Dear fellow travellers

I am currently in Iran with my family en route to India on own vehicle. The situation in Pakistan is not very encouraging at the moment but we still plan to go ahead since our route is far from the worst affected areas. Before we move forward we would like to get your feedback on the following:

Were to stop overnight between Kerman and Multan since our maximum daylight reach is around 500-800km and we also need to cross a border?

What is your general security advice for our family once we are in Pakistan and should we be safe once in Multan and Lahore?

Is there anyone that is planning to go the same route on own vehicle in the next couple of days that is willing to join us?

Best regards from Shiraz,
GMS

Hi Sveinn,

It's not the best place, but you could spend the night in Zahedan before crossing the border to Pakistan. This way you can make it to Dalbadin or even Quetta if you're lucky. We finally ended up camping in front of the police station in Zahedan, because they wouldn't let us camp in front of the hotel. If you book a room that won't be a problem.

You'll probably be escorted by the Iranian police from Zahedan towards the Pakistani border. Try to give them a copy of your passport if they ask for your passport. This way you don't have to wait for them if it's taking too long. And don't forget to fuel up about 100 km before Zahedan! Otherwise you need a coupon issued by the police and that's a hassle. A system to reduce smuggling I guess.

Once you cross the border you will been escorted by the police again. We had to register at every policepost along the way, before we finally got picked up just after Quetta for a 10-day escort all the way to Lahore...

For waypoints please check our website/waypoints.

Have fun and enjoy the Iranian hospitality!

Jenn & Don
www.travelsick.nl

Hi Sveinn,

Me, my girlfriend and another biker are staying at the silkroad hotel in Yazd. We would like to cross the border with Pakistan the 25th of november. We'll stay here for a few more days and than we plan on going to Kerman and surroundings, than to Bam and across the border.

If you like you can join us...

Let's get in touch.

I'll pm you our emailadress.

Kind regards,


Gert, Liesbeth and Andy

GMS,
Welcome to Pakistan. Multan and Lahore are perfectly safe places just stay away from Peshawar and the NWFP.
My suggestion would be to take it easy and stay wherever you have to stop or your police escorts advise you.

Thanks for your feedback.

We are now currently in Kerman and we met one couple on a Land Cruiser that is going to cross on Saturday 21st of November. They had already teamed up with a family that they are going to meet in Zahedan. It might be that we join them.

According to the latest information you will only get escort from Zahedan to the border. On the Pakistan side they will follow you most of the time until Sukkur since that is the only open road now for forigners from Quetta. After that is should be relatievly safe.

We are still considering were is the best option to overnight. The hotel owner here in Kerman told us to go to Zahedan. Cross the border early morning and head to a small village midway to Quetta were the police would find accomidation for you. If you want to go to Quetta in one go you need to overnight in Taftan at the border in order to reaach it all in daylight (which can even be hard).

We will propably leave for BAM tomorrow or the day after.

Best regards,
GMS

Dalbandin is halfway, and the most popular place for an overnight stay on way to Quetta from Taftan. There are some semidecent government rest houses your escorts might be able to arrange.
Enjoy the desert ride and the wonderful solitude that it offers.
On your way to Lahore do give a call and we can have a cup of tea together.

Me and two others on bikes rode through about 7 weeks ago. We stayed the night in Bam and then left at about 6 in the morning to get to the border knowing that - because of police escorts - it would take all day. Unfortunately we arrived after the border closed and camped on the door step of the hotel there. The next day we did not have any escorts. (they wanted to sit on the back of the bike and we just flat refused) We took it easy and finished that day in Dalbandin (there is only one hotel i think - i forget the name - and it has secure parking around the back. Its on your right as you enter the town, staying on the same road since the border) Then the next day we made fairly good time onto Quetta (there is a bad section of road starting a few k after Dalbandin and lasting around 60k if i remember correctly - its a road that is mostly only big enough for one vehicle so we had to leave the road often, but just slow and easy seemed to work for us). by splitting the road from the border to Quetta into 2 days we really enjoyed it rather than the horror stories we had head about it done in one day (which would be a long day i am sure)

From Quetta we took the road east to Loralai (was meant to be closed to Foreigners but we were not stopped and a few cyclists rode it after us) where we camped at the police station. The next day we headed to Multan but the road is very bad for a long stretch which slowed us down (and one of the bikes breaking its shock) - the road is pretty much a mud and dust motorway filled with trucks. Forigners cannot stay anywhere near Dere Ghazi Khan (apart from Punjabi Taliban it is the center of Pakistan's nuclear programme) so you have to get to Multan that day (took us 16hrs for 300k!)

I cannot say for the route south from Quetta but we rarely had an escort in Pakistan - that may have changed now - and when we did they were much more efficient than the Iranians and most importantly dont take your passport.

Hope that all helps and finally, enjoy Pakistan - especially the KKH which is by far the highlight of our trip so far - and good travels

Morgan

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We are currently in Lahore after seven days from Bam. We joined one vechile in Bam and two others in Zahedean were we stayed overnight. We had unrequested escort all the way from Bam to the border. Border process was four hours so we camped overnight in front of the Custom Office in Taftan. Then we had more or less all forms of unrequested escort all the way to Quetta. Sometimes in our car, sometime in a truck in front, sometimes the motorcycle type and sometimes none. We did camp overnight at a police checkpoint on the way. The currently only open route for foreigner is south east to Sukkur which also involves escort. After that the convoy splitted and we thought we were free but the police suddely showed up around Multan and followed us all the way to Lahore. We have felt very safe all the way and the people of Pakistan are very welcoming. We actually sometimes feel less safe with the police since they have been a target in this struggle more than tourist and the escort oftern creates to much attention in the streets. Since this escort process can be problematic the trick is to be clear that it is you that is in charge so if they go to slow, just pass. If they need to wait for next vehicle just contine since it will arrive sooner than later and if it is a real matter they will arrive sooner. We will leave for India tomorrow.

Best regards,
Sveinn