Uk to Mongolia 2014
 

Hey

Know it's a long way off, but im putting together a trip to bike from the Uk to Mongolia finishing in the Gobi Desert.

Looking to leave next April/May.

Once in Mongolia I'll be spending a month there - setting up a roller derby league, and getting in a lot of off roading.

Please note: I am a novice rider (only started in July) but am going to Enduro school and will be getting lots of riding/uk trips in before heading off. I have previously ridden around Thailand (nan province, mae hong song, and the golden triangle, averaging 10 hours riding each day). Just back from an 8 month trip where i go to do a lot of riding.

Im a 33 year female living in London.

Gobi Desert
 

Hi,
My wife and I are doing a trip to Thailand and we will be going though Mongolia in June then though China into Laos and onto Thailand so we may meet up with you on your travels we will be in a motorhome setting off from UK in March.
So hope everything go's well for you.

Dave

Mongolia 2014
 

Hi,
I have a similar, but yet premature, plan to go that way next year. Starting in Belgium around May. Don't know yet if Mongolia will be the final destination, or if I would focus on central-Asia and stay south of China. Anyways, you can have a first stop on mainland Europe for a drink and a beer. :-)

M2
 

Hi there.

I am brand new to HU. I am planning a trip from Denmark to Thailand, maybe OZ, leaving around April og may 2014.

Lets meet up or go together to Mongolia. :scooter:

Hey there,

I’m planning the same trip as you, but once in Mongolia I plan to keep going on to the Road of Bones in Russia.
I’ve been looking for someone to travel with and ideally, being a girl, I would like to travel with another girl also.

I’m 24 and from London also.
Like you, I’m pretty novice, and don’t have much off road experience, but I’m very optimistic which tends to help in most situations.

Leaving in April/May next year would be perfect also as I keep spending my savings for this trip so now I need to crack down on this.

My email is katieblair555@gmail.com
Get in touch if you want to meet for a drink and we can discuss.

Katie

I too am planning a Trans Asia/Europe trip in 2014 probably West to East starting in the UK in mid May. I'll be riding a KTM 950 and while I am a very experienced off road rider/racer, I'm not looking for a lot of single track. As much dirt road as possible hopefully along much of Colebatch's route including the BAM and time/weather permitting, all the way to Magadan.

Lets all keep in touch and perhaps as our trips progress we will be able to group up from time to time.

Kelly

Hey.

Hope your well. Have you thought any further about the trip, I am waiting to find someone to travel with before I spend any more money on modifying my bike etc...

Would you be keen to meet?

thanks
katie

thanks so much for all the messages.

daveandles - great stuff - let's meet in Mongolia :)

Edge 1982 - im up for meeting in Belgium

Kenand - Heading to Australia - let's meet up or go the same way together

Katie - I was looking at road of Bones - really wanted to do Iran too. Let's meet up and have a chat.

Kelly - be great to group up, let's keep in touch.

Hi All,

Two advice for the ladies:
- Choose bikes under 200 kg,
- Before the trip go to training on unpaved road as much as you can.

It will help you to enjoy Mongolia instead of you just focus on the road :)

In 2012 we covered a 50 day trip from Hungary to Mongolia and back (1 female and 2 male biker, 3 bikes). You can find some information/report/photo here: RIDE TO MONGOLIA 2012

Central asia 2014
 

Hootch, don't want to hi-jack your thread but got to reply to this one.

Edge, I got similar, not fixed vague plans, leave April/May 2014 for about 6 months. Still in doubt wether to go direction Morocco for 2 months and then go back into EU and do a big loop around S-Europe or go from NL in direction Stan Reps' via Turkey/Iran and loop back around Caspian sea/Ukrain/Belarus.
Any developments on your end?

Noel
AT '97

Very good article from Walter about Adv Bike selection: ADV Bike selection 1

Hi, Greets from Milan Italy,

Going east is in my plan in 2014 too, no destination choosen at the moment, so Black sea circumnavigation, Vladivostok, or Mongolia too is ok, I should have 6 weeks of holiday.
For Mongolia why not enrolling in a charity rally?

Ciao :-)

I'm leaving Germany around April to get to Kazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan and on then to Hong Kong with a small group from here
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...together-71365
Might be nice to meet up on route or at least to have another email "just incase"
I'll pm you details
@ Katie, I'll copy to yours too.

Me too!
 

Same here. Planning with my husband to ride from London to Mongolia (maybe Siberia) next spring / summer. Probably 3 to 4 months in total.

We will get a couple of small YBR125, as big bikes would be a killer in Mongolia.
Road so far would be via either:

Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia (into Siberia)
Or: Turkey, Azerbaidjan/Georgia, Russia, Kazakhstan etc....

We plan to leave late April / early May (depending on work and when we can drop our dog at my brother's house in France!).

Maybe see you on the road?

Cheers.

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 ??

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 :)

I've put mine off until 2015 so I can afford a longer, more enjoyable trip without having to seriously watch the penny's...

I've separated it in 2 parts:

2014: BAM Road and ROB to Magadan, and back via Mongolia, The Altai (and Kazahstan??) in 60 days.
2015: Stans (Pamir Highway) in 30 days.

My plan for 2014 the following:

- Start: 7 of June 2014 : Hungary, Budapest

- Route to Magadan: Budapest (Hu) - Nizhniy Novgorod (Rus) - Ekaterinburg - Omsk - Krasnoyarsk - Tayshet - BAM Road - Bratsk - Severobaikalsk - Neryungri - Yakutsk - ROB (Road of Bones) - Ust Nera - Susuman - Magadan.

- Backroute: Magadan - Old Summer Road (OSR) (depend on weather/road conditions) - Yakutsk - Tynda - Chyta - Ulan-Ude - Ulaanbaator (MN) - Gobi - Mongolia (South Route) - Altay - Astana (KZ) - Baikonur - Aral See - Volgograd (Rus) - Odessa (Ukr) - Budapest (Hu)

I have 2 months for this :)

Heading that way in April 2014
 

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

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 !

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

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

Hootchy_Cootchy

I will be leaving Ireland in mid April 2014 and arrive in Istanbul Mid -May. From there it is across Turkey, Georgia, Azerbijan, the Stans, Mongolia for August, finish up in West Russia depending on the weather. I want to join with some others because there is some safety in numbers. I ride a BMW F650GS and plan to use a similar bike for this trip. I have extensive experience having done USA to Ushuaia in 2008-9. I plan to take all of 6 months, maybe 7. So I am flexible. Fritz

Proper coordination of all travel plans!
 

I count quit a few people (also looking at the UK - Magadan/Vlad post from Touring Ted) with very similar plans and itineraries but it's very difficult to get a proper overview. Riding in (freely alternating) small groups is more fun than riding alone I think, and I guess so do you all otherwise you would not be posting in Travellers seeking Travellers. But everybody is going in the same direction and in theory we can all do this trip within days from each other without ever meeting or bumping into each other. I have seen that happen before. How can we somehow coordinate this? We could make a spreadsheet with main data like name/departure/duration/route/key dates/contact info/riding style/bike/car/etc. and keep it updated real time? Maybe it can be done thu this site, dunno! If this seems like a good idea, then I will try to make something maybe via this site, an Excel sheet that you can down load, update with personal info and repost. the last sheet is then always the most up to date one!

Good idea or sucky idea ! ?c?

Cheers,
Noel

Just thinking I'd better get organised soon, which means startin a spreadsheet! :)
We want to leave late April, early May latest.

In Jan/Feb I need to change my Passport (it is expiring in dec 2014 so may be a prob if we cruise around until end of August!).
But then, I guess for Visas applications I should start looking at this in March ...?
Anyone has been investigating Visas and LOIs yet fro Russia and Stans ? Mixed reviews on agencies here for what I found so far....
If anyone has a recommendation on that?

What about if I post an Excel spread sheet which can be downloaded and filled in. Then you send me the update to my personal email address (in the excel sheet) and I will consolidate new entries in an overview list which is then posted again!

Maybe something like this; Attachment 10830 :innocent:
Looking forward to your input / feedback

Cheers,
Noel

Noel,

To be honest, I'm not sure that the spreadsheet would take us much further than we already are.

Several members have already indicated their proposed routes and departure dates. The dates when any of us will be in specific locations is very fluid and, at best, can only be an estimate.

I don't see how the data in the proposed spreadhseet would help to bring the different groups together during our travels any more than regular posts on the HUBB.

Just my thoughts.

Hi Rover,

Just putting the idea out there, nothing gained, nothing lost. So far I don't see any concrete "teams" being formed other then a lot of mails about plans. If it doesn't add anything then not, we'll see.

Cheers,
Noel

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. :cool3:

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

Back by Trans Siberia Express (Irkutzk to Moscow) as Noel :cool4:

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

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

Cheers
Leo

Noel, you asked for feedback/comments - good idea/sucky idea? I was simply giving you my personal thoughts.

If the idea is to try to pull together a team of riders to travel together, that may be a different issue.

My understanding was that you were trying to coordinate the different groups and individuals who are travelling the same areas 'but who may never actually meet each other'.

Our plans are pretty much confirmed. I depart Bermuda to UK on 2nd April. Collect the Land Rover and pick up my co-pilot in Berlin on 10th April. We then head through Ukraine into Russia and Lake Baikal - returning via Mongolia, Kaz, Kyrg, Uzbek and back through Ukraine. That is the rough route but the smaller details of which towns and locations we stop at will remain flexible. I've already posted a link to a map of our route.

We'll certainly be looking out for other travellers along the way and I hope to be able to access the HUBB to stay updated on any issues that may exist in these areas.

Hi Rover, that is indeed the idea! The thread is after all Travellers Seeking Travellers. :cool4:
Cheers,
Noel

I'm planning on departing at the end of April 2014 heading al the way around, but happy to meet up along the way if our paths cross..

The start of the journey takes me out through Belgium and Germany, heading south across Austria and into Italy where I will head for the port of Brindisi to cross into Greece by late May 2014.

Once in Greece, heading east I will enter Turkey in mid June 2014 and pick up the Black Sea coast entering Georgia and north into Russia by the beginning of July 2014.
Going North East I will aim for Volgograd before turning south East to reach the Kazakhstan border.

Once in Kazakhstan I will take whichever direction is possible to reach the far eastern town of Almaty by mid August 2014


UK to Almaty

rest of my plans are on the blogsite below..:thumbup1:

Hi Noel,

Me more or less in your spreadsheet format: :mchappy:

Male Netherlands

May-ish 2.5-3 Months to UlaanBaator (Mong)
Trans Siberia Express, with bike from Irkutzk to Moscow (lake Baikal - Irkutzk more train lines / posibilities)

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

tenere 660 camp when reasonably feasible travel/day 8-14h 100-1000km :scooter:
experience: mod mod
hobby: bike, phot, dive, hike, read, my work (researcher), …

prefer travel faster trough Europe (highway) to limit time off.
Like to include Iran - Like experiencing beauty of bare naked landscapes - Like relaxing near camp fires with cold beer and stories from fellow travelers.. :thumbup1:

Cheers,
Leo

l would be interested in joining up for part of that trip, l have been to a lot of the 'stan' countrys before and would be looking at getting a 250 /350ish cc bike. Let me know if your still interested, would also be up for meeting with people before hand. As need to have a rough idea of a plan for some of the visas.

Would like to add to this but am also in early stages of planning and unlike most am heading west.

In the simple format

26yo male
Shipping from Australia to Japan (mid-2014) > Looking at ferry to Vladivostok

Enter Mongolia via Ulan Ude (researching what month to do this but looks like July/August?)

Would like to proceed into the Stans to end up in India by Dec 2014 but having trouble figuring out how to do it without looping through Iran or otherwise having to go through China briefly to do the KKH into Pakistan

Riding GSXR600

ozz
 

hi, im also losely plannin a trip next year if all goes well, if my shoulder comes good, im thinking swansea to ozz , jim

Thank You Noel!
 

I am more than happy to share my information, itinerary, plans and fears with Noel and all of you. I think the spreadsheet is a very concise way of letting all who are traveling to Mongolia in 2014 to try to find each other.

As the saying goes " This ain't my first rodeo". The romantic idea of traveling alone in a far distant land, meeting all challenges, and lolling in the admiration of those less valiant is way overrated. The first time you drop the fully loaded bike you will be thrilled someone is along.

My plan is simple. I will be leaving Ireland early April and Istanbul mid-May. I am going across Turkey, the Caspian and the Stans. I will be in Mongolia end of July to August. I plan to spend a month riding around Mongolia.

Then I will go to eastern Russia. Time and weather will dictate the route. Magadan via the Old Summer Road would be great, same with parts of the BAM road. I know that by early October it gets wet, cold and dark in Siberia. So I will go home then. I will figure that out later.

Fritz

Bike Prep...
 

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 beer and share plans and knowledge.

Will ride on a Ten660 :scooter:

Fritz, that is precisely my point, I have had my share of travelling alone, can be good but with the right company is usually much better! The list is growing, currently 7 people and waiting for input of 3 more. Will be continued! :mchappy::mchappy:
Cheers,
Noel

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....

Visas and LOIs.
 

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,

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

Cheers,
Noel

Totally up for it! I am free pretty much every evening :thumbup1:

Hmm... it seems I have "volunteered " myself for a job then :)

Will post sth in next few weeks in the HU meetings pages... and will let you know. Have to find quite venue where we can sit and talk (so no pub with loud music...)

Cheers.

London meeting
 

As discussed above, I put the following post in HU UK Meetings:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...762#post440574

Hope as many of you as possible can make it.


Hebbo, you pub suggestion sounds good, if they are open on saturday (And serve some food?). Let's get an idea of numbers first.

Cheers,

Hi guys,

I came across this website that has some good visa info.

Turkmenistan visa | Caravanistan

I am starting to think that the easiest was to do Turkmenistan is a transit visa which looks like 3-5 days depending on who issues it!.

It does mean you have very strict time constraints but a tourist visa runs at $130+ US a day.

I know most of you will be leaving western Europe late April/early May. For anyone else reading this thread I will be leaving the UK around 13/14/15 May, 2014 and need to be back by late July - about 10 weeks total.

I am flexible as to route through Europe (just find some nice roads!) then Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia out to Irkutsk (maybe go around Lake Baikal), down into Mongolia and if time permits head out towards Vladivostok.

If I make Vladivostok I will most likely ship the bike back in a container which some other guys will have there already or alternatively get the Trans Siberian back to Moscow.

Let me know if you have any similar plans.

Cheers,

Tom.

Ok people count me in too. I ride a 1200gs and speak Farsi (Persian) besides English (might come in handy in Iran/Mongolia Tajikistan).
Please email me if you are meeting to organize the trip.
I have done a few overland trips to Iran and back from UK in the car and know a fair bit about Carnet de Passage requirement in Iran.
Regards Hibble

Hibble,

Noel DiPietro is running a spreadsheet on who is going where and when.

I think on post 29 of this thread Noel posted a spreadsheet template with his email attached, If you fill it out you can get included on the email list.

Cheers,

Tom.

Thanks Tom.

bergerac to mongolia.
 

Hello,
I would like to go in Mongolia in June/july 2014.
my motorbike is 1200GSA .
I think thatmy road book, is Novosikisk/Khovd/Ulaangom/Naranbulag Dalabulag /NömRög /tariat/ Tseterrieg/UB
UB/Ulan Ude/ IrKutsk/ olkhon island./Ikkustsk bike on the train to moscou.

Tiger
www.lesroutesdailleurs.com

Travelling to Mongolia Spring 2014!!
 

Updated Mongolia Traveller List 2014, 12 people on the list now with very similar plans and itineraries, providing opportunities for people to share info and team up! Because that is the idea of this list, to make the data and info on like minded travellers readily available!

If you have similar plans and you would like to participate in the List, please download the Template in Post # 29 on page 2, add your details and email it to my Gmail account (email is in the template) bier
Traveller List Mongolia Spring 2014; Attachment 10926

Cheers,
Noel

Wake up Everybody :clap:

Who wanna see next year this fantastic part of the world? :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFB5hmGLR1I

Bought the Bike- Now the Visa
 

Fellow Travelers!

I am now the proud owner of my 3rd 2007 BMW F650GS. It is parked in Cork Ireland just waiting for me to do all the stuff we do to bikes to make us think we are prepared. I am always amazed at all the junk we load up. Duct tape solves most problems.

So I sent my passport and application to the agent for the super duper 3 yr Russian tourist Visa on the same day I bought the bike. I have learned that Americans can enter and spend 90 days in Mongolia without a Visa. That is comforting.

I am so looking forward to meeting Noel and Maria and all the others on Noel's now famous Mongolia 2014 spreadsheet. I plan to be in UK sometime around April 5-10 as I make my way. By the way - does it rain in Northern Europe during the Spring?

Fritz

:D Congratulations! Sounds good! Are you definitive on a route yet?

Weather in Europe April / May!
North of Paris :rain:
South of Munich :Beach:

In between bit of both!

I'm working on my bike now, its parked in the living room :clap:
Nice and comfy working!

Cheers,
Noel

Well, just been out on our travel bikes, bought on eBay! Few issues, expected on old bikes but they are sounds. 2 XR125 Hondas. Funny to ride little bikes like those but they will come to life once we are out of Western Europe.
I look forward to meet some of you on the road.
We had the London HU meeting yesterday. It was awesome ! So many people came. It was so nice to talk to them and quite few are heading east at spring or summer, so again! maybe some chance encounters on the road!

Getting slowly prepared, buying stuff (related to camping and cooking! I am very practical). We have to work on the bikes and find a good workshop to get the bikes inspected.
Time is flying, and will from now on. Lots to do! Work getting on the way :innocent:
Fritz you are so lucky. Here in Europe we only have one month tourist visa for Russia! :(
Noel your email seemed to have been down? My replied bounced off last week....


Look forward to meet you on the road, we wil be the couple on little bikes :scooter::scooter:

He Maria, have the bikes thoroughly checked indeed. I'm working on my bike now and while I was one by one unplugging all connectors, earthing connections etc. I found the starter relay contacts almost burned out, prone to fail within not to long.... Although the bike started fine this was a completely hidden fault. While lubricating the cables I hurt my finger on the clutch cable, little pricking pain that you get from a broken strain, well I found that the cable was 75% broken! Only visible after I bend it more than 30 degrees, in normal position not visible at all, prone to fail within a 1000km! I'm just saying, I know my bike well but now I'm going through all the detailes, I find some serious hidden stuff. Wonder what else pops up in the coming weeks as I progress with my inspections.

I also have the main gear now. Tent I already had but the thermarest is to bulky so now i have the Exped 7 synmat, 1/3 of the size and double as comfy. Also chosen an Exped Comfort 400 down bag for 0 degrees and up, very compact. I still have two thing outstanding, should i take the stainless MSR pan set or buy the anti sticky ones? and a chair, Helinox or not?? the price is embarrassing but they are good and very compact and light!

I'm not aware of my mail being down, I did notice the mail down in the string which did not reach me! All seems fine now.

I wish I could have participated but my misses had to go in Hospital today for surgery, would not have been nice to leave her alone the weekend before.

Happy prepping,
Noel

Only a "few" months to start :thumbup1:

Yes four months precisely. Can't wait!

I have not heard from the agency regarding our business visa with Russia. I suppose with Xmas it will take longer.

Noel, your sleeping bag, does it pack small? I have a down bag but not very thick. What I have done in the past, in cold places was to wrap my bag (with me inside) with one of those space blanket. But they are noisy.
For mattress we have one of those thermarest that are the size of a 1l bottle.

As for cooking, after a lot of research I got the Zebra 14 cm billy can. I hope the Stove will fit inside to keep stuff tidy. The 12cm would have been enough. Most cooking pots looked too small or no lid or pack of multiple ones.... This one should be pretty good. But not in Aluminium so a bit heavier.

Hebbo let's try organise another meet in that same pub sometime in March if possible.

In the meantime, happy Xmas guys! :D

Zebras are great. I've got a few. Really good quality. Stainless steel is definitely the way to go with long term use. Aluminium is just too much of a pain to clean, taints the flavour and you have to use wooden spoons unless you want aluminium poisoning aka. Alzheimer's..

Why the hell they don't pack into each other is a massive 'missed trick' with them though.

The answer you may be looking for Ted is made in Titanium
Some do! have a look for the Evernew non-stick Titanium pots
2.4 Ltr and the 1.7 Ltr
Perfect fit
Total weight 450 Grms inc both lids
I confess to being a Titanium lover :wub:

He Maria, I have 5 sleeping bags, combined retail value 80Euro, so pretty much all crap. Now I have bought a nice Exped down bag Comfort 800, should be good for 0 degrees in combination with the Exped Synmat. I still have to get an insert which should be nice for warmer days, without the bag and for cold nights with the bag. Nice feature of the Exped bag is that it comes with water tight roll compression bag which allows you to sit on it, press all air out with your bum and close it. It is then compressed to a 17x25x3 cm pancake and stays that way for while, easy to pack under compression in the pannier.

For cooking I have a Coleman Featherlite multi fuel burner and standard MSR StSt nested panset, which I might change for the non-sticky Teflon coated ones! The Zebra I don't know.

This holiday applying for new passports, I will get 2 :) and then get into the Visa adventure.
cheers,
Noel

updated Travellers List Mongolia 2014
 

Attachment 11312

Revision December 22, 2013.

£70 EACH... I'll never leave the country if I start shopping like you :rofl:

You did want to know about lightweight stacking gear!

thanks for the updatet list Noel!

As for a stove I've been using an MSR stove which runs on regular fuel. It gives me a spare 1L when low on fuel depending on priority of the moment :-)

My holiday seems to be informally approved, so I'm back in! Departure is planned early May with a 1 week stop in the end of May somewhere on the coast in Turkey.

Happy holidays to all!
Tom

Maria,

Based on the enquiries that I have made with an agency, they cannot apply for the letter of introduction (LOI) more than 45 days prior to the start of the visa. Once they have the LOI, they can apply for the visa.

For this reason, I'll be applying for a visa start date one month earlier than I actually need it. The remaining five months on the visa will be more than enough for our three entries, so the earlier start date will allow it to be processed and sent to me earlier.

As you are still four months from departure, you'll have to wait a bit longer before they can process your application.

Got My Russian Visa
 

Things have been quiet on this thread for a while. Christmas is buy for all of us. I received a special present on Christmas Eve - a 3 yr. multi entry visa for Russia. Now I can make the trip even if all the other visas fall through.

For those of you just jumping in to this thread, Noel has done a remarkable job of putting together a spread sheet with contacts and itineraries. There seem to be a couple of different groups forming. Some of us are going south through the 'Stans'. Another group seems to be going through St.Petersburg. Either way - we are still looking for company and comfort.

I am going to be forced to go through Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Iran is not an option because I need a minder. I reckon I will be in Baku Azerbaijan on Monday June 2 to apply for a transit visa to Turkmenistan, then take the boat.

My new blog is www.fritztomongolia.blogspot.com . I have not linked to Horizons Unlimited yet because I am still testing things. But I will get there.

Fritz

He Fritz,

Congratulations with the Russia visa! That will be good for your piece of mind! I am waiting for my new passport and then its on to Stantours for the LOI's and then to the visa agency. Still have to work out the application schedule sequence, one almost has to be a grandmaster in chess to work that out! :smartass: Anyway, step by step we will get there!

Hi Fritz, congrats re. Your visa. I am still waiting for the agency to get the LoIs.
It is a bit more complicated for me as I am French residing in the uk and that somehow makes it more tricky... So a bit anxious about it. I am applying for a one year visa as it is almost the same price.

Anyway, hope to get news soon from RealRussia and I will then take all the docs and passports to them in next couple of weeks.

Noel, we got 2 honda Xr in the end ( SSheet shows ybr :innocent: )

Today we took the Xr number one to a local workshop for a full list of stuff. Then mine will be next. Once the guy is done with them, they should be in mint condition and ready to go.
I can't wait... So bored at work at the moment. Motivation not there :blushing:

He Maria,

Yeah, those XR's are a whole lot better than the planned ybr's! I will change the list for next issue. There are no new entries lately so I guess that may take while. May will be here very soon, time really flies lately and it seems to keep on accelerating! I'm turning 50 in a couple of weeks :helpsmilie: Where did time go! :(.
Cheers,
Noel

Hey Maria,
Just remember that you have joined the world's most elite group of people.
Others make a new years resolution to "go to the gym" or "go to evening class"
You are "going to make a huge journey, have enormous fun, make new friends, learn about others and change your life"
How cool is that?
Thanks to Noel for helping us do the boring bit and I really hope we get a chance to meet up on the road,

Noel, my birthday is also in a couple of weeks time! I will be 39... although I've been 39 for a while now :oops2:
At least you have lots of plans! Few years ago, when my oldest brother turned 50 and he told me "now we are getting on we can only look forward to retirement". With Hell to that!!!!!! I intend to live my life to the full!

Nigel I do have my new year resolutions too: back on the diet, going to the gym at lunch time (Bodypump classes to build upper body strength!) :)

Few bits to do this month: finalise the visas for Russia, vaccinations, get the bikes sorted. We took bike number one to the workshop on saturday. Then the second one will go in next saturday.

Hope to meet you guys on the road. Departure date planned for week 22d of April! Depending on where / when we drop the dog (we have few possibilities for this thanks to friends and family - dog is very important!) but we need to finalise who will take him and when to drop him. Looking after a dog for 4 months is a BIG ask!

Not long now.
So I thought I would do a little tinkering on my bike to make sure all is well. It's nearly ready for the road now.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1V...it?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1V...it?usp=sharing

Totally Frustrated
 

Hello Fellow Travelers,

I have been on this thread for 4 months now. Noel, Tom C ,Tom B and I have been trying to coordinate our schedules. We are within a day or two of each other.

But I am stymied by the Azerbaijan/Turkmenistan part of the trip. I have read nothing but horror stories about getting stuck in Baku and obtaining the Turkmen transit visa. There does not seem to be any official and accurate information.

I am used to waiting days for ferries in the rain. But my visa was not running while I was doing it. So if someone has a link or the name of a fixer in Baku who can help please send it along.

Fritz

Late arrival here. A group of 4 are heading for Mongolia setting off late May from UK via Turkey, Iran, the Stans, Russia and Mongolia by the end of July.

One maybe two of the guys are carrying on round the world for a year or two whereas the part time adventurers like me will be shipping the bike back to the UK from Ulan Baator. I'm still looking at best means of getting the bike back home so any advice would be welcome please. Other option is to leave the bike in Mongolia for 2015.

3 other mates also coming as far as Iran.

Mixture of bikes from XR650R, KTM 690, Africa Twin and BM F650 Dakar.

Guys going to Iran are on KTM 950 x2 and KTM 640 Adventure.

Spreadsheet filled in and sent back to Noel.

Have a great trip everyone.

It's going to be crowded on the way to Mongolia! :clap:

As you may have picked up from the list on this thread, a couple of us will get on the Trans Siberia Express from Irkutsk back to Moscow with bike and all! Seems to be fairly easy from Irkutsk and not expensive. From UB seems to be more difficult because of the border crossing with the bike as cargo. From Moscow its an easy final leg back home by bike again! Takes a bit more time but may save some money and it's kind of nice not having to take any planes! :mchappy:

cheers,
Noel

I hope we get a chance to meet up on the road. We leave UK early May and head North to Sweden to Estonia and St. Petersburg. Then we head South and East to catch you guys up. My wife and I will be on a GS1150 if I get it finished in time.
Keep an eye on this thread to meet up or help each other out,
Nigel Tailyour
https://drive.google.com/?authuser=0...WpJT0IwMW5ISGM

Visas applied for - just multi visit for Russia.
We used Real Russia website.
Have not applied for Kazak or Mongolia. Can we do that easily in Russia?

Bike now has gearbox, rear drive and starter-motor. Front wheel bearings next and last.

Our route is Tallinn, St. Petersburg in May, Moscow, Kazakstan in June, Lake Baikal and Mongolia July, Chita and Vladivostok in August.

If anyone wants to meet up (Moscow for instance) then let's keep in touch,
Not long now,
Nigel and Sharyn

Lonesome Cowboy
 

Greeting Fellow Mongolia Travelers,

I like to post on here just to keep us all at the top of the board! It is now 54 days until I go to Ireland. Lots to do. I am resigned to sitting on my ass for a couple of days in Baku waiting for a boat. I am also resigned to the fact that I will be stressed getting across Turkenistan - assuming I can even get a visa.

So as our loyal readers have figured out, 4 of us are basically on the same trail out of Istanbul. Then we split while those with diplomatic representatives in Tehran take the easy soft southern route. Those of us from lands with less than stellar relationships with Iran will go by boat across the Caspian Sea.

It looks like everyone is coming together in the last week of June in Samarkand. And then it is the Pamir Highway and on to Mongolia for horseback riding and barbeque. As I am a guy from the Sandhills of rural Nebraska, this will be just like home. Except, there will be fermented mares milk and vodka. Mostly just Coors and Bud here.

Anyway- our thread is now at the top again.

Fritz

Hi guys,

Small update on my side.

Visas:
We got our Russia business visa last Friday. We used RealRussia because my friends used them last year with no problems and also they were the cheapest by far. Also they made no difficulty when I asked for business visa for what is really a big holiday. Process was painless and successful.

I will applying for the double entry Kazakh visas in a couple of week time with the same agency. Debating about Uzbek and Tajik visas, as RealRussia charges a lot for those 2: £125.50 and 112.50 respectively; while in direct they cost £50 I think, and £80 respectively (plus $50 for the GBAO permit!). Cheaper to get it direct from the embassies… BUT the embassies open 2 days on weekdays from 10am to 12! Stupid. If I can vanish from work! Few times!?
For Mongolia we will apply for visas just before we leave.

Itinerary:
Link here to my map: https://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msid=203992001959248139808.0004ee32aa8cb36635d0 7&msa=0

Plan B would be via Turkey and Georgia if the SHTF in Ukraine.

Cameras (camcorder) :
After going through 2 Contour cameras that never worked in the last 2 years (original and replacement both failed) my husband got ma a hand held camera that is water proff, shock proof and “Maria Proof”. So it would be harder for me to “destroy” it apparently! Time will tell.
For photos I have a small pocket camera. Alistair has a really nice camera with big lense etc… but too bulky, so won’t travel.

Bikes:
Thorough building that included a hell a lot of new parts (those wee bikes had never been maintained!). We picked them up last Saturday. They have custom made pannier rack & bash plates. We will test them in the next few weeks on green lanes to identify any problem. Then they will go back for another oil change just before we leave. Tyres fitted: Pirelli MT 60. Did us good in south America and long lasting so using the same ones.

Timing:
Departure week of the 22d of April. Then difficult to predict. I would expect to be in Samarkand between the 15th and the 25th of May. Ride the Pamir late May / early June. Reach Mongolia by late June. Then about 4 weeks ride to explore and get to Ulaanbaatar before our visa expire (30 days) .
We have to get to Irkutsk by mid-August to ensure we have time to organise the train and get home by late August.

Although it seems we will be ahead of the “Pack” to start with, you guys will probably catch up with us as we travel slow on our wee bikes! And we have 4 months, so we’re not in a rush!

Cheers,

Just a thought...
In addition to OSM mapping, just wanted you to know that the Soviet Military Maps Pro app works fabulously on the Monterra (which as you know is an Android powered gps) and offers very interesting data - albeit not the youngest in town- for Mongolia too.
:D

I am interested in shipping my motorcycle from Ulan Bator (or somewhere nearby) to Bangkok (or somewhere nearby)
It is always cheaper and easier to do it with more then one bike. Perhaps sharing a 20ft container.
If anyone is interested please let me know.

Hi Ryan - looks like I might be up for this route now as is looking more and more like I wont be able to meet up with the planned KKH route.

Have you put any plans in place for shipping Ulaanbaatar to Bangkok ?

Cheers
Mark

Hey guys, how are preparations going?

I thought I would share this website with you:

Tim Cope Journeys

This guy is amazing. His video will be showing at the BANFF mountain film festival. Just got tickets for the London one :D
Could be interesting....


Only 6 more weeks left at work for me... and 7 weeks before departure date!

Things are piling up. Applying for Kazakh and Tajik visa today (Well dropping all to the agency today!) and also more vaccinations (tick borne encephalitis today and DTP and Typhoid on Tuesday!) I am going to be bullet proof with so many jabs!

Oh, and sorting out the dog! Few volunteers to look after him for 4 months but now we need a firm "YES" from one of our friends. :innocent:

See you on the road!

Got my DTP and 2nd rabies today. DTP very painfull :(. I think she put it in wrong! Three more to go in two weeks; 3rd Rabies, Tic Encaphalitis and Typhoid.

Tomorrow will post my PP with all Visa application forms (6x) in one go to the agency and hopefully hear nothing for 6 weeks and then get everything back with lots of Visa. Bike is almost ready but then again it's an Africa Twin, she is always ready :thumbup1:. In two weeks or so hand in my resignation letter :helpsmilie:Scarry!

Cheers,
Noel

Well the agency turned down our application for Kazakh And Tajik. :thumbdown:

It turns out that Kazakhstan changed the rules and now we need visas for all in and out countries before applying for Kazakh. So we need to get Uzbekistan before. doh

And we need to change some stuff in our application form for Tajik! Damn! Back to the "drawing " board.
Anxious about all those visas and ever changing rules :(

So next week we do Uzbek direct , ie not using an agency. Then back to applying for Kazakh and Tajik in one go! I will be glad when this is over.
Husband gave his resignation.
I am a contractor so I already told my boss a while ago I am not renewing my contract, but may be back in September I hope! Nice team so would not mind!

Situation in Ukraine not looking good. I hope we can still keep to our original plan!

Hi everyone
 

Hi,
I'm Also leaving this summer from sweden to mongolia. I'm think of going Russia, Kazakhstan, Russia and mongolia route and would really like a riding buddy(s) for that part. I have 2 months off work and can take it any time. So I'm quite flexible. Im on a dr 650 and I'm no off-road expert but want to become one on this trip. So if this fits anyone's time scale and route it would be great to hear from you. And is there anyone who can add me to this spreadsheet or send me the link.
Thanks
Neil

Kazak visa: You should of just got a double multi entry tourist visa and thats all as then you dont need entry/exit visas, if you say you are traveling on a bike/car then it gets complex and they want all this

Tajik visa: Can get visa in one day in Istanbul or 1-2 days in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) if you are passing on route

Hi Wesley, nice trip report!
For Kazakh they require plane tickets and hotels booking to issue the visas.... Which we do not have... Hence explanation of our itinerary by bike. But now they want visas from and to other countries .....
We'll see...

Or can you get a double entry tourist without providing plane tickets ?

If you have your Russian visa, just say that this is your from/to country. Booking.com: 430,068 hotels worldwide. 25+ million hotel reviews. allows you to make a hotel booking without paying a deposit. Print your confirmation etc and if you can be bothered cancel it again, or not. In 2012 and 2013 I didn't have a plane ticket and received a Kazakh tourist visa without any difficulty.

I did what chris said for my booking and also write a letter saying i will book plane tickets once i have a visa and i am coming for 30 days and on the form mark double visa as always best to have double if the option is there as you never know what will happen so always best

Also as chris says if you have a russian visa then say you are exiting to kyrgyzstan as no visa needed for this country (but once kyrgyzstan joins the cutoms union with Russia, Kazak & Belarus maybe things will change and visa's will be needed but this is not until next year)

Yes thanks for liking the ride report, just need to find time to finish it as super busy now playing catch up with work)))))))

Фрица монгольский Лето
 

Hi Kids - Welcome to the USSR! When I was getting visas I thought how nice it was when Russia ruled the east. One visa and done!

Damn things are changing fast. So hang loose.

I have my website up and running, but I do not think Horizons Unlimited have linked me yet. I linked them.

Go to www.fritztomongolia.blogspot.com . That tells the tale of my visas. I have no Turkmen visa. I have a plan - wait in Baku Azerbaijan for a visa and a boat. Or I can always turn north and go through Russia.

Welcome Neil! contact Noel to get on the spreadsheet.

Fritz

Neil, the spreadsheet is in post #29 on page 2 of this thread. You can download it, fill it in and email it to me, my email address is in the spreadsheet.

Hi Niel,
We are arriving in Stockholm about 12th May and then we are going to Estonia by ferry. From there we will have some time in St. Petersburg before Moscow, Kazakh and Mongolia.
Would you like to team up?

If you want to send a private message that's fine but my phone is +44 07770745238 and find my email on the spreadsheet on #29 of this thread.

Maria,

That might be more of an agency issue than an embassy issue. I have been issued a Kazakh double entry visa with a route Russia - Kaz - Kyrg - Uzbek - Kaz - Russia (route clearly laid out in letter that accompanied visa application). Whilst I have the Russia visa, I don't have the Uzbek visa and probably won't be able to get it until I'm in Bishkek as you must enter the country within 90 days of the visa being issued and my itinerary sees me depart on the trip more than 90-days from the date we'll enter.

I got mine through the agency Go To Russia.