EU - India/Nepal Planning
 

Dear friends on the HUBB,
in this thread I would like to share my planning and findings so others can take advantage.
I'll depart w. a friend on two motorcycles in March 2022 heading for Mt. Everest Basecamp.
(Well, we'll not gona take the bikes all the way to Everest, but you'll get the point.)

The very dynamic travel rules are a challenge, however, as of today I took note of the following:
- The Pakistan - India border is closed.
- We'll try to ship/fly/transfer the bikes from the Gulf region to India.
- Hence, we'll cover Pakistan and Iran on the way back.

And here my notes for the rest of the route (sorry, for some info is related to the ME region and shall be posted there):
Turkey: Visa shall be straight forward: https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/

Iraq: Visa shall be possible: https://www.embassypages.com/iraq-em...ankara-turkey; I did contact the office in Ankara and asked for confirmation. If Ankara doesn't work, I have to go through the painstaiking process at home in Vienna (https://visa.vfsglobal.com/irq/en/aut/apply-visa)
Border at Habur seems to be open.

Jordan:
1) Iraq-Jordan: Visa shall be ok, needs to be applied upfront: https://jordanembassy.at/#visasec
2) Israel-Jordan: Visa on arrival at the Sheikh-Hussein border. (https://www.touristjordan.com/crossi...rder-crossing/)

Israel (optional): Visa on arrival at the Jordan border: https://www.touristjordan.com/crossi...rder-crossing/
Note: Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Syria and Yemen do not allow entry to people with passport stamps from Israel. Ask at the border not to stamp the passport!

Saudi Arabia: Seems straight forward, covid status needs to be registered: https://visa.visitsaudi.com/

Emirates: Visa free entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_p..._Arab_Emirates

Oman: Visa free entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Oman
Border shall be open: https://english.alarabiya.net/News/g...rect-land-link

India: E-Visa: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html

Nepal: Visa at the border shall be no problem.

For the return trip:
Pakistan: Online application but it seems an Invitation Letter is needed: https://visa.nadra.gov.pk/visa-on-arrival-tourist/

Iran: Well, could be straight forward but seems to involve some bureaucracy like Travel itinerary and Curriculum Vitae: https://evisatraveller.mfa.ir/en/request/how_to_apply/

All that's missing is how to ship the bikes past the closed Pakistan/India border.

Cheers,
Wauschi

P.S.:
Good to know:
Persian gulf ferries: https://revealingpersia.com/ferry-persian-gulf/
Earlier I took note some shall be operational, however I have not checked the current status.

Israel does not stamp passports, so no need to "ask." But you'll get an exit stamp from Jordan at the border with Israel, then an entry stamp at your next country after Israel. To anyone who cares enough to examine your passport closely, it will be obvious where you've been.

Lots of discussion as to whether Sudan really does forbid entry to people who've been in Israel. Common wisdom has long said yes, but online descriptions of direct experience have at least sometimes said no.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Exempt from visa
 

Wauschi, you may be exempt from a visa from Turkey as the Turkish government made quite a few countries visa free, mostly Schengen area and UK.
Great plan and work you did bringing it all together.
Kind regards
James

Minor status update.
Can't get hold of the consulate in Ankara or Vienna. Both don't answer calls or mails. Can't find any information or even application form on the internet. The only thing I find some managed to transit.
Any hint on this is also appreciated.

Still have not found a way to get the bike to India because of the closed Pakistan border.
Any hint on this is appreciated.

This all makes me a bit nervous...

Wauschi

With the US withdrawal from Iraq, isis activity has increased in Iraq. Are you sure it's a good idea to drive right through the isis hotspot?

I also had this question on my transafrica. On the day I entered, nobody really cared much, and the Sudanese were very friendly and welcoming. If you are concerned, the easiest way to solve the passport question is to have a second passport. The one thing you can't hide however is the CdP. Egypt will show an entry stamp at the Taba border, so anyone who pays close attention will know where you came from, even if there is no Israeli stamp. Likelihood of someone paying that close attention is probably 1%. Check if there are restrictions for entering Iran if you have been to Israel.

Minor Update:
Europe - Saudi-Arabia - Nepal (by motorcycle) start in 30 days!
The plan is now more specific but basically unchanged.

Visa arranged upfront: Pakistan, Iran

Greece-Israel:
Salamisshipping Ferry Vassilios departs every Mo. from Lavrio->Haifa.
(Shipping and Transport Services - Ro/Ro Service)
If they woudn't take passengers we'd fly to Haifa.

Israel/Jordan visa on arrival at the border.

Saudi-Arabia E-Visa, covid status needs to be registered upfront.

Dubai-> Iran ferry: Oman or Port Rashid/Dubai - Lengeh or Bandar Abbas, Iran.
Still have no idea which one is the most (cost) efficient for motorcyclists.
Maybe even Oman is an option. Hope we don't need a flight.
(https://revealingpersia.com/ferry-persian-gulf/)

Overland Iran-Pakistan shall be straight forward.

Here's the tricky part: Pakistan - Nepal or India.
Shipping companies at Karachi, Pakistan would't reply my requests: https://kpt.gov.pk/pages/53/ship-departures
No reply from any shipping company in Lahore, Islamabad or else where.
Is my request to ship or fly a box from Pakistan to Nepal or India so awkward noone bothers to reply?

Nepal back to Europe we plan to take Eagle Exports, Kathmandu.

What's your thought?
Something we still need to consider?

Cheers,
Wauschi

I don't want to hijack this thread, but can I ask you some details about this part?
I mean: how does this work? Costs, documents needed to ship and to enter Israel with the bike...
Thanks and have a nice trip!

That's pretty much straight forward.
I've sent an email to the contact on the website (Salamisshipping).
They told me they will take the bike and I have to fly there.
Cost, documents, etc. I did not ask, sorry.

I was super excited when i read about it, but i've also asked on Trip Advisor if they had any experiences:
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTo...html#112577745

I hope it's only related to those who didn't prepare CDP in advance.

When do you plan to arrive to Israel?

First week of April 2022.

Interesting to read in your article about the bureaucracy involved.
This is a RoRo, so it is supposed to be straight forward, which it is obviously not.

We'll all find out....

Wauschi

Hey,

Nice route, but difficult to navigate with the current global mess :innocent:

" Dubai-> Iran ferry: Oman or Port Rashid/Dubai - Lengeh or Bandar Abbas, Iran.
Still have no idea which one is the most (cost) efficient for motorcyclists.
Maybe even Oman is an option. Hope we don't need a flight.
(https://revealingpersia.com/ferry-persian-gulf/) "

I took the ferries twice across the Persian Gulf ( cycling. 2016/2017 ). Dubai to Bandar Lengeh was a fast boat ( it accommodated my bicycle, but it wouldn't have been possible for a motorbike ), Bandar Abbas to Sharjah was a much larger ferry with plenty of cargo space. I don't know if the sailings on both routes have resumed.

It could probably/possibly be easier to fly/ship your bike from the UAE ( Dubai ) straight to India. You would miss Pakistan at least on one of the legs of your trip but you don't want to have to deal with Pakistani bureaucracy in either Karachi or Lahore :(
There is plenty of traffic between the UAE and India.

L.

Dubai to BL is the only ferry operational at this time and they can accept motorcycles but not cars etc. It is not cheap USD$250 for just the bike I think. Sharjah to BB has yet to resume.

Flying bikes is insanely expensive at this time and sea freight is not far behind with the prospect of significant delays. Not sure what bureaucracy exists in Karachi or Lahore?

May I ask you what exactly you did write them?

I've asked if that Cyprus - Israel RoRo is operating considering the global situation (even if the schedule is visable on their website, just to confirm) and if it also accepts passengers and their reply is:
'Good morning. Our vessels are cargo vessels that do not accept any passengers.'

Seems that it's not a RoRo, but just a cargo ship, which means that most likely the bike would need to be packed into a crate.


I'm thinking about similar directions starting in April. Initially I was thinking just about Iran & Pakistan, but I couldn't find an interesting way back, other than splitting the places to see by 2 and seeing other half when coming back, so your topic got a lot of my attention :)

Well they are definitely not busy with answering any of my mails...

Zieeelak, this is the exact information I got.
From this I derived we are not looking at a typical RoRo and will result in a lot of trouble. At the moment I am back to Plan A which is overlanding to Saudi-Arabia in April and continue to Pakistan/India as soon it gets warmer in the Himalayas in June/July.