Ulaan Batar - Khabarovsk - Vanino - Sakhalin
 

Hey guys

Been looking up info on this route and would like to find out some recent information.

I have contacts for shipping and ferry agencies (thanks Chris), I know beer shouldn't be a problem to find. But less essential stuff like road conditions and :rain: / :Beach: situation first two weeks of september are not completely clear to me yet. Especially the Khabarovsk-Vanino stretch. I hear there are two roads
- direction Khomsomolsk-on-amur and then vanino supposedly paved
- p454 to Lidoga and then east towards Vanino, with paved parts but not all of it.

And even from Ulaan Batar to Chabarovsk. how long do I need for that. I don't drive like a maniac and don't like cops taking my money so won't go for 800km/day. Is this distance realistically covered in 8-10 days?

Anyone ridden these roads recently?

News on fuel. I have the waypoints which indicate some fuel on the road. Are those places in service?

Safety for camping (bears)?

extra info: I ride probably alone, maybe with another biker, a F650GS Dakar (I see it has been done on a Harley), and survived Wakhan valley and desert sand to Darvaza Crater. But having said that, the crater stretch wasn't fun and Wakhan was ok (I think that road is exaggerated by many). No special skills or so, just patience and water.

Thanks!

A.

Hello Antonio,
from UB to Chabarovsk you have to go for about 3.150 km, you should do that in 6-8 days, fuel should be no problem, because you follow the transsib-highway. Though there were fuelstation maybe all 200 km i think. Most of the route is tarmac, but durung roadworks there could be longer stretches of gravel.
From Komsomolsk na Amur should be a road to Vanino, i think Walter Colebatch could tell you more about this stretch.
As it ist the only road through Siberia this road will be full of traffic, a lot of trucks and cars.
Camping should be no problem, as far as i read are bears not such a problem like in the Yellowstone park.

September 2013 I rode from Khomsomolsk-na-amur to vanino.

The road from Khabarosk to Khomsomolsk-na-amur is P454. The road to Vanino splits off about 1/2 between the two towns.

454 is pavement and nothing special. Unless you are there when its flooded :/
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-I...0/DSC01388.JPG

The road to Vanino is about 1/3 perfect new wide tarmac. 1/3 shit old skinny broken tarmac and 1/3 construction. So varying stages of mud, rocks, gravel ect. Lots of fun on the KTM :)

Google maps shows the road

You will have no problem if you did Wahkan valley. Enjoy the ride. Its actually quite beautiful.

Thanks guys. Any idea on the weather beginning of september?
And should i add some time to visit Sakhalin? Or keep my few days rather for hokkaido?
Thanks again!

Weather in September
 

Hi Antonio,
i did not know a lot about Sakhalin, but in September it would become colder an the frist freezes will arrive. I think, mid september should be time to leave the region, because the Winter is near.

I left Sakhalin on the 9th of September. I had one day of hard rain.. it was cold. But I never saw ice. When it was sunny, it was perfect riding weather.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-0...0/DSC01513.JPG
Many places to camp on the beach.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-k...0/DSC01601.JPG
Still beach goers in the south.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-1...0/DSC01576.JPG
North of Uzno

I didn't go much further north then Nogliki. But most of the stuff up there is flat, swampy and oil/gas works. Uzno-Sakalinsk is a very big town. I was even able to find 10w60 motul synthetic.. which I couldn't find in Komsalmolsk na amure. The mane road from Nogliki to Uzno is a mix of new pavement, broken pavement and graded gravel. Nothing bad.

There are some good offroad tracks if you look for them.
Riding up the coast from Holmsk, the road turns inland over some "nice" tracks. From the coast to Smirnykh there are 3 or 4 decent water crossings. they would be tough with much rain.. or on a heavy bike. I did this part solo though.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-j...0/DSC01512.JPG
North of Holmsk

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-S...0/DSC01518.JPG
North of Holmsk

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7...0/DSC01528.JPG
Mud :)

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-S...0/DSC01531.JPG
Water crossing

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-S...0/DSC01546.JPG

Looks like I need to add at least a night at a beach there!
Will look into the ferry shedule and see if it works out.
Thanks for all the help! Hopefully my time there and pictures will be as nice as yours Snoah ;-)
A.

Thanks bud.

The Motorcycle club in Uzno is very helpful also. PM me if you want some contact emails for them.

Here is a thread I posted a "how to" for the Sakhalin to Hokkaido ferry.
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...rry-sept-73029