Hey y'all,
I'm currently in Bishkek negotiating my options into China. I'd rather not deal with the hassle at Torugart and have no problem taking the slightly less-picaresque Irkeshtam Pass.
I'm wondering: Is this route walkable? Anyone have an idea how long it might take?
From what I gather it's a four- to five-hour car ride. I know people bike this route, so the terrain must be okay for walking, right?
Thanks!
I've travelled both routes by car. Crossing Torugart is actually very easy if you can afford the costs or find others to share them. All the planning is do for you by the travel agents. You just have to turn up on time.
I travelled from Irkeshtam to Osh in September 2009. At that time, there were extensive roadworks along most of the route which made road travel slow and dangerous. There are some steep gradients in the mountains with no place for pedestrians. The road from the pass to Sary Tash was no more than many sets of parallel tracks in the sand in some parts.
I suspect that it's quite dangerous (due to crazy drivers) and tiring to walk that route, and there are few accommodation options along the way. Of those options, you will find few if any people who speak English and even fewer that are used to having foreigners drop in without transport. You'd need a high level of self-sufficiency.
I've crossed Irkeshtam on April 22 (2008), until the day before it was closed (as usually) for snow. The view was really great, the road terrific.. trucks bogged down.. snow and mud.. IMO it's impossible by bike! It was 5/6 h between Sary Tash and Irkeshtam..(I went by truck, hitch-hiking, no cars there..) and some hours (2, 3) to cross the border.
Emmeff is about right. I traveled from Sary Tash to Irkeshtam by jeep in Sept 2010 and before in 2007 & 2004. The roads are getting better and there are a number of Chinese construction worker camps along the way. 4.5 hour drive is accurate.
I would say that along the road, this is probably not a very interesting walk and if you stray from the road too much, you run the risk of inciting some wild Soviet paranoia or just getting lost. Terrain is definitely walkable though. Either way, you'll need to have food, tent, water, etc.
If your aim is to walk a stretch of landscape, the Pamirs (Wakhan, Bartang, Rushan valleys) come to mind, as the scenery is better, the people friendlier and the spacing of the population is more advantageous.
Hi,
I've traveled the Irkshetam Pass in late April, and there was considerable snow on the road. Most of the people I know who have attempted this pass by bike got onto a truck for some sections of it due to a profusion of mud. But as for walking, I think you have 2 major problems:
Cold - you will need some seriously decent gear for camping (and you'll have to camp, because there aren't enough settlements along the way)
Food - there isn't very much food along this route! I struggled to get something to eat in Sary Tash, and that's the biggest settlement for probably at least a 100 km stretch of the road. You'll need to be completely self-sufficient almost the whole way from Osh to the border, or risk limited provisions at the places along the way. I can't remember any settlements at all between Sary Tash and one village of containers about 8km before the border: I don't know the distance exactly, but this is at least a 2-3 day walk.
Giora
Thanks to those who gave some concrete advice! A 2-3 day walk isn't so bad ... unless it's in extreme winter conditions.
No buses. You'll have to take a waiting taxi, or hope one turns up. With luck, you can negotiate a cheap ride if the driver has already covered his round-trip expenses with the fare he charged for the outward journey (probably around $100 from Kashgar) -- meaning that whatever you pay is a bonus.
I've read that there is very rudimentary accommodation available on the Chinese side of the border if you find no transport, but I didn't stop to check on that when I passed through coming from Kashgar.
