Japan (?) to India (via the Stans) - Times and Route
 

Hi all,

I have been doing a fair bit of reading and have a rough idea but now need to start locking some things in. Mainly shipping from Sydney, Australia to my first country.

At this stage I am thinking of the following

May 2014 - Australia > Japan (freight to and ride in Japan)
June 2014 - Russia > Mongolia (approx 2wks)
June-July 2014 - Mongolia > Kazakhstan
August 2014 - Kazakhstan > Uzbekistan > Tajikistan > Kyrgyzstan
Sept 2014 - China > Pakistan > India

Now from writing up the above I have some immediate questions which i hope I can get some knowledge

Questions

- Any thoughts around shipping to Japan versus say South Korea or perhaps even straight to Vladivostok from where I could take the ferry to and back from Japan?

- Is 2 weeks in early June enough to get from Vladivostok to Ulan Ude? I have read that the road is pretty much a highway.

- What are conditions like in Mongolia like in late June/July. I am hoping to attempt the middle route but I cannot deal with extreme conditions like deep water crossings or a lot of mud/slush. Should this be deffered? Of course once I get to UB I will re-evaluate south route vs middle route based on up to date information

- Am I selling myself short by allocating just a month to the Stans? Ideally I would like to drop Uzbekistan and limit myself to just Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan however it appears I can only enter China from Kyrgyzstan so my other alternative would be to enter around Almaty, and just loop through the 2 Stans. Happy to hear thoughts on this

- Is there an entry from Iran into Turkmenistan? After a halt in India I will be setting out West again through Iran and would like to visit the remaining Stans if possible.

A lot of the above is based on trying to get into North India to ride the Leh region.

All advice is appreciate

Thanks in advance

Don't know much about Korea, but you usually need a Carnet for Japan (unless arriving by ferry). From Japan, it is cheaper to go via Sakhalin island than Vladivostok. DBS, the Korean ferry company that operates the Japan-Korea-Vladivostok route, is now very expensive. :thumbdown:
I don't think you can ride motorcycles on expressways in Korea. You can in Japan (even though it is a bit expensive).

No problem unless you break down and are waiting for parts. It it took me less than 2 weeks back in 2003 before the highway was done. Maybe it will take longer if local motorcycle clubs catch you and provide so much hospitality that you don't want to leave. bier
This says you can do it in 60 hours (probably not practical to ride 60 hours non stop though) АТИ: ГРУЗОПЕРЕВОЗКИ, ПЕРЕВОЗКИ, ГРУЗЫ, АВТОПЕРЕВОЗКИ

Thanks for the information !

- Yes I have read that since the Dong Chun (?) ferry stopped the new service is pricey and the other Russian port is a bit easier too.

- I intend to get a carnet before leaving home as I found out form my local automobile association that it must be done before departure. Realistically I don't need it till Pakistan but from my reading it seems that only if I enter Japan via ferry from Russia I can use the C5014 form of temporary impotrt. So basically I'm paying carnet for a 3 months period where I don't need it, but thems the breaks I guess.

- Didn't know about the Korean bike thing, thanks! Personally I am more inclined to visit Japan over Korea. I have been to neither but am just interested to see and experience Japan

Still trying to figure out the Stans though.

Unsure as to whether there is a Taji-China crossing in which case I would do Kaz > Kyr > Taj and Turkmenistan on the way to Turkey which would mean skipping Uzbekistan...

Edit- And I reaaaally hope I get to experience at least one Russian biker party haha. Its a bit of a bucket list item. I understand they have a decent sportbike culture over there so i really want to see !

You will need carnet for India & Nepal if you go but you can have it post dated to start when you expect to enter your first carnet country.

The stans routes are a bit tricky due to the border jumble and only certain border points open to vehicles/foreigners.

PS if you like amazing historic monuments, don't miss Uzbekistan...:)

Late June / early July should be fine on the Central Route - I imagine quite a lot of it is paved these days...

In one month you'll be flying through Central Asia, but if that's your style then it's certainly do-able. It would be a shame to miss Uzbekistan; at least pass through Bukhara and Samarkand on your way through.

Tajikistan has the Pamir Highway, while Kyrgyzstan's attractions are mostly hiking / trekking-based in my opinion.

Kazakhstan is BIG and there are many hidden attractions, but on your time frame you'll most likely just have to pass through towards UZ or KG.

Yes, there are three crossing points open between Iran and Turkmenistan, but you'll either need to book a tour, or get a transit visa. The latter means you will need a visa for either UZ or KZ, requiring you to cross Turkmenistan. You could however just turn back to Iran, but you would need a third-country visa to get your TM transit visa.

For border crossings and much more, check out:

Caravanistan - A Silk Road travel guide

Thanks! I will read up on that link, seems quite informative.

I really don't want to pass through Central Asia so quick. I am quitting my job and selling up everything to do this so theoretically have as much time as I want. Perhaps I just need to drop the deadline of September in Leh in order to enjoy Central Asia more.

Might even consider dropping Japan and try to ship straight to Vladivostok instead.

If I am starting in Central Asia June/July as you mentioned above, what would be considered the "end" of the season to cross KKH for example?

Edit - Just re-read what you wrote about Turkmenistan and am now beginning to grasp the concept of the transit visit.

So perhaps I could do just KZ and TJ on the way into India

Then once into Iran on my "2nd leg" of the trip towards Europe, use a UZ visa to get a TM transit visa and hence be able to visit those two as well. I guess the only proviso is if Iran will allow multiple entries and a long enough duration to do the aforementioned.

Will you do this on the GSXR!? That will be awesome

ShaneBaby, yes. This would be the first leg of what I am hoping will be a proper RTW if funds allow.

At a high level; 2nd leg will be to Western Europe and final leg will be north to south in the Americas ending up in Brasil.

I am now starting to consider the option of ditching Japan as a starting point for the following reasons

- Hope to delay carnet start date, which would mean that I may not need to renew it by the time I get into EU/Americas
- Save on ferry cost from JP to RU
- Spend more time in Eastern Russia/Central Asia

Thanks bud, after meeting you at the Brisbane meeting I hope we will cross tracks once more somewhere along the way, I want to leave in Feb, SE Asia,Nepal India, Iran, Balkans Stans Mongolia Russia Japan, seasons??! and life permitting Ill be watching closely mate , Cheers

Sounds like we may cross paths somewhere in Asia man.

Stay in touch and lets see where the roads takes us :)

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As for the shipping planning, been a bit flat out with work last few days so haven't been able to make the calls I was hoping to in order to get quotes :(

Im asking a few of the same questions about almost the same route starting the last bit of April 2014. I didn't know about the bike ban :ban: on the highways in Korea. That changes a couple details right there.

Hey flyred,

Any reason you have opted to start in April?

What time do you anticipate to get into Northern/Central Asia

Im currently trying to find out from the motoring agency here if I can post date the start of my carnet in which case I would not ship to Japan.

Although as you said, Korea does have that limitation which would need to be considered too

My companys busy season is summer and no one gets a summer vacation. The best I can do is May and stretch it a week on either end. I rode from Seattle to Prudhoe Bay and back in March a few years ago. Gerbing heated jacket on high almost the whole way.

I just will never have summer off until I retire:thumbdown: