Is it safe to go thru Iran and Pakistan or how much trouble would it be to go via *Stans and China?

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Depends on your definition of 'safe' Alan. Some people think working an everyday job in an office is safer than riding your motorcycle. Well, that theory was proven wrong on 9/11. It's all a matter of perspective.
I'd say, go there and see.
Ron

Best is thru İran and Pakistan.
Done it in 1998 first then 2 more times afterwards by same transalp 96.Wish fourth trip will be in 2012 september.
Full of good and exciting surprises..Safety is never a problem as long as you obey escort rules..Also you will meet many local and inter.bikers on the road where friendships will be more important and powerful than money...
Be careful about food and drinking water which are sold on roads...
Hope to see you at our club in İstanbul for adventure talks and possibly you will meet some other bikers also on the same destination with you.
Wish you all the best.

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Mehmet Zeki Avar
''Borderlines divide countries,HU friendship finds a way to reunited"
https://www.facebook.com/mehmet.avar.12?ref=tn_tnmn

Please define "safe".

For example, traffic from a European´s point of view, is quite bad in Iran, even more so in Pakistan, but probably nowhere as bad as in India. In fact traffic would be my greatest safety concern, and on that, Iran & Pakistan are relatively ´safe´ compared to India.

That said, there are some areas in both Iran & Pakistan, that are a bit dodgy, and also some areas, where normal tourists should not (and cannot) go.

Regular people in both countries are usually just wonderful, and their friendliness is something, that you may at first find hard to believe after all the crap you´ve read in the media (well, maybe it´s not all crap, but mostly concentrated about politics and governments).

For example, in Iran we got invited to stay at a local family home, by people who we did not know beforehand, and they treated us like old friends. We got to meet their friends and friends families, too. Really a humbling experience, and it changed my view of Iran forever. It really makes me sad and angry, that those friendly people suffer because of some crazy leaders.

Many people have done Turkey to India, and some have also gone around the north side of Afghanistan, but that, as you know, involves a short bit of China, which is very time-consuming and possibly expensive to arrange. Also some of the Central Asian countries seem to have a lot of "red tape", so all in all, I´d estimate Turkey to India to be easier of the two. And unless you do it in midwinter, you can do Karakoram Highway (the Pakistani side of it) without needing to cross into China. But also keep in mind, that winter can be very severe in eastern Turkey and northern parts of Iran, too. And even more so on the north side of Afghanistan.

Nobody can quarantee your safety, and travelling overland will always be more risky than for example flying.... but unless you do something stupid yourself, from Turkey to India, the chances of having any security-related issues (other than what you´ll encounter in traffic – every day!) are quite small. But depending on your nationality, getting visas for either Iran or Pakistan can be a bit of a challenge these days.

Here´s our experiences (from 4 years back, so keep in mind it´s partly outdated):
MOTO1 - Matkalla

Simon and I travelled this way in 2009.
if you want to have a read go here...Central Asia diary just select the country you wish to read about in Central Asia.

photos here too :-)

we definitely wouldnt have missed travelling through these areas - especially pakistan which we would really like to return to one day.

we also have a downloadable GPS track log on the front of our website - at the bottom of the page. http://www.2ridetheworld.com

China is an expensive option - and one that is talked about regularly here on the HUBB.

cheers

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Lisa
www.2ridetheworld.com

I did it in 2009 (from europe, turkey, iran, pakistan and india), crossing balochistan and sleeping in quetta.
With a harley davidson.
No problem at all, maybe in pakistan avoid Zhob and take the southern route through Multan
Check here for further info, my website with lotta photo of the trip

[url=http://www.threepercenters.it/wp/?p=1130]Threepercenters -

Originally Posted by alan hopkins...
Damn. I am trying to find out how safe it now is to travel oveand to India myself. I will keep an eye on this thread...
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Pecha72 wrote...
Riding overland from Europe to India, I believe you will need to cross the Wagah/Attari border (between Lahore and Amritsar), as that´s the only one, that is open to foreigners. And that is way south from Leh, so security in those Himalayan regions should only be your concern, if you decide to go there.

There are some relatively unsafe areas in southeastern Iran, and in western and north-western Pakistan, and you cannot avoid them all, if you want to ride all the way... but on the other hand, you are not even allowed to enter the really problematic ones, and many travellers have done the route to/from India, and very few report any security-related issues. Mind you, travelling always involves a certain amount of risk, it cannot be totally removed. And another thing, that´s worth mentioning: the normal, local people are often really wonderful, and genuinely friendly in both countries, and they have nothing to do with international politics (of which the average article on the media is all about these days!) It really was a huge experience to get to see that with your own eyes.

Would I ride that way again? Probably right now I would say yes. But the situations change all the time, so I would watch the news, travel advisories, and this and other travel-related forums closely before making a final decision.

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Alan, it sounds like Pecha72 has given you the run down on riding overland to India and from what he describes and my experience so far, it's certainly do-able. I'm in Pakistan at the moment, having ridden from Nepal and India.

I have to say Pakistan is fantastic and not to be missed. The people are incredibly welcoming, the scenery greener, the air cleaner. India, despite the pollution and insane traffic was a great experience and I'm chuffed to have done it.

From Pakistan it's on to Iran, though there's lots to see and do here before I cross that border. Hoping I'll meet up with some overlanders coming from the other direction - haven't seen anyone so far.
Ron
Old Bloke on a Bike | Travels of an old guy on an old bike, from one side of the world to the other

Many thanks, that is just what I was hoping to hear. Ridden in India on hire bike and yes it is nuts but it was the political safety issues I am more worried about
Gonna go read that blog now x

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More reassuring and useful information. Thank you Lisa

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[QUOTE=oldblokeonabike;371136]Alan, it sounds like Pecha72 has given you the run down on riding overland to India and from what he describes and my experience so far, it's certainly do-able. I'm in Pakistan at the moment, having ridden from Nepal and India.

I have to say Pakistan is fantastic and not to be missed. The people are incredibly welcoming, the scenery greener, the air cleaner. India, despite the pollution and insane traffic was a great experience and I'm chuffed to have done it.


Thanks Ron. More solid experience. This site never ceases to amaze me.
Great blog by the way, who provides that? I like the format, nice and clear

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