Hi Cris
I am from Kazakhstan so my route is Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Pakistan and India Mom). Back through China .. i hope.

P.S. Did we meet in Pamir? Did you sell your bikes?)

Ok.
I crossed Pakistan from China to India last summer.
I think a lot of answers to your questions regarding Pakistan are well described on this website
https://againstthecompass.com/en/thi...p-to-pakistan/

User Omie on this forum can also give you lot of infos.

We met in Bishkek in 2013 and in Charyn Canyon in 2014 beer

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...937#post477742

Hi Cris!!!)
I have thought about other guy...
Of course , I'll never forget you. And your broken bike at the bottom of Charyn!))
Nice to hear you!bier the

Do you have any contact in China who arrange all documents for crossing China on the own bike?

I used Taher from Kashgar Adventure International Travel.
I have just posted some details about my experience on the proper thread
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...548#post574602 :thumbup1:

Welcome to Pakistan Mara. NOC means No Objection Certificate that sometimes travellers need so that authorities can arrange extra security for them. Situations change and so do the requirements. Areas close to Afghan border are a bit of problem rest of Pakistan is fine.
Dont worry about little things like fuel or SIM card. All these will work out themselves, routine matters.

Pakistan is an enormous country with 210 million warm and welcoming people.
Cheers

Hi Mara

(Sorry allilr, I don't have information on the security situation in Balochistan at the moment, and we came from China to Pakistan)

1. Is possible to buy SIM card with internet for mobile in Iran and Pakistan? If yes, where is sell it? What do i need for this?

We bought a SIM card in Iran with the company IranCell (They have a yellow-blue logo). We needed a passport and they took one or two finger prints. Including the SIM card, some 30 minutes for calling and 5GB of data, we paid something like the equivalent of USD 12.50. It paid off to get a SIM card in Iran because the internet connection was usually more reliable and faster than the WiFi we found in guest houses, let alone wild camping ;-)

We never got a SIM card in Pakistan, but we were told that is is a bit more difficult. With the help of a trustworty local you should be able to get one. Ask around.

2. Where i can change USD to local money? I mean for both Iran and Pakistan...

In Iran, the best places are money exchange offices because they have the best rates. If you don't know where to go because it's all written in Farsi, just ask a local shop keeper in a busy part of town. I'm not sure whether we needed identification, but you'll have that on you anyway. We did manage to exchange money at an actual bank (Bank Melli) but the rate was about 5 to 10 percent worse than the rate we got at the exchange offices. Bring enough cash for Iran. There is no other way to get it once you're in.

In Pakistan we got our money mostly from ATMs. Only credit cards were accepted (no debit cards, but this may differ for your situation). The problem was that not all ATMs accept your credit card either. Sometimes it would wait for minutes before spitting our card out again (and no money). I remember that we were most successful at the HBL/Habib bank (dark green logo this time).

3. What situation with petrol in Iran and Pakistan? Can i fuel everywhere?

We found good fuel on every transit route that we rode in Iran and Pakistan. We never had to worry about the distance between petrol stations (we had a 500km range but could have done with less). The octane ratings were not advertised in Iran, but the bikes ran well. In Pakistan we mostly got 93 octane petrol. Never a problem with that either.

Perhaps someone can elaborate on the petrol situation in more remote places like the Skardu Valley or Balochistan in Pakistan or the less populated areas in central Iran?

Good luck, and enjoy! We had a great time in Iran and in Pakistan!

Cheers,
Mark

IranCell is pretty good. They have good coverage around the country and 4G in most major cities. We had various Iranians bending over backwards to help us with all kinds of stuff, including the SIM cards. It's an amazingly hospitable country.

I hear this a lot, but it isn't entirely correct. You cannot officially get cash once you are in. But like with everything in Iran the people have come up with all kinds of creative ways around the rules/limitations.

You can get cash with a credit card or a Paypal account. In Tehran go to the many exchange offices near Ferdowsi square and look for one with small logos of the above payment services. They will not let you make a withdrawal there, but will send you to a flat in some inconspicuous apartment building filled with computers on permanent VPN connections to the outside world. You do an online payment, they give you cash, either USD or Rials.
It does require a certain amount of trust in the people you are dealing with and they will charge you a commission of around 10%.
In the tourist places (Esfahan, Shiraz, ...) some of the carpet shops also do it.

But it's still better to make sure you have enough on you when you enter the country. If you don't like walking around with a lot of cash, go to a Meli Bank and ask for a "Tourist Card". They'll make you a temporary bank account, you can deposit whatever sum you like and get a debit card. There's one at the Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran, in case you're flying in. You'll get the remaining money back when you close the account.