Hi All, There have been many and numerous threads...re China. It seems there are two ways...unofficial..and official. Now I am not adverse to winging it and trusting to inginuity and luck....However having my journey of a lifetime fail halfway is not something I fancy, with that in mind I have decided the official route is the only one worth the time and the ride to the Chinese border. China for all its problems is really the only way south unless you want to ship or fly the bike. For some reason shipping the bike seems like an opportunity lost...I really would like to transit China and ride from UK to Thailand overland. Tried sorting this out last year and after a promising start ...numbers dwindled and it did not happen. So who on here has a burning desire to transit China, North to South?. In a perfect world a 4x4 and a couple of bikes would be the ideal party. So volunteers step one pace forward...I would like to exit China into Laos in late July early August. Any takers?????

Hi Jimmy,

Just thought I'd add my route from the other thread. Me and missus will be leaving the UK in April on 2 bikes and would love to go down to Pakistan via the Karakoram Highway and Kashgar. Again, unsure of timings as we're allowing ourselves to go with the flow but at a guess I'd say late June - early July (i only say that as we're interested in attending the Polo festival on the Shandur pass - dates for 2010 yet to be confirmed).

Anyway, we're also looking for people to share the costs, so will keep an eye on this thread.

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hi there,
i'm just start to get in trouble with the china leg of my trip. i've planned to reach torugart at least on august 18 2010. but i'm already in touch with hassles before leaving. some local agencies, send me a quote about a 4 days trip from torugart to khunjerab. they say you must to pay for guide, for car driver, chinese licence & plate, and all the f++++ng rest. the cheapest quote they sent me is 1.200 Euro. they also told me the main expenses are for the bike paperwork not for the guide exc... i've subsequently asked for a different quote regarding an alternative route from kulma pass (tajikstan to china border northbound of tashkorgan). it would be a 200km stretch only to do in china. some says that border is for chinese & tajik citizens only, another one just ask me 1000 Euro to do that probably in a day... so, i'm thinking to look for a truck at the border, pick up the bike on it and try to get through and see what happen.
last but not least: shipping me & the bike from dushambè to islamabad. i do not think it will be more expensive than the chinese rip off...
otherwise, i'm always looking for who's planning to do the same thing on the same period, to share the costs and the riding.

i'm here!

www.lungastrada.it

I have recieved quotes from several tour operators in china for north south & east west routes for 6-10 riders. No way could I get the price bellow US$6500, and that did not include accomodation or meals. Personaly I wish the monied well off would stop paying these prices and China was boycotted until such time as the government and tour operators became reasonable about allowing people to travel there.

Simon

given that the cheapest quote found thus far is approx 1200 Euros, are we to assume that THIS is the figure that would get divided up amongst a group that decided to make the short crossing from the Stans to Pakistan via Kashgar?....

I'm sure there are plenty of more experienced members looking in on this thread who might be be able to shed more light on this from their own experience.....

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We did the route from Kyrgyzstan - Pakistan in 5 days this year. we were 4 bikes (including one scooter) and one 4wd. It cost us $550 each. And you will probably find that for each additional person they add more money, so you won't be dividing one lump sum between you.

You can read the details on my website here:

Message Board - China

There are also several threads on the HUBB with all the details on it. I would recommend zyztours, who we used, as they were easily the cheapest. BUT, and it's a big but, you must remember they are not a tour guide, rather an government escort. Do not expect the China leg to be that enjoyable if you have already come from Europe without an escort.

Good luck on whatever you decide

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Ollie

www.jollyfollies.com

Land's End to Sydney 2009

Thanks for all the current info and advice. It seems that as a minimum $100 per day is it...Given a North South transit is 20 days thats $2000 in fees plus daily living expenses...as an add on cost, for what would be a journey of a lifetime, I feel its bearable ... If that means I am one of those monied people that are ruining it for everyone else, well to put it into perspective. I have never smoked, visit the pub once a week, service my own bike and dont have sky TV. I reckon I am still in credit lol. Each to their own...Nice to see the thread creating so much interest..

Have fun...Jimmy

I remember paying 1000 USD total for those surveillance guards back in 2004,from Shenzen (Honk Kong) to the mongolese border. That was for 4 weeks of travel (roughly 35 USD/day), feeling like staying in a train sit on a motorcycle. We were about 20 riders in the group, heading to Moscow.

Looks like the fees have tripled in 5 years.

Hi, I note it was some time ago...can you remember the agency that organised the trip?.

Thanks Jimmy

Two quick notes that might help:

- The Turogat pass is a second class border crossing, normally not open to foreigners (and completely closed on Sundays), as I had to find out the hard way. It is possible to cross, get permits and so on (which I did in the end), but the Irkeshtam pass will be easier and cheaper

- When I crossed China, the sodding escort vehicle was $180 per day

Will be interesting to see your efforts. As far as I know Kulma Pass is for Chinese&Tajik citizens... Every year I hear they will open it for rest of the world...

By the way - maybe it is the time to make a kind of appeal to the Chinese government to open normal, legal and easy ( I mean free of ton of documents) route to Pakistan? From Kulma to Khunjarab it is only 200 km! And only one ugly but easy to navigate city Tashkurgan...
Let's try to open northern way to India avoiding "unstable" Afghanistan...

Perestroika tours D56291 Platzfeld, Germany 06746 90280

Welcome

Hi thanks for the info, I have been e mailing Navo tours, their first response was its expensive....However they actually list tours following a north south route that would be suitable see China Driving Tour; drive your vehicle to China, 4X4 Silk Road - NAVO and its for your own vehicle!!! lol they promote a tour transit and then warn you its difficult expensive...maybe the price depends upon how deep they think your pockets are. So anyone interested in transiting China North South terminating in Laos in late July...early August ????? I am happy to meet at China border transit China and then go our seperate ways. I am a little time constrained, my timing would not suit everyone. The transit woiuld be 20 days as a rough Guide $2000 plus accommodation and fuel for bike and rider...Any takers?????

Jimmy 46

Im hoping to make it across this leg too, its the worst part to try and figure out with a Uk to Australia journey. Im leaving northern india or Nepal around Mid August to September and going to try figure out a way across this bugger of a country, Has anyone trucked or trained or posted their bike across china into Laos? I gather (from what i currently understand) if the flight from Katmandu to Bangkok for me and the bike is around $1200US and a similar end price when shipping from Chennai to Bangkok (with many complications im assured), it looks worth it to try and get across somehow by paying for a guide or someone to transport it across somehow and actually see a bit of China. Is anyone else going across around this time? Or any other ideas to help out.

Cheers Marty

Hello all,
Have been reading China threads with lots of interest.
We are 2 adults, 2 children planning UK to Oz overland this year using Land Rover and off road caravan. Very slow!

Leaving UK mid-April/beg. May latest - we'll will be heading north through Norway, Sweden, Finland and then thru Russia - Mongolia. Plan to hit Mongolia mid July'ish in time to hang around for festival if poss - but flex - not essential. Could arrive earlier/slightly later. And of course speed and whether we make it with a caravan in tow is very much up for debate. We plan to enter Russia anytime beg June/mid-June or thereabouts and take slow meander.

We would love to drive our vehicles through China and would have room for a single guide also (will be a bit of a squash but we can do). At this stage though we are convinced would be very expensive for us, slow and inflexible to even consider. So, we're planning to ship vehicles onwards to Oz and backpack through China to Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia. Though we would have a 40ft container requirement to contend with so it's possible expense could be neutralised/cheaper/more expensive etc. to consider transit?

We're looking into this now.

Anyway - purpose of this post? - just so you guys know we are around and heading through from Russia/Mongolian end - in case by miracle a cost-effective transit looks possible - we could also offer camping possibles as result of caravan to transit China ? Not sure what the score is (or whether we will even make it this far with caravan - could end up being single LR vehicle but no reason why both shouldn't make it). But to warn you - we could/would be slow and cumbersome and also have children. (and nothing definate / all subject cost/timings etc.)


All the best
Andrew and Anne

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