Hi there,

Having just learnt to spell Kyrgyzstan, we are now looking for a way into the country, and I was wondering whether anyone has any info regarding the crossing south of Karkara. I understand it may not be possible to get a stamp there, as we are headed via the rest of the stans to the Ferry at Turkmenibashi, will this be an issue? And more importantly, is the border open at all/ reliable ?

Also, does anyone have any information regarding the A372 between Sary-Tash and Karamyk? This road seems incredible, and as we are 4wd I was concerned whether it is feasible and possibly a quicker way into Tajikstan rather than going via Osh.

Cheers,
Tom

We were there in Nov 08. we were thinking of going to Karamyk as well because it was late in the season and we weren't sure about the Pamir being snowed in.

We were told by locals that foreigners can not cross at Karamyk, not even sure if we were allowed to go on the road. We were also told the same by the guy who runs Osh guest house. He made a few phone calls on our behalf and assured us the Pamirs were still fine. Turned out to be piece of cake in a 4x4, just a bit cold at -20 sometimes...

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Why not go through Pamir Hwy? It is well worth it and the road surface is not at all that bad.

The Pamir Highway! Of course, i cannot believe we didn't think of that!

Just out of interest, how long would you suggest to complete such a journey between Osh and Dushanube, we will be travelling in summer too.

In terms of the border formalities, how stringent are they...would it be necessary to allocate 24hrs into Tajikstan and then 24 hours into uzbekistan at the other end?

But back to my original question, is anyone aware of the border crossing south of Karkara from Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan?
Thanks again,

That's the way we're going and as far as I can tell it's no problem to cross there. Lonely Planet says -


To/from Kyrgyzstan

Official Kazakh–Kyrgyz border crossings are largely hassle-free.
Seven daily buses and a similar number of minibuses (600T to 700T), as well as shared taxis (2000T to 2500T), make the four- to five-hour run to Bishkek from Almaty’s Sayran bus station, crossing the border at Korday. There are also overnight buses all the way to Cholpon-Ata and Karakol from Sayran, and minibuses to Bishkek from Taraz (500T, five hours).
No public transport makes the Karkara valley crossing, south of Kegen, Kazakhstan, and east of Tüp and Ken-Suu, Kyrgyzstan, but from about April to October you can get through by a combination of hitching, taxi and patience.
Trekkers and mountain bikers making the haul across the mountains between Almaty and Lake Issyk-Köl should note that there is no official crossing point so it’s impossible to get a passport stamp. Consult a trekking agency before setting off.

Note that the part about "no official crossing point" is for the mountain hiking trails, not the Karkara Valley.
Not that Lonely Planet is always right......

I traveled this about 8 days on moto, but it can be done much more quickly. In middle of Pamir Hwy I turned south and followed Afganistan border to Khorog. This is much smaller twisty gravel road then Pamir Hwy. Road is worst between Khorog and Dushanbe.

On Tajikistan border I spent perhaps an hour to arrange papers and another hour to talk to border guards and drink tea.

If it was the one east of lake Issyk-kul then I crossed it. No problems. Easy and quick. Nearby is also Sharyn canyon (nice in the evening).

South side of Issyk-kul is more interesting that north. In Barskoon do drive to nearby mountains, towards Kara-say (and back).

Hi I am in Dushanbe and can help with repairs and logistices here ...

I too can confirm what Rebaseonu wrote.

We also crossed through Karkara without any problems. The Pamir took us about 14 days, but we rode slowly and took the Afghan border route and doubled back from Khorog. Some Czechs we know rode the Pamir highway within their 7day Tajikistan visa, even while having motorbike troubles.

Hen

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Hi there,

Having juggled a few things round and being in a (hopefully still running 4wd) we've compromised at 6 days from Osh to the border east of Dushanbe with tursunzada following the pamir highway the whole way along the border of Afghanistan ....is this still doable?

It averages at around 203km per day but I am not sure of the road conditions, obviously we want to take time out to do this, but still have to press on!

Thanks,
Tom

The main Pamir highway east of Khorog all the way to the Kyrgyz border is in relatively good condition. Sealed and not full of potholes. From Khorog most of the way to Dushanbe it is not nice, rocky, loose and twisty. The southern loop down along the Afghan border is a decent road, but unsealed, often loose and often corrugated.

All up though, 200km a day is entirely doable, if you can slip away from some of the 800 daily invitations to tea.

Ben

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Denmark - South Africa 2010-2011... Finished.

When it comes to tea...... well i find it hard to say no...!!

As i've said, we're headed there in a nice big....heavy land rover, i've read on some parts of the web that the pamir goes up to 4335m above sea level. I know it's a high road and it's clearly not that tall the whole way round, but does anyone know at what point the land rover will conk out? if at all?

Is it possible to traverse the entire thing without specially adapting fuel lines/ pumps or will the original set up do?

Thanks
Tom

Highest pass - Ak Baital - is 4655, but is very easy and you will have no problem. You will lost a lot of power but you will do it without any modifications...
We have done it last year with some nissan patrol...

cheers

Sambor

I crossed there in 2004 and no, you don't get a stamp, but it was no problem exiting into Kaz. They might not have even looked at my passport. Kyrgyz border crossings were some of the easiest anywhere. For up to date info ask David at STANTOURS - Central Asia Travel Resources

Hi,

Road condition in Kyrgystan

Kyrgyzstan gives you open spaces, high passes, beautiful lakes, beaches, high pasture mountains and desert like landscapes, all connected through roads constructed in Soviet time. As Kyrgyzstan was the main supplier of sheep meat for the Soviet Union the pastures were heavily used in summer and a myriad of roads connect them with the valleys and cities...The main roads are, although mostly rough for cars, good for cycling. The main part of the Bishkek-Osh road has been repaired and is in perfect condition. The stretches Tash Komur – Jalal Abad and Usgen-Osh are still under repair in 2005. Most of the roads especially in the mountains and to the jailoos are unpaved, but good for cycling....

Kyrgyz visa

TRAVELAZERBAIJAN - RENA SALMANOVA - ALLA RAKHMANINA - letter of invitation 12 euros to Kyrgyztan, Tajikistan, Mongolia etc..

Kyrgyzstan Visa: $55/person for 30-day, single-entry tourist visa from an embassy; if purchased on arrival at the airport, $35 for the same visa. Multiple-entry and 60-day visas are also available at the airport for around $55.
Kyrgyzstan Visa Extension: We paid 1560 som/person ($40) for a 20-day extension of our tourist visa. We don’t know if that is the normal price or a price with “special fees” included.

OVIR TAJIKISTAN...

When you arrive in Tajikistan, you are supposed to register at OVIR within three days. We tried to do this in Murghab, the first Tajik town we stayed in, but the office had run out of forms. We were forced to register in Khorog instead. The woman at the Murghab OVIR office was very kind, though. She noted our passport details and said she would call ahead to the military checkpoints along the road to ensure we didn’t have any problems. While we trusted her, we had visions of young military recruits hassling and extorting our passage through their checkpoints. We asked the woman to write us a note, indicating our passport details and explaining why we didn’t have our OVIR registration cards. For added assurance, we asked her to affix it with an official OVIR stamp. As informal as the document was, it was rather impressive. We showed it several times at the checkpoints on the way to Khorog and never had any problems. Bureaucracy always knows the value of the stamp.
Upon arrival in Khorog we spent a morning running between OVIR, photocopy shops and the bank. The registration fee is around $20 per person, paid at the bank next door. Electricity, paper and toner are all in inconveniently short supply, so you may have to make multiple visits until you get someone with all three..