goetz,
i just remember a post from pietro.spera telling about a colleague biker who got killed early 2003 in afghanistan, just after i decided not to go ...
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb...ML/000169.html
on the "Travellers' Advisories, Safety and Security on the Road" forum, more info, a bit old though ...

davidmc,
i undertand that other travellers experiences could be more usefull than a link on a website :-), but did you take a close look at the link i mentioned http://www.traveltajikistan.com/roadrail/ (for roads, fuel, weather especially) ? there s a lot of usefull info (i was myself surprised) and i guess if you contact them, they ll be happy to answer you ; same story with afghanistan on http://www.kabulcaravan.com/


[This message has been edited by vincent danna (edited 08 June 2005).]

Dear Goetz, I am taking the Pamir Highway from Sary Tash to Murgab to Khorog to Dushane (i.e. the main road - M41). I will be there approx. early Sept this year.

Adrian

Vincent:
I read the same article as well.
My opinion: going to Afghanistan is a very personal decison. From what I have heard the afghans are either playing in the Champions League of hospitality. Or U hit the 0,xx % fanatic with your bullet in his gun.

David:
riding the Pamir Highway is only possible having the Pamir Permit. Which can only be obtained in Dushanbe. As far as I know.
David Berghoff told me it´s virtually impossible riding the PH clockwise as you want to do it. Or your first move is Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Dushanbe, Uzbekistan, Kyrgistan and then entering via Sary Tash.
The loop Dushanbe heading NE via Garm valley to Sary Tash and then south to Murghab doesn´t work. This border is 2nd grade and not international.
Leaving via Torugart? How that

Cheers
Goetz


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ïóòü = öåëü

I am getting a GBAO permit from the GreatGame company before I arrive in Tajikistan.

Is this the only reason you suggest the "clockwise" route is not possible?

Note, I am entering into Kyrgyzstan (from CHina) via the Irkeshtam Pass. Then to Sary Tash, then south to Tajikistan.

Which border crossing exactly is 2nd class?

Thanks,

Adrian

Hi Adrian,

having the GBAO in hand, you are absolutely free to make the trip in the sense you are intending to do. A swiss friend of mine will be doing just the same as you in August. In 2002 we got our GBAO directly from SAYOH's Mr. Gafarov in Dushanbe which allowed us to proceed to Murgab and Kirgistan. Newly opened border to China via Murgab is open for local traffic only.

Good luck

Reinhart

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www.tlc-exped.net/

Goetz:
We are planning on doing the Pamir highway counterclockwise, from Dushanbe to Osh. And David Berghof will be arranging the permits for us, we will be doing a tour of Turkmenistan with him in August.

And leaving via Torugart, Greg at Caravan Cafe will be working on the permits for that. But we plan on crossing the Torugart in late October on the way to the KKH in Pakistan. Should I be concerned about the weather on the passes in late October???

Adrian:
Maybe we will see you going in the opposite direction, we are also planning on doing the Pamir Highway in early September. Hopefully we can meet at some point?

Vincent:
Thanks for all the great advice. I think we will skip Afghanistan for now, we are arranging for our China crossing into Pakistan right now.

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Dave
www.mototrekker.com

Hi Dave - I'll be on the Pamir Highway (all going to plan) in the first half of September. Let's stay in touch. I am coming from China and am also using Greg at Caravan Cafe who has been very helpful.

Ride Safe.

Hello,

I am now in Kazakhstan, almaty, everything allright thanksto the fabulous welcome of the Silk Off road almaty motorclub. Tell you more about them next.

I am preparing my trip to Afghanistan. Every info are welcome; I am planning to enter in Afghanistan from Tajikistan, anmd then straight to Kaboul and exit via the Kyber Pass. I also want to go to Band E amir lake, near Bamyan ex-buddhas.

If you have any info, they will be strongly welcome.
See you on the road for those who are riding nearby!

Salut Vincent,

J ai quitte avec regret le sourire de Lola...La moto roule bien jusque a present. Inch allah, ca va continuer. a plus,
Henri, www.electaunavia.org

[This message has been edited by henri (edited 20 June 2005).]

Phew! This thread fills up pretty quick! I crossed the Pamirs in late October last year, the army have been pulling back in the last couple of years and i was only stopped once or twice throughout Tajikistan, it seems relatively safe, although the road follows the Afghan border for 250km (literally on the other side of the river) and no doubt there is still a lot of smuggling going on.
The road over the Pamir plateau is actually ok, but between Khorog and Dushanbe (steep, landslide-prone valleys) can be patchy. you could do Osh to Dushanbe quite comfortably in a week.
Late October/early november is generally when the snows start coming. It was an early winter when i crossed, the weather wasn't too bad (blue sky, not much wind) but the passes (4200-4600m) had ice and snow for 10-20km each which made for difficult riding and slow progress.
Note that Kyrgystan also had icy passes and i had trouble on three or four of them (3000-3500m altitude), these were as difficult as the higher ones in Tajikistan.
For some cool snow riding photos in the Pamirs and Kyrgystan, check out www.hotkey.net.au/~howmans
Cheers,
Sean

great, wonderfull, yes, thanx to all

remember also for the less experienced or less adventurous or less advanced this thread (sharing experiences about LOI in "ex ussr") on :

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb...ML/000069.html

feel free, if you have 5 minutes ... cheers :-)

anyone who managed to go there recently ? how ?

Peter Forwood very recently
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/forwood

very nice, cheers

any other experience this summer in tajikistan afghanistan ?
if not, what stopped you at the end : paperwork, security, etc ... ?

Yep, we just rode the Pamir Highway in September and are now in Kashgar, China headed to the KKH in Pakistan. There is lots of snow and ice over the Torugart Pass from Kyrgyzstan at the moment too.

The Pamir Highway between Khorog and Murgab is in surprisingly good condition, mostly paved with a few gravel stretches over the passes, but the road at the Tajik/Kyrgyz border north of Murgab is pretty bad. There is also a nasty little river crossing between Dushanbe and Khorog and it doesn't look like they are repairing the washed out bridge anytime soon.

BTW, if anyone goes to Tajikistan, don't just do the Pamirs, the road from Khojand in the north to Dushanbe is even more dramatic.

The roads in most of Tajikistan are pretty awful, but are fun on a properly equipped dual-sport bike. Lots of gravel and horribly rutted/potholed asphalt roads. Some of the roughest roads in Central Asia IMO. And it doesn't look like they are doing any repair work on the roads at the present time.

Security in Tajikistan seems to be fine, no problems for us. Everybody was very friendly and welcoming.

I will do a report on the Pamir Highway and the road from Khojand in the near future when I get a bit of time and we will also have more on our blog on HU shortly.

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Dave
www.mototrekker.com