India to South East Asia via the KKH (or vice-versa)

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christocycle
christocycle

I am in the early stages of planning a trip from the Indian Himalayas (probably starting in Leh) and heading to the Karakorum highway to cross into China, then heading back down to South East Asia, and looking for any tips. A few specific questions I have are:

  1. Considering climate and visa constraints, does one direction make more sense than the other? I don`t want to ride in the snow (outside of the passes) and would prefer to avoid the brunt of the monsoon.
  2. Roughly what sort of time frame am I looking at, considering I am an experienced tourer, but like to hang out in neat spots for a day or two when I can.
  3. This one is quite specific, but who knows: as a gluten-intolerant person, I have toured India with no problem at all (lots of dhal-sabzi-chawal), but how would that route be, especially the China part? I don`t mind monotony, but need decent quality!
  4. Am i likely to meet other tourers once in a while?
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anabase
anabase

You will have to be clever to get a Chinese visa that will allow you enough time to cycle from Xinjiang across the whole of China into Southeast Asia. You may need to take a train at some point.

Note that Chinese consulates usually refuse you a visa if you say that you are going to Xinjiang. So, if you want to go India-Pakistan-China-SE Asia, then when you request the visa, have (refundable, so you can get the money back) plane tickets showing that you are flying into an eastern Chinese city like a good tourist. Once you have the visa, you can then enter overland wherever you wish.

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billweir
billweir

Yes, the Chinese visa will be your biggest challenge. Try the embassy in your home country and explain that you wish to visit a lot of places, and have a list that you can submit. I don't know if Xinjiang would be a problem; maybe be safe and not list it on your application. Definitely don't mention Tibet and maybe don't say anything about cycling.

Pakistani visas may only be available in your home country. Indian visas are easier to get in your home country.

From Ladakh, you would need to start in early summer, which will give you monsoon rains in the foothills and plains until you get most of the way up the Karakoram Highway. You might reach SE Asia in the beginning of winter when it's very pleasant. Or start in SE Asia in late winter. Anyway, play around with climate charts to see what works best for you. Visas may be the deciding factor, though.

You will meet a small number of cyclists in India and Pakistan, but China is so big that you can go a long time without meeting other Westerners at all. SE Asia has lots of cyclists, especially Laos.

I cannot say how long the trip will take. That will depend a lot on visas. I was lucky to get a 180-day Chinese visa and took my time, using up all 180 days to cross the country!

Chinese food is very good and varied, even in remote areas, and fruit is abundant in summer.

You can find lots of travelogues online, such as those on www.crazyguyonabike.com</a> where you can search by country.

Good luck!

Bill Weir

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christocycle
christocycle

I looked up the Chinese visa requirements, even applying from home (Canada) and they say they need to see a return ticket. Does that mean that everyone who enters China overland needs to buy a ticket and try and get a refund? Ive never bought a ticket that was refundable. Didnt think these ever were...

About the KKH, how safe is it? I`ve heard some section were quite iffy but most travelogues about it on crazyguy are pretty old.

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anabase
anabase

Does that mean that everyone who enters China overland needs to buy a ticket and try and get a refund?

More or less. You can also try your luck making a fake e-ticket confirmation. As for getting a refundable ticket that can be returned as soon as you've got the visa, a travel agent may be willing to help with that for a small fee.

About the KKH, how safe is it? I`ve heard some section were quite iffy

Read (or do a search through) the Pakistan section of the Thorn Tree, as I know there have been some recent discussions about the route.

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emmeff
emmeff

Perhaps monitor this thread: KKH closed

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