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Paris to Kabul......routes? advice? Paris to Kabul......routes? advice?
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  #1  
Old 15 May 2007
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Paris to Kabul......routes? advice?
Thanks in advance for your responses

My parisien friend has just landed a job in glorious Kabul for 6 months. she wants me to ride her F650 from paris to Kabul so she can take it out of country when she finally departs back home. both of us are experianced moto tourers.

two questions

1) the bike is not registered in my name. on my latin america tour i could easily have got away with a modified color photocopy of the title w/ my name craftily superimposed on the document. any opinions on the likelyhood of this working thru to kabul?

and

2) the road to kabul. i've checked conditions coming down from tajikstan....seems a long and flat expanse until about 2 days before the city when it turns into mountains. anyone ride this route? is it safe? taleban? bandits? etc.....?

prefer answers from people who have ridden the road or know of someone who has.....you can assume i've read the news concerning afghanistan as well.

thanks
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Old 15 May 2007
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Is there a reason in particular that you are planning on coming in from the north?

AFAIK access from Pakistan is easier to Kabul. It is a major traffic and trade route. The key one in the country I believe.

The fewer days you are riding in Afghanistan the better I would have thought.

Via Iran and Pakistan is a straightforward and well-charted route. Perhaps you could tag along with an NGO convoy or something.

I am not aware of anyone who has entered from the north as you are suggesting - but that doesn't make it impossible of course. Maybe others can shed light here.

Pakistan requires a carnet - no faking that. Well, not advised at all. It is a good idea to use a carnet for Iran too.

Just some ideas - may be of help.

Simon
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Old 15 May 2007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Kennedy View Post
Is there a reason in particular that you are planning on coming in from the north?

AFAIK access from Pakistan is easier to Kabul. It is a major traffic and trade route. The key one in the country I believe.

The fewer days you are riding in Afghanistan the better I would have thought.

Via Iran and Pakistan is a straightforward and well-charted route. Perhaps you could tag along with an NGO convoy or something.

I am not aware of anyone who has entered from the north as you are suggesting - but that doesn't make it impossible of course. Maybe others can shed light here.

Pakistan requires a carnet - no faking that. Well, not advised at all. It is a good idea to use a carnet for Iran too.

Just some ideas - may be of help.

Simon
I actually missed the carnet stamp process when entering Pakistan. Not intentionaly, I just screwed up and rode off. In Iran, there's no way to get in without one I think. At least not if you're coming from Turkey.
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Old 21 May 2007
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Originally Posted by bigJoe View Post
2) the road to kabul. i've checked conditions coming down from tajikstan....seems a long and flat expanse until about 2 days before the city when it turns into mountains. anyone ride this route? is it safe? taleban? bandits? etc.....?
This guy entered Afghanistan from Tajikistan in 2005:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/forwood/afghani1.shtml
Last year I saw afghan peasants working across a river but I wasn't brave enough to go there :-(

Good luck,
Kris
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Old 21 May 2007
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In Islamabad I ran into a British couple who drove a Toyota LC from Tajik. to Pak. through Afgh. Took them 4-5 days. Pretty carefully and being watchful, but otherwise doable. You need to (as near Bannu in Pak.) get a tribal guide who waves you through the hill tribes' watchmen to avoid a potential pot shot in your direction.
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Old 22 May 2007
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hello,

I have read your post and the answers so far. sorry I havnt ridden this way, but I have travelled quite a bit.

I had a look on the map, and I read about Peter Forwards journey (met him twice - 1999 and 2002 - on the road) into Afghanistan.

Yes, I would come in from the North as well. The North is more calm.

as the others mentioned for Iran and Pakistan you would need a Carnet, and in order to get this your documents have to be in order. in my expierience (from 1999) both countries can be travelled in without a Carnet, but it will be a lot of hassle and not worth it.

travelling thru fromer soviet states or eastern europe you dont need a Carnet, and you can get away with a well done paper in your name.

I dont think I would go with a ngo convoi, I would talk to people and see how it goes, there is a way ...

enjoy

mika
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Old 24 May 2007
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hubby just did the reverse (driving north from kabul to tajikistan) last week and had no problems, though he was in a vehicle and not on a bike. He says the Kabul-Dushanbe stretch was about 12 hours on what used to be called (back in Soviet military days) the Kabul Military Highway, passing through Oxiana. Lots of history to the area! He says the border post was pretty sleepy when he went through, though.

HTH!
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Old 24 May 2007
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Hi,
I guess you have read another thread on a similiar theme, but if not:-

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...iences-20950-3

For my two pence worth, the whole of Afghanistan is not as quiet as one may think - a lot of events simply go un-reported but there has been a recent upturn in both kidnappings and suicide bombings. including in the capital.

Therefore, it would be prudent to question the logic of taking a bike into Kabul in order to bring it out again at some later date; where is it to be kept, how will it be used while in Kabul, along those lines. "Large" bikes (anything over, say, 250cc) are not in general use in that city and such usage would be spotted as clearly as the proverbial bulldog's danglies. Those that are on the streets are clapped out things blowing smoke in all directions.

On balance, is the juice worth the squeeze?
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Old 4 Jun 2008
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Question
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Originally Posted by bigJoe View Post
Thanks in advance for your responses

No problem with the reponses, but did you do it?
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Old 5 Jun 2008
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Originally Posted by Walkabout View Post
Hi,
I guess you have read another thread on a similiar theme, but if not:-

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...iences-20950-3

For my two pence worth, the whole of Afghanistan is not as quiet as one may think - a lot of events simply go un-reported but there has been a recent upturn in both kidnappings and suicide bombings. including in the capital.

Therefore, it would be prudent to question the logic of taking a bike into Kabul in order to bring it out again at some later date; where is it to be kept, how will it be used while in Kabul, along those lines. "Large" bikes (anything over, say, 250cc) are not in general use in that city and such usage would be spotted as clearly as the proverbial bulldog's danglies. Those that are on the streets are clapped out things blowing smoke in all directions.

On balance, is the juice worth the squeeze?
Hi Dave

BigJoe did say that he knows the current news etc....and that he wasnt seeking approval of his trip, but he really hoped for someone who had ridden his route and maybe some facts. Can you help there? I havent ridden there so I cant help......
Last edited by Caminando; 5 Jun 2008 at 15:40.
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Old 5 Jun 2008
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Hi Dave

BigJoe did say that he knows the current news etc....and that he wasnt seeking approval of his trip, but he really hoped for someone who had ridden his route and maybe some facts. Can you help there? I havent ridden there so I cant help......
Nope, just wanted to see what the outcome was of what is, otherwise, yet another thread that is "hanging".
I was reminded of this one by another one that came along recently on a similar topic.

So far as the news is concerned: well we don't believe everything that we see and read, do we? And we all recognise that there are lots and lots of things going on in the world that are out of sight and earshot of journos (God bless the latter!).
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