T minus 3 days.
The main impediment for a Silk Road expedition is without doubt border crossings and related visa applications. Individually they are difficult in their own right, but collectively they can be prohibitively onerous.
It took weeks of research, but I think I've got it mostly figured out. Sort of.
Some useful references for Malaysians:
Official Malaysian Foreign Ministry listing of visa requirements for all countries
Wikipedia listing of visa requirements for Malaysian citizens
Caravanistan.com - the most complete repository of Silk Road information and visitor comments.
Surprise surprise... the Malaysian passport ranks 8th in the world in terms of global acceptance. We are able to travel to 166 countries without a visa, or with visa-on-arrival.
Silk Road Destinations (Malaysian context)
China - visa required. Best to use a Malaysian travel agent. Holiday Tours was particularly efficient and they will explain the various options available e.g. express application, single entry, double entry etc. I paid about USD100 for a 2-day express service including service charges.
Tibet - technically part of China, so no further visa application necessary. HOWEVER, you'll need a Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB) Travel Permit for Lhasa and its vicinity and an Alien Travel Permit if you're going further afield. And you'll need to be escorted by a guide at all times. No exceptions (as of May 2015), believe me. All this is usually done through a travel agency. After much poking around, I've concluded that Tibet Travel offers the best deal. USD465 for a 3 day tour (covering Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkor, and the Sera and Drepung Monasteries) fully guided, transport within Lhasa and vicinity plus accommodation. This excludes USD200 for a return ticket (USD100 each way) from Lanzhou to Lhasa on the highest railway in the world. Here is a link to find out more about permits to visit Tibet. Chinatibettrain.com works closely with Tibet Travel.
Kyrgyzstan - no visa required for stay of up to 30 days.
Kazakhstan - no visa required for stay of up to 15 days.
Uzbekistan - visa required. Apply to Uzbekistan embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Ensure you bring along 2x colour passport photographs, 1x photocopy of front page of passport, 1x letter of employment from your employer verifying that you are an employee, tenure of employment and role in your company. Clearly state your name and passport number in this letter. Note that previous requirement of Letter of Invitation from Uzbek company or individual is no longer required. Application takes 3-4 working days and up to 30-day visa can be granted.
Tajikistan - visa on arrival. About USD45. Stay of 7 days to 30 days.
Turkmenistan - by far the trickiest to arrange. Most visitors forego the trouble and employ the services of a licensed travel agent e.g. Ayan Travel or Travelnotoria. However, going through travel agents is eye-wateringly expensive - about USD700 for a 5-6 day trip, escorted throughout by a guide and a car. My chosen route was to apply for a transit visa which can be obtained from the Turkmenistan embassies in Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Almaty (Kazakhstan), Dushanbe (Tajikistan) and so on. It is even possible to apply in one embassy and collect the visa at the border crossing between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan or Iran. The only catch is that the maximum duration of stay for a transit visa is only 5 days. The upside is low cost (about USD50) and you will "escape" the requirement to be escorted throughout your trip in the county.
Iran - visa on arrival. About USD45. Stay of up to 14 days.
Jordan - visa on arrival. About USD55. Stay of up to 30 days.
Israel - ok, this is a bit of a curveball seeing that the Malaysian government expressly forbids its citizens to visit Israel. Only exceptions are for religious pilgrimages arranged through churches. I am told that it is possible to apply for a Israeli visa in Amman, Jordan. Apparently they will stamp a separate sheet of paper which can be inserted into your passport. How considerate - no trace of your visit. We shall see.
Lebanon - visa on arrival. Free-of-charge! Note that Lebanon refuses entry to all visitors who have an Israeli stamp in their passport.
Saudi Arabia - visa required. Much much more challenging than one would expect. Due to the massive influx of pilgrims, the Saudi government isn't particularly welcoming towards independent, non-muslim tourists. The country operates on a sponsor or "kafala" system where an individual or an organisation has to be responsible not only for your entry and duration of stay, but for your exit too. Read more here and here about why it's inordinately difficult to get into the Kingdom. It's possible to enter via a business visa, but that poses a host of other issues. And if you are a woman, you're in for a real treat because you'll face a whole different layer of requirements, on top of everything the males have to deal with.
Syria - visa not required. However, seeing that the situation in Syria is a bit fraught with danger at the moment, maybe one should think 3 times about this.
Turkey - visa not required. Stay of up to 90 days.
Stay tuned for more updates.
The main impediment for a Silk Road expedition is without doubt border crossings and related visa applications. Individually they are difficult in their own right, but collectively they can be prohibitively onerous.
It took weeks of research, but I think I've got it mostly figured out. Sort of.
Some useful references for Malaysians:
Official Malaysian Foreign Ministry listing of visa requirements for all countries
Wikipedia listing of visa requirements for Malaysian citizens
Caravanistan.com - the most complete repository of Silk Road information and visitor comments.
Surprise surprise... the Malaysian passport ranks 8th in the world in terms of global acceptance. We are able to travel to 166 countries without a visa, or with visa-on-arrival.
Silk Road Destinations (Malaysian context)
China - visa required. Best to use a Malaysian travel agent. Holiday Tours was particularly efficient and they will explain the various options available e.g. express application, single entry, double entry etc. I paid about USD100 for a 2-day express service including service charges.
Tibet - technically part of China, so no further visa application necessary. HOWEVER, you'll need a Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB) Travel Permit for Lhasa and its vicinity and an Alien Travel Permit if you're going further afield. And you'll need to be escorted by a guide at all times. No exceptions (as of May 2015), believe me. All this is usually done through a travel agency. After much poking around, I've concluded that Tibet Travel offers the best deal. USD465 for a 3 day tour (covering Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkor, and the Sera and Drepung Monasteries) fully guided, transport within Lhasa and vicinity plus accommodation. This excludes USD200 for a return ticket (USD100 each way) from Lanzhou to Lhasa on the highest railway in the world. Here is a link to find out more about permits to visit Tibet. Chinatibettrain.com works closely with Tibet Travel.
Kyrgyzstan - no visa required for stay of up to 30 days.
Kazakhstan - no visa required for stay of up to 15 days.
Uzbekistan - visa required. Apply to Uzbekistan embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Ensure you bring along 2x colour passport photographs, 1x photocopy of front page of passport, 1x letter of employment from your employer verifying that you are an employee, tenure of employment and role in your company. Clearly state your name and passport number in this letter. Note that previous requirement of Letter of Invitation from Uzbek company or individual is no longer required. Application takes 3-4 working days and up to 30-day visa can be granted.
Tajikistan - visa on arrival. About USD45. Stay of 7 days to 30 days.
Turkmenistan - by far the trickiest to arrange. Most visitors forego the trouble and employ the services of a licensed travel agent e.g. Ayan Travel or Travelnotoria. However, going through travel agents is eye-wateringly expensive - about USD700 for a 5-6 day trip, escorted throughout by a guide and a car. My chosen route was to apply for a transit visa which can be obtained from the Turkmenistan embassies in Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Almaty (Kazakhstan), Dushanbe (Tajikistan) and so on. It is even possible to apply in one embassy and collect the visa at the border crossing between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan or Iran. The only catch is that the maximum duration of stay for a transit visa is only 5 days. The upside is low cost (about USD50) and you will "escape" the requirement to be escorted throughout your trip in the county.
Iran - visa on arrival. About USD45. Stay of up to 14 days.
Jordan - visa on arrival. About USD55. Stay of up to 30 days.
Israel - ok, this is a bit of a curveball seeing that the Malaysian government expressly forbids its citizens to visit Israel. Only exceptions are for religious pilgrimages arranged through churches. I am told that it is possible to apply for a Israeli visa in Amman, Jordan. Apparently they will stamp a separate sheet of paper which can be inserted into your passport. How considerate - no trace of your visit. We shall see.
Lebanon - visa on arrival. Free-of-charge! Note that Lebanon refuses entry to all visitors who have an Israeli stamp in their passport.
Saudi Arabia - visa required. Much much more challenging than one would expect. Due to the massive influx of pilgrims, the Saudi government isn't particularly welcoming towards independent, non-muslim tourists. The country operates on a sponsor or "kafala" system where an individual or an organisation has to be responsible not only for your entry and duration of stay, but for your exit too. Read more here and here about why it's inordinately difficult to get into the Kingdom. It's possible to enter via a business visa, but that poses a host of other issues. And if you are a woman, you're in for a real treat because you'll face a whole different layer of requirements, on top of everything the males have to deal with.
Syria - visa not required. However, seeing that the situation in Syria is a bit fraught with danger at the moment, maybe one should think 3 times about this.
Turkey - visa not required. Stay of up to 90 days.
Stay tuned for more updates.
