Azerbaijan
Dates and Days: End of July - Beg. Aug ~ 10 days
Waypoints/route: Zaqatala - Sheki - Gabala - Ismailli - Shamkhi - Baku
Distance: 450km
Terrain:
Total vertical incline:
Max Altitude: 900m
Weather: 30oC - 15oC
Visas: e-Visa for 20 days (takes 3-4weeks)
Kazakhstan
The largest landlocked country in the world with a population of 17.8 million, mostly desert, desert and more desert! We aim to reach Kazakhstan by the end of July, we will be crossing from Baku, Azerbaijan to Aktau by ferry. From there we will head to a small town called Beyneu. We have heard that this 500km stretch is tough, with a single road through the desert and only the occasional tea house in between. After Beyneu we will head south towards the Uzbek border and cross at (border crossing name). Thankfully there is no need for visas as they have recently introduced a 15 day visa free entry for UK citizens which should be more than enough time!
Dates and Days: End of July - Beg. Aug ~ 10 days
Waypoints/route: Aktau - Shepte - Beyneu
Distance: 600km
Terrain: Desert, Desert and more desert
Total vertical incline: 640hm
Max Altitude: 320m
Weather: HOT 34oC - 14oC
Visas: No need for under 15 days
Languages: Azerbaijani
Currency: Manat
Emergency contacts: 101
Uzbekistan
We shall cross the Tajen border crossing and head to Kungrad and then follow the Amu daryo river and pass many cotton fields (Uzbekistan’s main export) down to Bukhara. Autumn is still wam and we are hoping to find an abundance of delicious fruits and vegetables in the bazaars on route. We shall stop off in Bukhara briefly to recuperate and visit some of the UNESCO sites. From there it’s north-east to Samarkand and then on to the capital, Tashkent. After a few days there we will make our way to Osh in Kyrgyzstan. This is subject to change as depending on the weather situation in early September we may decide to cross into Tajikistan from Samarkand and cycle the world reknown Pamir Highway, which we’d both love to do.
Dates and Days: Aug and beg. Sept ~30 days
Waypoints/route: Kungirot - Nukus - Beruni - Bukhara - Samarkand - Jizzakh - Tashkent - Namangan - Osh
Distance: 2,000km
Terrain: Desert, Cotton fields, Some paved roads
Total vertical incline: 3000hm
Max Altitude: 800m
Weather:
Visas: 30 day visa to collect in Baku
Kyrgyzstan
Out of all the Stans it is the most tourist friendly and does not require visas which is great! We shall cross the border into Osh, the country’s second largest city. Depending on time we may take a detour and spend some time cycling around Kyrgyzstan on the M41. We shall take the Irkeshtam Pass, which is the easiest border crossing between Kyrgyztan and China. We are aiming to have crossed into China before the beginning of October. We are conscious of weather, don’t want to get caught up in the snow in the mountains!
Dates and Days: September ~upto 20 days
Waypoints/route: Osh - around - Sary Tash
Distance: Unknown
Terrain: Really awesome scenery with crappy roads!
Total vertical incline: 3517hm
Max Altitude: 3300m
Weather:
Visas: No need for upto 60 days
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