For farn, why so difficult to get into Pakistan
 

Im needing some help! Im doing the Uk to Australia overland leg and Im in Ankara Turkey. The visa to Pakistan is very difficult to obtain and they are quite rude and unwilling to help at the embassy. Has anyone done the rout Turkey, Iran, Pakistan to India recently? And if so can anyone help me, to wait 4 to 6 weeks for the Paki visa means my iranian and indian visa will run out. Is there an alternative and cheaper option to avoid Pakistan and get across to the UAE from Iran or to ship from Turkey. Aghhh why so difficult? I want to make myself a boat propelled by my Africa twin engine and cruise on along side the Pakistan coast to arrive in Gujarat India.

Im keeping the positive vibes, as when there is a will there is a way. But any help would be so greatly appreciated! Oh and I have dual citizenship with Australia and United Kingdom if that helps....

Mr Marty and the Dragonfly

The Heroes Journey

...recently been through....
 

Hi mardy convey,
yes..the whole visa situation for this region of the world can get a little stressful...I have just organized, over the last 11 months on the road, 12 visas at around a cost of $100 each per visa...stressful times.

However, not all is as bad as it may appear.
We entered Iran from Turkmenistan so I cant comment on turkey- Iran etc. However, once we had our visa for Iran we headed into Tehran to apply for our Pakistan visa's. very quick. efficient and staff friendly and helpful in the Pak embassy in Tehran, Iran.

Have a read of this...its our journal entry for our application process and there some GPS ref points included too. 2ridetheworld.com : diary this link takes you to chapter 2 of our diary in Iran...scroll down to 1st Dec 2009 and the diary starts at our time in Tehran, where we stayed etc. etc.

All-in-all it took us 5 days to get our Pak visa in iran - from Dec 2nd making the application to Dec 7th having the visa stamped in our passports. and this time period took into account a holiday day!

You will need to get a letter of recommendation from your Embassy within the country you are applying. so we went to the British Embassy in Tehran - info etc in our diary.

iHowever, we are now putting up diary for our time in Pakistan (lots of photos too!) and soon India. We are now in Nepal. You don't say if you are coming to Nepal....? Try not to miss it - its really beautiful and a definite place for a bit of peace and quiet after India.

If you need to know anymore specifics send me an email.
cheers

Lisa your great, from being stuck in conundrum you have now lifted my spirits, im going to do what you have done and find that nice Pakistani man and have tea and biscuits too. Ill let you know how I go, im just a little worried that my iranian transit visa of 10 days may not be enough time, ill go to the iranian embassy tomorrow and see about a top up!
Hey nice pics on your site too!!! Eh we have the same Africa Twin, except i didn't like the paint job and the pink stickers so I got rid of it and painted her into a dragonfly! Yeah I hope I get into Nepal too! How are you planning to get to South east asia? I was going to try and wing it by going to the Andoman Islands from Calcutta and from port Blair try and find a yacht heading to thailand or something like that.

Ill be a regular on your web site, cheers for the good vibes and fantastic traveling to you both!!!

Marty
The Heroes Journey

Very Nice Man
 

I agree with Lisa, the man (or men) in the Pakistan embassy in Iran is great. He sorted for us to get ours in 3 days rather than five, because we had had to change plans, and divert North into Azerbajan - because Turkmenistan had closed it's borders.

Anyhow - they couldn't have been more help. But we found that you had to make a connection with them (ie don't go in expecting it to be done). We watch several other rude Western tourists get the cold shoulder before us. Luckily we chatted a little about cricket and the KKH and soon we were best friends - including being given a load of free maps.

One thing I do remember is that you need photocopies of EVERY visa in your passport, and lots of other doco as well. Bring everything you can imagine you need.

Good luck - Pakistan is worth it!

Oh we also new people who got there Iranian transit visa extended in Tehran ... and that was apparently easy too.

Iran is worth it as well - a month was a lovely time to spend there .... although a week in Tehran was too much !

Hey ya, my journey is coming to a point of who knows what? The Pakistani embassy in Tehran will not give any visas out to any non Iranian citizens (apparently from two weeks ago the govt made this rule). The Pakistani diplomatic people (both in Tehran and Ankara) are tough and lie and have no compassion or sympathy. I was well prepared and had everything ready to go to apply. Its a full on and an intense experience but it is now completely a no go unless you apply from your own country (but still even if you tell them you are flying in and give all the docs etc, its really difficult). the Pakistani government is doing everything they can to make it difficult for travelers to get in for their security reasons. Apparently you can get one on the boarder of China and Pakistan but then there is the deal with China... and the KKH has had a massive landslide and the damn it created recently broke and washed out 20kms of the highway and a massive bridge.

I have little choice now to get to India overland because I just don't have the funds to ship or fly my Bike. I met these Spanish lads in this 4WD truck today and have just come up from Africa to Iran. I think ill join them and ride into northern Afghanistan and then into the stans, then try and sell my bike somewhere and fly to India and just hire an enfield from there on in with some new funds. I don't know its all gone a bit mad riding round Tehran, but has also been a great experience... three big lads on the bike riding across the city to outings, its so easy to make good friends in Tehran and some wild experiences. Iran is great. I need to extend my visa now for Iran, hopefully it works, its a great country despite the political goings...

If anyone has any uplifting and easy ways with little cash to get across to India from Iran please let me know asap. What to do????

Marty