Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020

Tajikistan to Osh without Uzbek visa – did anyone go recently?

Country forums / Central Asia / Kyrgyzstan

Did anyone travel between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on the Isfara – Batken – Osh route recently?
The normal route crosses some Uzbek exclaves, so without an Uzbek multiple-entry visa you would have to go around them somehow, in theory at least. But then, the Kyrgyz and Tajiks might in theory also need a visa these days, so there's probably either an exemption or a road around the exclaves.
Any recent experiences? (Just "yes it worked" would be fine)
Westwards
www.westwards.de

One of my employees did it from Osh toward Dushanbe recently on a motorcycle support trip we ran. Usually either Isfara or Isfana is open. Ask around and they should point you the right direction. You can get through Batken region in Kyrgyzstan without an Uzbek visa. Borders are complicated right now, at least from the Tajik side because of some meetings. Should get better after the 15th of this month.

1

I did it last year, in July 2013. I arrived around sunset to the border, but a nice Kyrgyz couple crossed with me and helped me find a shared car. Actually they first took me to the airport to see if there was any flight leaving next morning to Bishkek, and there wasn't. Then it happened that a shared taxi was about to leave to Osh. It was already dark when we left and arrived to Osh around 2AM but without crossing any enclave.

2

Just to follow up: The road that avoids Uzbekistan and the exclaves is being built, in some places it's very good, in others still a dirt piste, but it is definitely possible to go there, and it is not a long detour or complicated to find or whatever drivers may say (although the marshrutkas may not be using it yet). There was only one stretch of about 2 km (somewhere West of Shohimardon) where we had to pass into Uzbekistan and where a border post asked about us, but we didn't even have to show our passports, the driver just said that we are tourists.
Westwards
www.westwards.de

3