Some of the 'Stans 2016
 

Hi, All:
I'm planning a decently long trip for the middle of next year, with the idea of flying one of my bikes to Central Europe (I have friends to visit there) and then riding across though Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan - then the ferry trip across to Kazakhstan, then riding through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan (where I also have friends, as mentioned on another thread), back via Iran and Turkey and returning to the port where I started, to ship the hopefully surviving rider and machine back to NZ.

Any comments and/or suggestions regarding the above itinerary would be appreciated. I might use one of my two-smokes, so any advice on availability of good two-stroke oil would especially be appreciated. Many thanks! :scooter:

What's the plan to get from Tajikistan to Pakistan?

I realise you're in the early planning stage but you need to have a closer look at a map, and make some geopolitical considerations.

Turkey - Armenia = border sealed since 1993
Armenia - Azerbaijan = war in 1990-93, border sealed since... have you never heard of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict?
Pakistan - Tajikistan = these countries don't even touch.

Armenia has to be visited either from Georgia or Iran, no big problem though I would highly recommend a visit, even if it's only the capital and a couple of touristy sites nearby.

Getting from Central Asia (e.g. Tajikistan) to Pakistan requires going through China, which is expensive and needs a lot of planning (needs to be arranged through a tour agent). You might make it through Afghanistan, if you deem the risk manageable (I did it the other way in 2009), but you would have to be prepared to get turned back at the Pakistani border and have another option to get out of the country.

My website has a lot of photos and stories from these countries, but for practical advice I would recommend searching this site, and browsing Caravanistan - The Silk Road Travel Guide

EO

Hi, I already have had your site bookmarked for months, and wanted to see what others had to say. I appreciate your insights, and will ultimately finalise my plans to meet both the practicality and geopolitical requirements of the trip.

BTW, geopolitics is a hobby of mine which usually gets me into trouble with the less-informed... :innocent: :mchappy: :scooter:

Hi!

When we entered Azerbaijan from Georgia this summer, they searched for any kind of proof that we did visit or will visit Armenia - they even checked if we have a map of Armenia. I see that as a strong indication that they might make a problem, even if you have not been to the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

If you still want to visit both countries, you could either go Turkey - Georgia - Azerbaijan and visit Armenia from Iran on the way back to Europe or you go Turkey - Armenia - Georgia - Azerbaijan - Ferry.

Concerning the Tajikistan - Pakistan issue, maybe it is an idea to take the route Tajikistan - back to Uzbekistan - Turkmenistan - Iran - Pakistan? On first sight that seems better/easier to me than organizing some route through China or Afghanistan.

Finally I would like to recommend also visiting Kyrgyzstan if it fits in your timeframe, because you are very close anyways and it is a very beautiful country :)

Thank you, so much, for your advice and insights. It is very much appreciated.