black sea. If everything works out, we will be leaving here in the next few days, ride the coast, down to Ezurum and get the Visa.
So we might be a bit early for you, but maybe one could meet up somewhere? Getting in touch won't hurt anyway. ;)

Dacika, where are you right now? Please keep us posted about shipping, as this might proof a safer alternative for us aswell.

Cheers! :clap:

hi jnk,
I'll be in Istanbul in 5 or so days intending to pick up my visa, let's hope it doesn't take too long. let me know how you guys get on with yours and if/when you leave your campsite! Maybe we could hook up in Iran to tackle the next bit, be it by ship/air/land to India.
look forward to hear from you, Ben.

Hi Ben,

we are still at the campsite now, waiting for our visa.
Do you already have your reference number? We talked to a guy at the Iranian Consulate in Istanbul and he told us applications who do not yet have an RN take about 10-14 days to get one and another 3-4 days to have the visa issued..

If you already have the number, we probably could meet up in Turkey and get our Visas issued in Erzurum.

Anyway, I would strongly recommend to call the Consulate in Istanbul, Erzerum and Trabzon to see how things are. Seem to change daily these times...

Juri

Hi Dacika,

Did you manage to organise anything from Bandar Abbas. We are currently in Shiraz still delliberating over Pakistan as ideally we would like some company to tackle that stretch otherwise we may have to ferry accross to Dubai.

Paul and Amy

Hi Jury,
I already have my reference number and so I hope things will proceed smoothly when I turn up towards the end of this week. I'll be in Istanbul for a few days I imagine as I need a few parts for the bike too. your campsite isn't too far away it seems so maybe we could meet once I know how long I'll need to be hanging around for. I'll let you know what they say in the consulate and then hopefully catch you guys.
all the best, Ben.

Alright. ;)
Our campsite is about an hour (70km) or so from Istanbul, depending on where you start off from.
But if you are there in about five days, we should be on the road to Erzurum already - hope so at least...

Good luck,
Juri

I was in the exact same position last year and was at the crossroads either going to bandar abbas to ship to mumbai or push for pak. I ended up going through pak but before that i had sourced a shipping agent. Sokailly logisitics (? I think) i didnt use them then but i used them going mumbai to bangkok (couldnt get permits for china). They were pretty good in the end. If anyone wants their details PM me and ill send it through.

Pak is a judgement call, the situation is always tense anf never really a good time to go. I had the aussie embassy in islamabad pleading with me not to go. It worked out for me and i didnt ha e any problems, but it was a tough call to make.

Good luck everyone

Contact address for above agent <info@secoshipping.com>. Be aware that i began the process with them and they were insisiting that i deliver all docs in person to their office in tehran. They were trying to arrange an alternative when i ditched the idea and drove thru pak.

Ended up using them going mumbai to bangkok. Was fine (took a little while for bill of lading but was ok)

Hi Andrew,
thanks a lot for the useful info.
Would you probably have a rough idea about what they charged you for either of the trips?

Cheers,
Juri

Hi Juri,
This is literally a copy and paste from the old email with them. I was planning shipping my van in a 20ft container

Dear Sir,

Greetings from S E C O S H I P P I N G !!

We thank you for the opportunity for Quoting you. Reference to your
enquiry for shipping your vehicle from Bandar Abbas Iran to Mumbai
Port. Please find below the quote for the same.

General Information :
Equipment : 1 x 20 Feet Container
Container Dimensions : Length = 5897mm / Width = 2348mm / Height = 2385mm
Container Door Size : Width = 2337mm / Height = 2385mm

Documents Required : Passport / Carnet De Passage / Vehicle Registration

Part 1 : Shipping from Bandar Abbas – Iran

Our Quote Shall Include the Following :
• Ocean Freight from Bandar Abbas Iran to Mumbai Port
• Export Documentation Charges
• Container Transportation to and from Port
• Lashing & Choking of Car in the Container
• Operational Charges
• Bandar Abbas THC ( Terminal Handling Charges / Port Charges )
• Bill Of Lading Fees
• Customs Clearance Charges & Carnet Handling Charges
• Agency Fees at Bandar Abbas
Amount : USD 1150.00 ( This amount is payable at Iran at the time of Shipment )

Part 2 : Port Charges and Customs Clearance in Mumbai Port – India

Our Quote Shall Include the Following :
• Shipping Company Delivery Order Fees
• Indian Port Charges / Terminal Handling Charges
• Import Documentation at Customs
• Carnet Authentication Fees
• Carnet and Passport Attestation Charges
• Customs Clearance at Mumbai Port
• Container Yard Charges
• Container Transportation / Empty Container Relocation Charges
• Our Agency Fees
Amount : USD 1050.00 ( This amount is payable in India at the time of
Clearance )

Additional Information :
• Marine Insurance @ 1.5 % of value of the vehicle declared by
Shipper, payable in India
• Third Party insurance is compulsory for all vehicles Imported into
India under Carnet
• For third party Insurance, please request a quote – Insurance
Premium depends on Type of
Vehicle, Engine Size, Year of Mfg, Value etc. Generally all these
details are on carnet.
• Marine Insurance and Third Party Insurance are two different
policies and issued separately.

Important Instructions : Once you confirm the Shipping Dates, you have
to contact our agents and meet them at Tehran Office. They will
collect all documentation from you and instruct you to proceed to
Bandar Abbas. Please do not proceed to Bandar Abbas directly.

Please send us a clear scan of the following documents immediately :
1. First Page Of Carnet – Stating Name/Address, Date Of Issue, Valid
Upto and Issuing Club
2. Counterfoil Page Of Carnet – Showing Importation and Exportation Counterfoils
3. Passport Scan ( Main Page with your Photo )
4. Visa Scan ( Iran Visa & India Visa if available )
5. Vehicle Registration Certificate

We strive to provide complete information to our Clients without any
hidden costs whatsoever.


Hope this helps... Let me know if you have any other questions

never ended up going through with this quote as i said.. but charges were roughly the same in India when I departed.

Turkish Iranian border.
 

Hey guys!

I am in Dogubayazit for the moment, going in iran tomorrow. I got my Iranian visa in one day in Trabzon. I had a referencenumber but there were germans without it and it was no problem. I have the pakistanian visa also but still not sure if i will go through allone.

Keep me posted!

hi Juri,
I've made it to Sile, in a campsite on the way in. guessing it may be the same one but I fear I have missed you. will be here for the weekend most probably waiting for my carnet to be posted from the UK. I got my Iran visa on the same day, already had authorisation code and I payed for express service, cheaper than staying in Istanbul for 3-5 days though. I hope you get yours sorted soon, maybe I'll catch you in eastern turkey or Iran unless your camping just around the corner?!
Best wishes, Ben.

Hey Ben,
in fact, we are camping just around the corner ;)
Our site is called Woodyville, here comes a link:

https://maps.google.com/maps?z=18&q=...685,+29.732598

Which site are you at? If you like, send us a message on skype (juri.tabain). We are planning to leave on Sunday or Monday.

Hey Juri,
That's great news! I'm just on the western outskirts if town, walking distance, Nehir motel and camping. If you like I'll move camp and come join you tomorrow at some point? looks like I won't be leaving until Tuesday or Wednesday, my carnet isn't going to get posted until Monday but they assure me its 48 hour max delivery. See
you tomorrow??
Ben

Sure thing!
But beware, it might be a little more expensive here. But maybe we can get you a deal... ;)
See you tomorrow.

if you've got hot showers I don't mind paying a little more!! see you tomorrow.

Dude, we even have seated toilets and paper... :D

Morning Ben, please check your pm.... ;)