Seems like there's a lot of people going east next year. Any chance to meet along the way by coincidence? :-)

If all goes well (budget and work) I would take a southern route through Turkey, Georgia and at least 3 Stans.
After Mongolia (Irkoetsk?) I'll try to get the bike on the truck or train and get myself on a classic TransSiberian Railway route to Moscow and drive home from there...

I'm also in the VERY early stages of planning a similar trip leaving at a similar time. Heading to ulaanbaatar then hopefully to Magadan...

I like the idea of riding to Munich then through eastern Europe into Turkey... Take the ferry from Baku etc.


I ride a XR650L. I'm not an offroad god but I've done a fair bit of riding around the globe.

It would be great to ride with others for some of the way... Especially in the more remote areas.

Are any of you guys at the Zen Cider Rally or at the Haggs Bank mini meet in Cumbria ??

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

I'm heading out a few months after you all, going east to Uzbekistan, then taking the Pamir Highway, the KKH to Pakistan and on into India and Nepal.

Planing on leaving at the start of July, a bit later than the rest of you but need to get into Pakistan and India after the monsoon.

I am also from London (but not a girl)

I feel a little bit stucked the topic. I hope everybody just planning and preparing for the tour

Hi Hootchy:

We'll be heading from the Uk to Mongolia in April 2014 (travelling by Land Rover).

We should enter Russia from Ukraine about 18th April and will then head east through Russia to Lake Baikal (probably including a section of the BAM Road). We'll probably drop down into Mongolia around 12th May.

If your itinerary is similar, would be happy to meet up along the way and offer any support/friendship that we can.

Check out our route and plans at Bermuda Rover

Craig

__________________
2014 overland adventure to Russia and Central Asia in Land Rover Defender www.bermudarover.com

hi there,

let me tell you where I stand, marriage is over so I'm deciding on what path my life should take, never been anywhere, never done anything, both those are going to change. I will be going travelling on my bike once the I's are dotted and the T's crossed.

looking for ideas for where to go and what to do. need to do something with my life before it passes me by !

Do it mate... You will most definitely NOT regret it.

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

what made you decide on that destination ??? if everything is sorted by then I might be up for that, then decide from there where I go next

Me and my wife are planning on going to Mongolia next spring (two bikes). We plan to start from Denmark early May and drive trough Russia from west to east arriving in Mongolia early June. From there trough the "stans" , Caucasus, Turkey and back to DK. Our plan is to be on the road for 5 months. Sure hope to meet up with some of you folks somewhere on the road.

Hi all

I am planning a similar trip May-ish 2014 from Delft.

https://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=h...30000&f=q&om=1

Back by Trans Siberia Express (Irkutzk to Moscow) as Noel

Will include Iran.
have approx. 10 weeks:
Will drive a Tenere 660.

Surely are interested in meeting / joining up especially in remote areas

Cheers
Leo

Hey girls,
I saw you're based in London, have you checked out Oval Motorcycle Centre? It's a self service garage, for bikers. It's run by some very friendly guys who can run you through all the mechanics you'll need. And it's cheaper than using your local garage!
Essentially, you pay to use the tools and benches, and they have a mechanic on site to lend a hand if/when you get stuck....


Rick

Hi there,

plenty of people heading East next year around May/early June.
I am on the early stages of the preparation to my trip to Australia from London.
Seems I will be sharing my path to the KKH with some of you. Will keep an eye on here.

If there is anyone from London here it would be great to meet around a and share plans and knowledge.

Will ride on a Ten660

Hebbo, we are in London.
I may try to organise a HU London drink at some point one evening, and post in the HU meet posts... if there is any interest....

__________________
Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

Posting couple of emails I got from David at Stantours, for those of you starting to look into the Visa situation. You may find this info very useful. I do!

Response to my 1st email (general enquiries):

Thank you for making contact. We will be glad to assist.

Normally with a western passport you should be able to obtain most of the visa you have indicated invitation-free at their respective Embassies, also a Turkmen transit visa. We will be glad to assist in case any of the EMbassies should insist on invitations or hotel bookings, or if you need more flexibility. You may need our assistance with an Uzbek LOI and an Azeri e-visa, CURRENT procedure for this as well as our standard information for Turkmenistan (TM) below. Please check back for updates (also for payment procedure) a bit closer to arrival.

The dates you set on your application will normally correspond to the ones fixed on your visa. You will be able to enter and exit anytime within the OUTER dates you set, for the number of times you apply for. We can normally proceed with the LOI earliest 3..4 months in advance and it should be used within 2 months.

No visa are needed any more for KYRgyzstan for most western passports forstays up to 60 days.

For Russia - we can assist, but the expiry date of your passport would be a problem, as normally they only issue visa up to 6 months prior to expiry.
Also note that in any event the multi-entry LOI could only be issued in
March if the visa needs to be valid until September, Please confirm that this (as well as the costs for the actual visa, which you should check with the Consulate) is ok and I will double-check on the 6-month rule.

AZ
We can supply you with an Azerbaijan single-entry tourist e-visa visa for up to 30 days against a fee of USD 100 per person. The visa will be issued within 3 weeks and sent to you by e-mail attachment. Note that we cannot guarantee approval in this time frame, as the rule is still quite new.
If you wish to proceed we would request a full payment of USD 100 or EUR 80 per person as follows, the dates for your trip, as well as the following
documents:

1 the attached visa application filled in TYPED, signed and
scanned (no photograph)
2 a clear colour SCAN (not photograph) of your passport
3 a scanned colour passport photograph
4 your tickets to and from Azerbaijan if applicable (not needed
if you indicate entry overland or by sea)
5 a hotel booking for about half the duration of your stay (you can
cancel as soon as you get the visa). NOT booking.com - all other booking
engines are fine

UZ
We can supply you with an invitation for an UZbek single-entry tourist visa for up to 30 days against a fee of USD 40 per person. The invitation will be issued within 10-14 days and sent to you by e-mail attachment.
If you wish to proceed we would request your passport info, a copy of your passport and a letter confirming your current employment / place of study by e-mail attachment or fax and a full payment of USD 40 or EUR 32 per person as follows:

1 Full Name (incl. name at birth or previous names if applicable):
2 Date of Birth :
3 City and Country of Birth :
4 Citizenship (also previous citizenship if changed) :
5 Passport Number :
6 Date of the passport issue and expiration :
7 Issuing authority :
8 Gender :
9 Marital Status:
9a if married: spouse's full name:
10 Occupation, Place of Employment and type of business :
11 Address and phone number of place of work :
12 Accompanying children travelling on applicant's passport :
13 Previous visits (date, purpose and inviting party if applicable):
14 Port of Entry :
15 Date(s) of Entry and Departure :
16 Cities and Sites you wish to visit :
17 City/country where you will obtain visa :
18 Home Address and Phone number:

Beneficiary: STANtours Inc., 3A Little Denmark Complex, 147 Main St, POB
4473, Road Town, Tortola, VG 1110, British Virgin Islands, Fax +49 (3212)
1039960
Bank: ABLV Bank AS, 23 Elizabetes St., Riga, LV-1010, Latvia, Fax:
+371 6777 5200
Account # / IBAN: LV78AIZK0000010337508
BIC/SWIFT: AIZKLV22

Please make sure that you include ALL bank charges and please confirm the payment amount before transfer. We will proceed upon receipt of funds or proof of transfer.

TM
For a Turkmenistan (TM) TOURIST visa, in order to enable us to provide you with an LOI, we will need a detailed service booking with fixed dates. The minimum cost of this will be about USD 100..130 per day per person for a standard overland routing if you are two or three or 140..200 if you travel alone, for paperwork, transport, guide and accommodation B&B. We will be glad to make a detailed offer or join you up with other clients at a lower cost, if you can make some preliminary indications of what you would like to do and when you wish to travel.
You will be free to move around Ashgabat and its surropundings on your own, but everywhere else our licensed driver or guide is mandatory. Please bear in mind that invitation processing can take 2-3 weeks.
The only alternative for independent travel would be a transit visa which is sometimes granted for a maximum of 5..7 days with fixed dates and is issued on the grounds of the Iran / AZeri and Uzbek visa. Transit visa processing AT THE EMBASSY takes 10-14 days and there is no guarantee of approval. We cannot assist with transit visa and no LOI can be issued for them.
I trust this assists, we will also be glad to assist further on in Central
Asia, Caucasus and Russia!


Looking forward hearing from you,
David
STANtours Almaty / Ashgabat

2d email with additional info on Russian visa issue:

Yes Maria - the new passport would put you on the safe side for the Russian visa. In theory for 3 months, a 90-day double-entry visa would be enough, but the problem with that would be that we could only proceed mid May, 45 calendar days prior to the first arrival date you set.

Note that for AZ we are NOT suggesting an LOI - the e-visa is currently the EASIEST and lowest cost option (as opposed to getting the visa at the Embassy), unless you don't have enough time.

David

Cheers,

__________________
Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

I'll come, if you can get a few people mobilized

Cheers,
Noel