Hi Guys,
Im currently cycling from England to India, it was supposed to be thailand but india at the moment looks like the final destination. i was pretty confident until a few days ago when i spoke with a syrian who advised me strongly against traveling through iran. I then met an indian man who strongly advised me to nog travel though Baluchistan. Coming from iran i would have no choice but to go through Baluchistan so i am therefore welcome to any advice whatsover. I am planning on getting a train through iran and a bus from taftan(pakistan) to quetta and then another one to multan. Please help and tel me whether this is even possible right now, i am a white male british citizen (23) travelling alone
Cheers :)
knightsy88
1
edwardseco
There is a post several days back on this border crossing that is detailed and I believe very relevant..
2
chrisgodiva
It might be quite difficult travelling by road (in Baluchistan, as foreigners need an "NOC" (non-objection certificate) to travel issued by the local military commander (I think that is what was referred to in the Tribal Affairs Bureau in the post that has been linked to here), and these can even be difficult to obtain by NGO's working in those regions for their expatriates.
3
k2_heights
Well,foreigners don not need to obtain any NOC from any department in order to travel from Taftan all the way to Quetta.One 'd be given a police guard as soon as you enter in to Paki side of the border (Taftan) who'll follow you all the way to Quetta.
Take a bus from Taftan to Quetta which 'll take about 13 hrs on a bumpy road 7 keep your bicycle on the roof top of the bus.
Take a train from Quetta either to Multan or to Lahore.
Stay in Bloom Star hotel when you re in Quetta,rooms ranging from 500 pkr to 2500pkr.
4
myra_mk
Hi knightsy88, I think you are making an amazing journey, but I do think you should be extremely careful when you are in Balochistan. I can't say much about Iran, but I am Pakistani and wouldnt advise staying in Quetta or anywhere in Balochistan too long. If you stay under the radar and keep moving I'm sure it wont be too bad, but it is a little bit of a lawless territory...
5
k2_heights
Yeah,one should avoid staying long time in Quetta,keep as a transit city & also avoid venturing out of the mentioned city.
6
henrysch
Hi knights88, I did that rout in May-can confirm the details the other posts gave- I just want to add that I think most important is being flexible as situation can change every day causing you to rethink/plan anew. I had a fairly easy trip to Quetta, a wonderful 3-days stay in BloomStar and the town. But the road to Lahore ( i. e. Multan) was blocked for foreigners so I had to take a plane. I really liked Quetta eventhough it is wise to be a little careful, e.g. not to look at every corner of the bazaar, staying outside not late at night etc. I liked the people, the diversity, this mix of everything (people, cultures, rural-urban influence). I suggest you check out the current situation - I heard that the town was completely closed for some days early August. I can't imagine that cycling through Belochistan will be possible. I wish you a fine trip.
8
knightsy88
Hi again everyone. Thanks for all the advice. I received my iran visa today (so now have all three to get to india). Therefore i will be making the trip through iran and pakistan within the next two weeks. Will keep you posted on how it all goes :) Thanks for the link to the otha thread chitralguyimran, it was very helpful. I was planning on getting a bus from Quetta to Multan and then again from multan to lahore, but i think i'll give the train ago. Also interesting to know you get an escort, makes cycling there pretty impossible really lol.
Thanks again everyone!!!
Pro tip
Lonely Planet
trusted partner
trusted partner