Just a word of warning to any overlanders thinking of applying for Chinese visas in New Delhi, India. Don't do it!

After submitting our 'urgent/two day' applications over seven weeks ago(!!!), we have had to withdraw our applications without any visas (we didn't have to pay but we did have to pay for seven more weeks accommodation etc than anticipated). When embassy staff did pick up the phone, they were unhelpful and frankly, useless and could not give us any timeframe in which to expect the visas or other people to call. (We even had to write a letter detailing why we wanted to withdraw our applications to get our passports back!!!) Every time we called staff said the visas were still being 'processed' but the tour company we wanted to cross the Karakoram Highway with (for a mere four days in China) never heard from them so the passports were obviously just sitting in a pile for seven weeks. I guess entering by road, and therefore needing 'special visas' is just too much for these guys to handle.

We've heard the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu is ok so we should have done that earlier on our way through. We've also heard that Islamabad did it for some others recently (in one day!) as a one-off but it is no longer their policy to issue to foreigners in Pakistan so I wouldn't bank on that. Now there is not enough time for the tour company to apply for permits before the KKH closes due to the winter (they need 40 days after we get the visas) so we will go the southern way through Iran and miss the other 'stans.

So, if you need a Chinese visa, give yourselves plenty of time and avoid Delhi - or ask yourself whether it is actually worth visiting China. Maybe it is, I don't know, but we would have paid US$2,000+ for the four days for two of us...food for thought. We've heard of similar wait times for Turkenistan visas in Kyrgyz/Uzbek so possibly factor in a few extra months to your trip if you choose that route.

If you do choose to go through China, Ablimit at Kashgar New Land International Travel Services has been very responsive and helpful throughout this whole saga, although we have now had to cancel our plans with him due to the lack of visas. We paid his company a deposit of US$300 and he is now going to refund us US$250. Very good value for the amount of work he has done for us. So as for the process up until now, I would highly recommend his company. Also the cheapest tour we could find.

Hope you all have better luck than we did!

When I rode through China about two years ago the agency that provided help and guides through China said that do not mention at all that you are going to enter and travel in China on your own motorbike. So I applied for a visa, made a flight booking (which I cancelled immideately after I printed it) and the agency had made an itinerary with the normal tourist stops. And a visa was granted...

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

I got caught out going the other way.

Rocked up to the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrg,

Their website said it took a week or two for processing. I had to be at the border to meet the china guide (no date movement), in two weeks.

Got to the embassy, and they said minimum 3 week wait. So I DHL'd my spare passport to a chinese visa agency in London, and got it back within a week. Win.

Just wondering why you didn't get Kashgar New Land International Travel Services to organise your Chinese visa's.

The travel agency specified that they don't do the visa part of it—that was up to us. We didn't write in the application that we were taking our own bikes and said we'd be traveling in the travel company's van.

Yeah the agency told us also not to mention motorbikes so we said that we'd be traveling in the tour company's van. The real issue with our visas though is that they did not even get to the stage where they even considered our applications. They never even sent our applications to the Ministry (where they say they send special visa—land border— applications) and they hadn't opened the envelope to consider our applications. So yes, perhaps buying a plane ticket and avoiding the need for 'special visas' is the way to go, in Delhi at least. Not sure about other places. Our tour company said KTM is usually fine to confirm land border crossing visas.

Just as word of warning for anyone considering crossing China with Kashgar New Land International Travel Services. Make sure you are certain you are going to go with them before you pay the 'refundable' deposit. They (Ablimit and another employee who my partner dealt with) will tell you you'll get US$250 back if you have to cancel the trip but this is not true. After my partner and I sent about 15 emails over the last two months, both employees have stopped replying and refuse to acknowledge us. This exact situation happened this year to a fellow overlander who we've just met coming from Europe/Iran towards Asia who had to cancel his trip due to Turkmenistan visa problems (same reason we had to cancel but for us it was the Chinese visa). For both of our parties, attempting to go through China was just one giant, long, fruitless, expensive nightmare and going the southern way through Quetta and into Iran has so far been great. (make sure you do the Karakoram anyway if in Pakistan - so good). You might just want to consider your options before deciding your route from Asia to Europe!