Long time lurker. Just signed up for the Hubb.

In september I'll leave from the Netherlands to Singapore. I haven't give much thought on my route through Pakistan from Iran to India. At first I wanted it to be as fast as possible in a straight line from Iran to India but now I'm afraid I'm going to miss out on all the beauty in northern Pakistan if I do that.

Which route do you guys recommend?

Edit: Just found this post which is very helpful
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...pakistan-41215

I am considering riding out to India this summer but am pondering the situation in Iran and Pakistan. Not sure that a British passport wouldn't prove quite tempting and a cross bike is an easy target...Do you know anybody who has ridden recently through these areas?

Hi Rocco,

We travelled through Pakistan in nov-doc 2010 and did the Quetta , Jacobabad, Sukkur, Multan, Lahore (922 km) route. I feel we didn't have much choice as the police strongly recommended this route and the northern one was actually not done without a special permit which we had to apply for in Quetta and would cost some more days.

We enjoyed our stay in Pakistan a lot, except the part around Jacobabad as it was an area where recent floodings had left a lot of suffering. There were still a lot of people in tentcamps and we could see some anonymous mass graves along the road which was quite impressive and kade me feel a bit weird of us being "on holiday" in such a place.

But the major thing I want to share with you is; don't go immediatly to India. You'll regret as you'll be longing to be in Pakistan as soon you're in India. And you have to go up north and ride the KKH. It is still one of our highlights of the entire trip. It is so beautiful and you'll feel very alive. Stunning landscapes, beautiful people in harsh conditions.

I would definitely like to go back a bit earlier in the season to enjoy the valleys and other places which were then a bit inaccessable because of the coming winter. I'll never forget the place and it still gives me a grin on my face if I think back about it.

Have fun and drive safe!

Els
Two for the Road

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Hi Rocco & Piersb

I've just ridden through Nepal, India, Pakistan, Iran and almost completed Turkey. More than 8000 kms to date. Perhaps no great feat given the number of riders who've done htis journey this over the years, but I'm doing it on a 102 year old FN & I'm only 33 years younger than the bike, so guess that's a little out of the ordinary.

In my humble opinion Iran was easy to travel through, with the section from the border to Bam requiring mandatory police escort. The same in Pakistan from border to Quetta. It's a little inconvenient given there is a lot of changing of escorts but if you're aware that this is what happens then it's no big deal. I slept mainly in dhabas (truckstops) in Pakistan as I can only travel 100 - 150kms a day. The bike needs more rests than I do!

The journey in the main has been amazing. Anything untoward was due in part to my own carelessness. People in Iran and Pakistan incredibly generous & hospitable, including officials. From Indian border at Amritsar I rode to Lahore, Multan, Quetta, Dalbandin, Kuh-e-Taftan, Zahedan, Bam, Kerman, Yazd, Esfahan, Tehran, Tabriz. Don't miss Toudeshk between Esfahan & Nain for a great place to stay & Mohammed, a fantastic host.

I also did the KKH but not on my FN. Yes, it is a beautiful area to visit despite the problems that exist for locals. If you're afraid you'll miss out on something, then don't. Take as much time as you can afford and enjoy the experience.

Ron
Old Bloke on a Bike | Travels of an old guy on an old bike, from one side of the world to the other