Overland Europe-India in January/February 2015 by public transport

Hi travelers,

I have always wanted to go Europe-India overland - but never had the time and courage. Now it is both there. I want to go January/February 2015 (and then staying in India afterwards). I know its not the best time of the year since it will be cold and also its not the best time of the century since the political situation is going to be difficult in some places. But I still want to try it.

My questions:

Who has recently done that route and has some advice on safety?
Who has done this route in January/February and can tell me whether mountain pases will be blocked?
Who wants to come with? I am still looking for company.

Pleas get in touch: travelbug1702@gmail.com

Julia

Hi,

Assuming you plan to go the classic way the "Hippie Trail" via Iran and Pakistan there are no high passes on the way. There could be a lot of snow in Eastern Turkey, but roads are unlikely to get blocked more than a day or 2 in the worst case.

Advice on safety? Well, don't do it! Pakistan is too dangerous. Fly between Iran and India.

Which route are you thinking of? There are several possibilities.

What is your nationality? That makes a lot of difference as to how easy/hard it will be (in terms of bureaucracy,and also to some extent in terms of safety).

At that time of the year, the only realistic overland route is via Iran and Pakistan. The route through Central Asia will lead you to the high mountain passes in Pakistan or India, each with associated problems including winter-time closures.

And you should definitely visit Iran. The roads through eastern Turkey to Doğubayazıt, for example, will be open (or be open most of the time) with regular bus services. From Doğubayazıt take a taxi to the border and walk into Iran. Find a ride to the bus station and then ride in comfort to Tabriz, or beyond.

Or take the weekly train between Turkey and Iran, joining it from Van or a point further west: http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/tcdding/ortadogu_ing.html

The stickiest part of this route is the sector between the Iran/Pakistan border and Quetta, the first major city. You should not approach this sector lightly. Travel is slow over poor roads, it's quite isolated and there are regular attacks on Shia pilgrims and sometimes targetted kidnapping of foreigners. Two Czech girls were taken from a bus in early 2013 and nothing has been heard from them since, apart from a video released in October 2013.

On the other hand, a Finnish traveller recently posted his account of the crossing
(Trip report: Taftan to Quetta border crossing Nov 2014). He reported that 11 other foreigners had made the crossing that month.

Depending on your appetite for risk, you might consider a flight from Zahedan in Iran to Quetta or another city in Pakistan. Once you get past this sector, however, travel in Pakistan is a breeze. Make sure you allow some time to explore Lahore, and to view the daily ceremony marking the closing of the border between Pakistan and India.

See more on these matters in the Pakistan branch.

The further complication with travel via Pakistan is that you will need to obtain your visa in your home country. It's not possible to pick one up anywhere while on the road.

Julia,

Almost anything you want to know about train travel anywhere in the world is available from The Man in Seat 61 at http://seat61.com/ . If a country has limited train service, the site may have bus information.

Your profile says you are German. For several countries on your route, your clothing and facial features will make it instantly obvious you are not a local person. While the vast majority of people you meet may be friendly and helpful, the political situation in some of these countries make you an obvious target for kidnapping. Please reconsider. At least, look at the individual county forums on Thorn Tree for a better idea what to expect. There are so many other countries in the world to see, and hopefully Pakistan will be more welcoming to tourists in a few years.

hopefully Pakistan will be more welcoming to tourists in a few years.

Dream on! It's going to get only worse.

Although I am too young to have experienced it, my guess is several European countries had a thriving tourism business by 1954, and certainly by 1964. But in 1944, a German tourism office would have been a very lonely place if you could find it.

It's not a war zone, but tourism in Myanmar (Burma) experienced massive growth in just one year, from 2011 to 2012, due to election results.

While it's extremely unlikely that Pakistan will be a popular tourist destination in 2016, don't write it off forever. At this moment, there are thousands of tourists and business people in China who could not have imagined going there when they were in college and Chairman Mao was in power.

The only war zone I want to vacation in is a historic war zone. There's a lot of them, and it's a lot easier than watching them be created.