This is very good news! Thank you for posting!

Honestly, I was never 100% convinced that having a guide was strictly an obligation by law (I never found any official statement that any law requires it). I do agree that some areas have restrictions (for reasons we may understand). I've posted once a link to some official statements, not sure if it is country-wide rule. But no statement about having a guide or not.

Re-posted Here: Procedures for Temporary Entry Vehicles and Drivers

Definitely resketching my 2015 route

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*** Travelling is an everyday discovery of our own ignorance ***

Hey guys,
it is such a pleasure Phil to share the news and Arkean you are absolutely right, although we have now learnt that there is nothing even resembling a 'country wide law' in china. Gotta deal with the country province by province.

I'll try and finalise my second post soon, but I already know that it probably won't answer all the questions eheh
Baby steps I reason!
Cheers
Laura

This is fantastic news. This is what we "all" have been waiting for... Now to find a container from Colombia to Vladiwostok?

Adventurous greetings,
Coen

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- On the road since 2003 in a vintage Land Cruiser

Hey guys!

You would not believe the number of emails I have received in the last 5 days...blimey!
Not that I was rushed or anything ahaha...but here is a blog update! Part 1 is about on all the things you need to know BEFORE you go.

What you need to know-Part 1

Please wait until part 2 is also published and then feel free to message me if you still have questions

Cheers for now! Laura

thanks again Laura. top girl.

Great! Thanks to you for sharing that excellent news!

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http://belleaventure.eu

Laura,
this is great news, and I'm sure you've had a terrific time in this great country. Burma, now China, it looks like the continent is slowly opening up.

Now I understand you've spent hours and days on this, but just one simple question: how can you be sure it is legal ? I mean, there have been dozens of reports of people who've been illegally driving in China without a problem. Granted, they were on locally registered bikes, but as you mentioned, so are yours with temporary license plates. Somebody even claimed to have talked his way through the customs form Kaz without showing the proper papers. Motorbikes in China are everywhere and don't attract attention so people have been taking advantage of that.

The point is, until an accident happens (God forbids) or a thorough police investigation takes place, there's always the possibility of some authorities pulling a law from under the table and going, we're going to impound your vehicle and deport you. Or maybe even without a law backing it.. although this is the case in many other countries and we still drive there.

In any case, are you guys starting a business to help and streamline the process for other overlanders ? that would be great news, and I, like many others here, would be interested. Mongolia to Laos, anyone ? (from what you're saying I reckon that between Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan the situation hasn't changed).

Looking forward to your next adventures !
Laurent

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2- and 4-wheeled explorer and photographer
Overland Aventure

Hey Laurent,

Yes, it really does look like this part of the world is opening up slowly slowly. Chris, my partner, has his eyes set on Nth Korea next! ahahah NO WAY! I want some easy life for the rest of the year thanks ))

Absolutely there have been people who started with groups and then ditched them, and I am sure a few have gotten through the whole country with no paperwork at all, by paying bribes or just sneaking through.
Anyway, to keep the answer to your question as simple as possible: we know that our independent traverse was legal because we had permits that said it was. It is really that simple.

Of course a wayward policeman can make up any excuse to pull you over, request a fine be paid or impound your vehicle but as you rightly say, this is actually the case in MOST countries around the world, outside of developed Western ones. But I believe this to be a different matter altogether.

Anyway...we just want to outline the basics for everyone who wants to follow suit, but then we will leave it to Ricard and his team to take over. As excited as I still am about our China trip (it is an amazing country!) I am also keen to organize all the info I have, share it with the world and get back to my travel-life. I was an overland tour guide for 6 years and do logistics well but I no longer have the desire to do it full-time!
Anything else you need though...just let me know!
Cheers for now
Laura

about Temporary Entry Vehicles and Drivers
I am a Chinese live in Canada,
1. to get a temporary driver licence is easy , you don't even to take a paper test you can get it .if you want get a five years driver licence you just need pass a paper test in one week.
2. to get a temporary vehicle plate is not that easy.in that "Registration of Temporary Entry Vehicles", the hard part is d." The entry permit of the vehicle issued by Chinese Customs;"
3.I think there are some bylaw for Xinjiang Province for ESCORT.this is not a big issue

I want drive my KLR from Canada to China in 2016, I think I can figure out how to get in China.

Hey Laura,

Are you still planning to write on your blog the second part that you mentioned in some posts before??

GRTZ,

Jeroen

Not for me.



Hello everybody,


I spend the last three months trying to find an agency in China to help me to cross the borders and travel WITHOUT a guide for two months in June and July 2015.

Most of the agencies that I contacted would not even answer. The ones that would answer told me that I cant travel without a guide. I found only one agency, that said it could be possible without a guide, and this agency is the one that Laura mentioned

www.chinatierradeaventura.com

and after some emails, Ricard gave me a quote for the following journey.

One bike, one rider. Entering Beginning of June 2015 at Suifenhe (Mudanjang) / Pogranicoyj (Ussurijsk) coming from Russia. Travelling for two months (60 days) and than leaving to Kirgistan.


This is the qoute from Ricard:


About the cost in China, be ready for a heart attack,
-ONLY ONE VEHICLE
Enter and exit fee including temporary driving license, temporary license for vehicle, insurance. 50000 RMB (today’s rate is 7,7 RMB one Euro)
Guide service including support vehicle (is mandatory in most of the places you will be) 3000 RMB7PER DAY

The cost if you can joint some other travelers will drop quite a lot cause some of the cost can be share


For my journey this would cost me: 38000 Usd plus fuel and hotels.

As soon as I got the quote, I asked Ricard if he made a mistake with the zeros, but he confirmed that this was the price. So, I have to tell nobody here on the Hubb, that I am not going to look for other travelers to share this amount. There is no way that I will get the costs down to something that I want to afford.


This leaves me with three options. Renting a bike. Buying a bike. Getting my bike over the border without paperwork ;-)

There is still plenty of time, but I wont try the official version over an agency anymore.

Hope this helps somebody to plan his journey to China.

Greetings from Finland
mika

Guide service including support vehicle (is mandatory in most of the places you will be) 3000 RMB7PER DAY

So, what is left of the story that you can travel in China without a mandatory guide?? Defacto nothing!!

I never had a good feeling about this topic, sorry.

GRTZ,

Jeroen

Well ~ the wishful thinking and a lot of talk about motor-vehicle travel in China pops up every year.....

Do get in touch once you get into the greater Shanghai or Beijing regions, might be around, bear in mind all the time please ~ the Middle Kingdom called China always has been and always will work in mysterious ways....

TIC = This is China!
1. Everything is possible in China.
2. Nothing is easy.
3. Patience is the essence of success.
4. The answer "yes" is not necessarily an indication of agreement or confirmation.
5. "You don't understand our country" means they disagree.
6. "Provisional regulations" mean they can change the rules any time they want, even retroactively.
7. "Basically, no problem" means a BIG problem.
8. "Signing a contract" means the beginning of the real negotiation.
9. When you are feeling optimistic, think about rule number two.
10. When you are feeling discouraged, think about rule number one.
11. If they tell you, that you know China very well, say NO - otherwise they'll show you, that you don't!

***above are just some of my simple China business rules***

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Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR