Border Xings in and out of Armenia
 

I hope to ride some Balkans in September, then do a couple weeks in Turkey. I want to go to Armenia and Azerbaijan after that. Will I need to go to Georgia to enter and exit Armenia and then again for Azerbaijan? I'm feeling less and less confident that the trip will happen with Covid concerns and recent lockdown in Turkey.

I think we need to keep in mind that the situation anywhere can change overnight, so what's open today can be closed, or open, at anytime. If the case numbers go up and the border closes, you probably don't want to be there anyway, vaccinated or not.

I also think we need to PLAN, PREPARE, and be READY TO GO at a moment's notice when there's a good window to fulfill our dreams.
Or we can sit on our butts and moan... you can probably figure out what I think of that idea.

Doogle, keep planning and preparing! It WILL be worthwhile!

It sounds like you already know the answers, but don't want to believe them. You can't enter Armenia from Turkey, and you can't enter Azerbaijan from Armenia. So from Turkey to Georgia, a country entirely worth exploring, and onward to Armenia. As an American, you can only enter Iran under very limited circumstances, so for most of us that means heading back to Georgia in order to enter Azerbaijan.

Still, it's better than lots of alternatives, like staying home on the sofa watching Ewan and Charlie reruns.

Mark

Your right Mark, I knew the answer. I was hoping there might have been a change recently that I hadn't read. I've read hours of the history concerning Armenia and finding things I never knew. The massacres and genocides atrocities that most people don't know about. The Ottoman's reminded me of Pol Pot. And there are areas I don't want to go close to. When I rode through Georgia in 2013, I rode from Elista, Russia. It was a volatile area at the time. I saw trucks unloading tanks on the side of the road. The crossing I tried to use was closed except for local people. I guess the Armenian area could become like this at any time.



I can accept those risks. I don't want to get locked in Turkey for months with a lockdown. I've read about some travelers having this happen. I am in the mode of waiting till the Covid scare looks safe before pulling my trigger. I have the same outlook as Grant. Do it while you can.

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Until I think 2013 or 2014, the border crossing on the Georgian Military Highway, which I think you are describing, was only bilaterally open (i.e. closed to non Russians / Georgians) allegedly to prevent movement of 'terrorists' across the border. Same for the Azerbaijan - Russia border.

There is no reason the 'Armenian area', aka Armenia would adopt a similar policy any time soon. However, in these times borders are subject to closures due to changes in covid infection rates.

If you have the time, Georgia is no bad place to be, even thought it's quite small, there are many weeks, if not months worth of nice travel, hiking, visiting old churches etc to fill the time. I have no idea if the Armenian border is open at the moment, but Armenia is also great, in fact I would say even more interesting than Geoegia given the long Armenian history.

If you are worried about the Turkish border closing, there is (or certainly was in 2018...) a ferry to Chornomorsk (next to Odessa) in Ukraine.

EO

Some friends of mine just entered Georgia from Turkey with no issues.

And they will continue to Armenia in some weeks too.


So it should work

Klaus my friend, thanks for the update. That will add a little more weight to the "go" decision. Are your friends doing a ride report?

Hi Doogle,

As we all know, there is much uncertainty these times. I wonder, do you need to plan the whole trip ?
What about starting with the Balkans and then later on decide wether to go further south/east or not, based on the newest info you can get then.
If, for example, Turkey would be a problem, can you decide to return home earlier? Or staying longer in the Balkans, or do other parts of Europe instead? Or skip Turkey and just transit it? In the EU the rules for transiting a country are much less as for staying in a country. Maybe that applies to Turkey too?

Just some thoughts from my side.

Best regards,
Rögnvaldur

Flexibility is a critical tool in the travellers kit! Planning for changes, knowing alternate routes, having visa information/contacts for countries on alternate routes, and having alternate countries in your carnet if needed is wise.

Don't get stuck / married to ONE route. Be open to serendipity, changes, whatever may happen and be happy to go another way - there will be something new to see!

I am flexible. The only time I may book a room is the first or last day of a trip. My next day route is decided at the end each day. I have places to consider on a list. Some are a must and others are maybe's.Round trip air is a limiting factor. Although a couple years ago I did forfeit a return flight from Europe to go to Singapore then California.

Yes, on facebook. ( different friends )

But in German

https://www.facebook.com/BikeFree2020


And:
( but they will need a while to arive there )

https://www.facebook.com/Fajamoto/