Iran Pakistan border closed?
 

I've applied for my Pakistan visa and I've just been told by the Pakistan Consulate in the UK that the may not allow me to cross the border from Pakistan to Iran and stipulate that on the visa. I've heard that the Taftan border is now closed :( does anyone have any up to date info on this?

Thanks in advance

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...n-update-63430

info is very sketchy at the moment

No one seems to actually know anything at the moment, it's all hear-say and that includes the embassy haha. I'm looking into freighting from Mumbai to Dubai at the moment so I have a backup plan. I've got some quotes (£350) for sea and £480 for air) but I can't find any info on which is best for clearing customs in Dubai. Does anyone have any info? This is very important and is starting to stress me out. Once I get any solution I'll post the info so people can find an alternative around Pakistan.

Thanks in advance guys.

The Taftan border is an important trade hub for the Pakistani's. In the past the border has been closed numerous of times for short periods lasting upto several weeks.

Over the past year there have been executions of shia muslims traveling by bus between Quetta & Taftan. In terms of safety the route has deteriorated considerably. It runs close to the afghan border through a long stretch of desert.

As an alternative have a look at the Bahu Kalat (Iran) - Jewani (Pak) trading border connected by the Makran Highway (N10) to Karachi. This road is brand new connecting the port Gwadar to Karachi.

I know it's less known border post but once questions start to cross this border it can become an alternative to the volatile Taftan border post.

Same for the Zero Border between Turkey - Iran, it's a less known border compared to the busy Dogubajazit border but a good and practical alternative.

Good luck!

Btw: for shipping to the UAE - Sharjah has the busiest harbor for international trading and sees quite a few foreigners shipping cars to/from Iran. Customs see carnet de passage documents and such and can help you clear your stuff.

I know others who have magically shipped their vehicle to the Dubai harbor with an odd cargoship from Iran had totally freaked out customs & immigration causing days and days of delay. The vacuumed the vehicle with portable gaschromatographs - so be warned. These things can pick up the smallest trace of anything.

Make VERY sure the gear you ship is squeaky clean - UAE customs are in total shark mode for any illegal substance. My truck got searched by dogs - but the search dog was too happy with our own dog :-)

Are you sure, that this crossing point is open, and specifically it is open for foreigners, who aren´t from Iran or Pakistan?

I was under the impression, that you´ll need special permits to travel to the Makran region (...but my info is out of date, could be different now), and also that the little control, that the government has on the Taftan-Quetta route, does not extend further south.

Iran Pakistan border closed?
 

Just arrived in Quetta from Multan, a tough ride with many broken spokes & repairs needed to keep my vintage bike going. Three hours to cover 60 kms has been standard for the past week. A combination of rough roads and heat. Had to do an extra 400 kms via Sukkur, Jacobabad as expected. Now at the Hotel Bloom Star for a few days getting cleaned up and rested for the next stretch to the border. Will keep you all posted on how easy/difficult it is to cross. Could be a long ride to Taftan with many delays if today is anything to go by. Approaching Quetta the police and army escorts changed 3 times within 2 kms! At this rate I might make it to Turkey for Xmas (no pun intended).

Some sad news in from Gilgit where I was two weeks ago, riding the KKH by bus. As with elsewhere in Pakistan I met nothing but wonderful hospitality & kindness in the region.

"Thirteen people have been killed in ongoing violent incidents in Gilgit and Chillas areas, Geo news reported.
According to official sources, armed men offloaded passengers from a bus and opened fire in Chillas. Nine people were killed while six buses were also set ablaze.
Earlier, curfew was imposed in Gilgit when four people were killed and 45 injured in clashes following a hand grenade attack.
In the latest development, the ISPR states that the Army has been summoned to Gilgit to control the law and order situation."

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

Wish you good luck on the N40 direction Taftan - hope road construction has progressed towards Dalbandin. At least the ride from Dalbandin to Taftan is on smooth tarmac.

The police station in Dalbandin is known to host foreign travelers.

For what it's worth - a few GPS locations of checkpoints and vllages on the N40;

Quetta overland

Cheers!

Since 2010 there's been talk to open that border for more than trading only. The Jiwani / Jewani / Jeewani [spelled in so many ways] border area had it's recent hostilities, same as for the taftan border region.

The Makran Highway in Pakistan is wide open - it's been traversed back and forth many times. Here's nice (toll) road trip;

Karachi to Gwadar and Beyond

Once the Jewani area really gets going with all this new infrastructure (border, road & port) - the Gwadar port would be a great location to ship gear to/from Muscat - Oman.

Arno,

The regional map I had was pretty useless so thanks a lot for all the detailed the information. I enjoyed the ride through the Bolan Pass - very scenic. I'd love to have seen this area in about a months time, but it's already getting a bit too hot for riding the old FN.

Cheers, Ron :scooter:

Well done Oldbloke!
Never mind the bike, how is your body standing up to the travel??

Iran Pakistan border closed?
 

Hi Dave

I'm a skinny sod at the best of times so the body takes a bit of a hiding, but all things considered I'm in pretty good shape. Had a couple of days rest & in Quetta, gave the FN an overhaul and was soon itching to get on the road again. On the way south now to the border. :mchappy:

Cheers, Ron
The old bloke

@Ron
lets keep in touch via facebook or mails.No legal facebook in İran.If you need any support, some club friends available between Tehran/İran and İstanbul.
Your bike is being waited impatiently here.A police escort and some friends on bikes will be waiting for you at the entrance of İstanbul from asian side and escort you to city center and club.
Wish you all the best.

CORRECT - and that's even when they don't want to be hosted, with rapists, murderers and all the other overflow from the local prison keeping them company in the compound :rofl:

Me and my missus ended up spending a night at a police station in Nushkin (3-4kms off the main highway, about 130 kms west from Quetta and very close to the Afghan border), because earlier in the day we met another traveler in Dalbandin, and very stupidly spent there so many hours, that when the road got worse (heading towards Quetta) we could not make it in daylight. Not a good idea to ride in the dark over there.

We weren´t carrying any sort of tent, and after a few hours of confusion, a friendly police officer took us to one of their working rooms and told to sleep there. But to visit the toilet, you needed to walk past the detained people´s cells, and there were at least 50 of them there, just packed in the small cells, there probably wasn´t enough space for them to even lie down. One of the guards pointed their way, and repeated ´Taliban, taliban´... but I´m sure he was only kidding :rofl:

I re-read this thread, but I´m still uncertain
a) is the Taftan - Mir Javeh border now actually open or closed (open would be my guess)
b) is the more southern border option currently a realistic option for somebody, who is not from Iran or Pakistan.

Iran Pakistan border closed?
 

I survived last night at the police post in Dalbandan and all the others since I left Quetta several days ago. Usually between the major towns I sleep in dhabas (truck stops), but the police escort considers them unsafe (despite the presence of armed guards) so I bunk down with the bike in the room and everyone's happy.

Escorts proving challenging at times, especially one where there were 6 changes of escort within 18 kms! Still, I get why they feel they are necessary & I have to say I've been treated really well by everyone. Now travelling with a Japanese rider on a 110 Honda after he was refused entry on the bus as no-one would vouch for his/bike's safety. Can't speak for Hayashi but I didn't set out with any expectations or guarantees from others - still it's good to have another rider along for company. We expect to reach Taftan sometime tomorrow so will let you know how it goes.

Cheers, Ron :clap:

Thanks Ron, really interesting hearing from you... I came across another bloke on the forum pakwheels.com who was also following your blog (i believe you met him at an autoshow in lahore his name on the forum is faisal_here)

cant wait to here from your reports at Taftan..

Thanks

Iran Pakistan border closed?
 

Good news to those heading overland to India - the Taftan border is open. Took 3 hours to process the paperwork but finally made it into Iran. Had read the road from Dalbandin to Taftan was good & it might well be okay on a modern bike, but on my old girl with tyres at 45 psi & no suspension I hardly noticed. Did meet a European chap crossing into Pakistan but didn't get the opportunity to chat much.

Would recommend riders carrying plenty to eat & drink across the border into Pakistan. Water for the check points gets delivered once a month by train, so pretty scarce. Given I wasn't allowed to stay at dhabas after Quetta I missed my usual evening meal of dhal & rotis, so was desperate for something to eat by the time we made it to Zahedan. Pretty frustrating not being able to ride from the border as police don't have vehicles to escort. Two-up on a 110 Honda or an FN ain't going to happen. Instead they commandeered passing vehicles much to the annoyance of locals. Bikes were loaded on the back of pickups which took off at breakneck speed, with us trying to keep our bikes steady on the back. Continual stops every 2-4kms then another paperwork shuffle. It looked like they were trying for a little "mordita" but we weren't playing that game. Disconcerting to see soldiers put our passports i their pockets and bugger off. never had that happen in all my years of travelling but then I've never been in this neck of the woods before.

So fantastic to be in a good hotel, have a great meal & real bed for the night. Memet, will see you guys in a few weeks time. Will keep you posted as I get closer. Thanks for your good wishes. Am going to be taking it easy and do some sightseeing til I catch up with my wife in Tehran mid May then will head to Turkey. Andrew, can't tell you much about Taftan except to say it reminded me of Tampico, Mexico! LOL Will update the blog as soon as I recover. Yes, did meet Faisal at Lahore motor show - great turn out & fabulous people.

Cheers & safe riding everyone. Ron

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

Just noticed the Google Earth Image map of the Taftan - Mirjaveh border is updated since 6 march 2012.

Taftan border - Google Earth Map

They did a bit of work on the border area it seems to me. The Iranian side looks much nicer now.

The Pakistani custom house is where all the trucks are parked - always a nice & messy place with hugely overloaded trucks. But at least Pakistani customs offers you tea and have a chat while stamping the Carnet.

Good to know you made it in Iran Ron - just saw your post while i submitted mine. The stretch from the Iranian border to Zahedan hasn't changed much I read. Still security paranoia #1 when it comes to foreigners.

Latest from Taftan
 

It is confirmed that Taftan border is open. Ron and another friend on 110 crossed it last week. He can be contacted on his Blog for details. It is the only working border between Pakistan and Iran and the Jeewani border is only for the locals.

Cheers
Omar

Thanks for clarifying this.

So, the border stations between Pakistan/Iran, for foreigners there has in reality been no change.

Just another confirmation from me, crossed the border from iran to pakistan on 25th of May 2012.

Interesting sidenode, i had only 2 escorts from Bam to Dalbandin,
the first one started about 20km before the border on iranian side and was super helpful, as the guy did all the border procedures for me, i just had to drive him around. The second escort was for the first 10km of the Pakistan side.
After this i've been asked at every checkpoint where my guard is, but after telling them "i don't know" they let me go.

After Dalbandin i had escorts all the way to Quetta, where i am now. And i'm pretty happy about that as there was a shooting and a blast when i came here. Reading recent kidnapping stories does not make it better, looks like Baluchistan really is a dangerous area.

If anybody is coming to Quetta until monday, send me a message.
Have to stay here because i need a NOC to travel further and government places are closed on saturday and sunday.

Cheers,
Moritz

Facebook: kuhmomo

Welcome to Pakistan, Mortiz. Enjoy your stay.

Cheers
Omar

I'm trying to collect recent information about crossing the Pakistan on my way to India (with my girlfriend by Vespa 125cc). I'm planning to be there in the end of October/beginning of November.

It would be nice to have more confirmation from travelers in the next months.

So far I read about many people traveling with either motorbike or car without many problems but still I have some doubts.

hi!

just passed last december through,taftan-quetta!

everything was smooth at that time.

today the pakistan embassy didnt give me a visa to do that again.they said to dangerous.
but he told me a way how i mide get one.

does any one know if the boarder is still open mirjaveh-taftan.
want to pass the boarder at end of november 2012.

what be good to travel together if some goes at the same time!

Yes it is open with enhanced security.

Cheers
Omar

We are now in Erzurum and we met a couple who traveled through Pakistan in September and they said that everything was ok (military escort well organized especially between iranian border and Quetta)

Hi all,

We are currently in Shiraz and planning to cross the pakistan border at Taftan within 1-2 weeks. We are on two Yamaha XT600s. Maybe we could connect and travel to Quetta in a group?
Drop us a mail if that suits your plan!

Some riders have not got NOC to ride in the south recently, depends on whether your application coincides with a big bombing or such like.

Heike and Fillipo 2 Live the Dream | Heike & Filippo Travel the World on Motorcycle had to put their bikes on a train to Lahore.

Others rode through ok. All hit and miss it seems.

Seems like we all miss eachother. I'm now in Shiraz and planning to cross in about 2 weeks. Anyone want to tag along?

Welcome to Pakistan. Stay in touch. Looking forward to sharing your travel stories with Pakistani bikers in Lahore.

Cheers
Omar

There are now reports of 11 'illegal immigrants' being killed by an unidentified armed group, while they were trying to cross from Pakistan to Iran. Wasn't specified, where on the border area this happened. Anyone have anything more on this?

These unfortunate men were trying to cross the Gwadar border illegally. 7 were Pakistanis and 4 were Afghans.
Gwadar border is very far from the only working border of Taftan.

omar

Would be interesting to know, who are responsible, and the motive behind such killings.

And though most travellers get through Taftan/Mir Javeh just fine, it is good to remember, that it is not an area to go wander on your own.

You're not making me feel better about Pakistan :P

There's a german guy called Daniel in Iran also on a motorcycle. I don't know if he's on the Hubb also. He's currently in Yazd. We have scheduled to meet eachother somewhere about 30th december in Bandar Abbas to cross Pakistan together.

If anyone is interested in joining us please contact me.

My iranian cellphone is 09305739762

Best regards
Rocco

Today over 80 people have been killed in two suicide bomb attacks in Quetta.

Yeah ****. We just heard that too when we arrived in Lahore a few hours ago. We were there 3 days ago.

We arrived in Quetta on saturday and stayed at Hotel Bloom Star. We could not apply for the NOC to get out of the city because it was evening already. On sunday the 'home department' that handles the NOC is closed so we had to apply on monday. Our application was denied due to the roads being to dangerous so we loaded the bikes on the train on tuesday out of Beluchistan to Jacobabad. In the train we heard that the train was shot 4 days earlier. Here is the news article Four killed in firing on Jaffar Express in Bolan - thenews.com.pk

We thought that when we were out of Beluchistan we were free of escorts but we were escorted all the way to Lahore. At nights four to seven armed guards stayed in the hotel for our safety.

Haven't felt unsafe for a moment and although is was tough we had a great time the last week riding through Pakistan.

Oh and we threw all our video footage from Pakistan together:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3iTfCe_b74

Iranian Automotive club info & Contact
 

This page was given to me by a friend in Iran

Touring & Automobile Club Of The Islamic Republic Of IRAN > Costum Regulation

They seem to think that it is fine to cross in Iran with the correct visa's. There are contact details on the page.

P.S Almost got Swindled by Iranianvisa.com... Going to Trabzon for visa's instead. Anyone out there from the UK who has got turned away at Trabzon?

Cheers
Alex

What is this NOC
 

I will be over landing India to Turkey etc next year so reading up on pros and cons..I keep hearing this NOC...what is is ...is it a permit or similar?

What is an NOC?
 

https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/questio...9034139AAC318W

Hope this answers your question,

regards,

Bob