Heading east (starting in Europe, riding to south east Asia/Oceania)
 

Hello,

I recently discovered this forum and I have to admit I am a bit overwhelmed by the huge amount of information.

I am planning to do a little trip next year, starting in April, I’ll be heading east from Greece. I am living in Germany now.

Crossing Turkey to Georgia and Azerbaijan, after that north of Iran and the Stan-Lands (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan,Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan).
Once there, my intention is to go to Nepal, through China, and from there to Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

From there, I’ll head south, probably visiting also the Philippines and Indonesia, to Malaysia, Singapore, Papua New Guinea and finally to Australia.

I intentionally didn’t mention any date, as I don’t have a time plan. I have 10 months and I’d ride as far as I can, once the time is up, I’ll fly back from wherever I am.

Bearing this in mind, I have a few questions:

I gathered information with regards to the visas I need, some of them I assume I will have to apply on the way, if they need an exact date of entry/leaving the country. Is that correct? Would it be possible to have all paperwork ready in advance?

My understanding is that for China (and it seems that for Thailand too) it is needed to have a guide with you the whole time you are in the country, when riding a motorcycle. But I don’t have any information of how expensive that could be, nor any agency offering such services.
Maybe it would be possible to join a group in order to save/split expenses. Any ideas/suggestions?

If China is a no-go, I have thought of 2 possibilities, either going south through Tajikistan and North of Pakistan, but I am not sure if this is feasible. Anyone has more information or know where to find it?
The second option would be to go north to Mongolia and fly from Ulanbaatar to Kathmandu. Pro: Visiting Mongolia, cons: flight expenses. Any thoughts?

Do you see any other problems/issues that I haven’t think of?

I’d really appreciate any advice/suggestions you may have regarding the route, paperwork, security, etc. any help is always welcome.

Thanks in advance!


For information: I ride a Honda Africa Twin and have some experience riding enduro (I also have an old CBR600RR for race track and a KTM 450EXC)

Hello,
First of all, all the best for your adventure!
I planned a quite similar trip for next year, but had to overthink my plans massively regarding some facts. Bear in mind i´m not an experienced adventure rider by any means, but i tried my best to collect my data ;)

-Tadjikistan- Pakistan- India is not possible AFAIK (Google Wakhan- Delta)
-Transit through China is massively expensive (no currrent information, talking 4 digits??)
-> Transit through Pakistan could be an option
-Turkmenistan Visas can be quite a pain (seems Transitvisa is the way to go)
-For Iran and many other countries on your list, you will need the carnet de passage.
- Getting into Bhutan will be difficult
- Guide will also be mandatory in Myanmar.
All of these reasons led me to the decision to go from Europe- Oman/Dubai- Kirgistan- North cape- Back home (Munich)
If you think it is worth the hassle and money, go for it! I´m quite sad really not to see South east asia on my trip.
If not, you are welcome to ride a part of your journey with me, i´m going to start on my own in February , and will have company of a bunch of different people over my trip!
Cheers,
Olli :scooter:

Hello Olli,

Thank you for your answer. I am actually starting in Bremen, end of January/beginning of February, and heading to Greece, so I think we can arrange something. :)

In the meantime, I need to gather more information for my trip and start the Visa applications... :)

Cheers
Samuel