Torugart Pass Getting there & around

Getting there & around

Border crossings

Kyrgyzstan

When both sides of the border finally open, you and your driver show confirmation of onward transport and then, cold and frustrated, wait until the radio call comes from the Chinese side that your onward transport has arrived. After this you march into customs, bags in tow, where officials collect the customs form you filled out when you entered the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and try (and probably succeed) to sell you a customs form for 30som. You then proceed through immigration. Meanwhile, your vehicle is being strip-searched in a garage next door.

After inspection you jump back into your vehicle and continue 7km to the border. If you don’t have transport for this section, this is where your headache begins, as you’ll have to negotiate with a driver to give you a lift and with the officials to let you pass.

Summit

In the border zone, roughly halfway between the two customs and immigration stations, permitted vehicles are allowed, but apparently no pedestrians. At the summit, your new driver and some Chinese soldiers will be waiting for the transfer. Big handshakes all around. Don’t forget to take a look at the beautiful pass, which you just fought so hard to cross.

China

Another 5km later you will arrive at the original Chinese border post, where the Bishkek–Kashgar bus passengers will be patiently unrolling every carpet and draining every thermos for the customs patrol. Just to keep up appearances, the guards will have you line up all your baggage and then choose one at random to dig through.

It’s surprising how the climate and landscape change when you cross the pass. The Chinese side is abruptly drier, more desolate and treeless, with little physical development other than adobe Kyrgyz settlements. The road runs through Kyzylsu Kyrgyz Autonomous County.

The 100km of road closest to the border is a miserable washboard surface, spine-shattering to travel along and choked with dust. At the junction of the Torugart and Irkeshtam roads is the spanking new Chinese customs and immigration station.

Chinese immigration is open 1pm to 5pm Beijing time but officers will wait for you if you are late. Here you fill out entry forms and get your passport stamped, both relatively painless. The post has a Bank of China branch, a couple of simple noodle shops and a small guesthouse, though travellers in either direction are discouraged from staying. From here to Kashgar it’s 60km of paved road.

The whole Torugart–Kashgar trip is 160km, a 3½- to four-hour 4WD trip.

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