Visiting Shohimardon / Shakhimardan

[Peter87]

Hello,

Since citizens of many countries don‘t need a visa for neither Uzbekistan nor Kyrgyzstan nowadays a visit to for example the Sokh enclave would technically be possible and easy. I could find really few information about whether this is in fact possible. The border crossing points may be only bilateral or the enclaves may generally be restricted areas. Does anyone know something about this or maybe even did visit one of the enclaves since visa free visits are possible?

I would really be grateful for each information on this topic.

Kind regards
Peter

[steven]

I'd like to know too. I think it was always possible with a visa, but nobody took the trouble of going there since the visa was so expensive. Unless the border crossing is indeed bilateral as you say, I don't foresee any issues. Especially Shahimardan is known as a tourist destination.

[marco_b]

Has anyone managed to visit Shakhimardan recently? I would like to do a day trip there in February but all travel agencies tell me foreigners are not allowed to go. Is there any way? Can one apply for a permit?

[Norvezhets]

Hello, I am also thinking of visiting Shakhimardan in the end of February and would be very interested in hearing from anyone who tried recently. We'd be renting a car in Tashkent and driving down in that area. Have no idea whether you can actually bring a rental across, I suppose that's unlikely. But what about going by taxi or bus? I have EU citizenship, so no visa required for Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.

I have been to the Tajik enclave Vorukh previously, was fascinating. But then traveled through from Kyrgyzstan. Had gone through the trouble of getting a double-entry visa to Tajikistan beforehand, but needn't have bothered as the guy merely looked in the window of my taxi and waved us on.

[steven]

I updated our article on the Ferghana valley enclaves: https://caravanistan.com/kyrgyzstan/sou ... -enclaves/

It's still pretty sparse for now - I haven't been myself - but I'll update as I find out more.

[Condor]

Just tried to enter to visit the Hazrat Ali shrine. Was turned away, was told that only Kyrgyz and Uzbek citizens could cross.

[adi]

Just tried to enter to visit the Hazrat Ali shrine. Was turned away, was told that only Kyrgyz and Uzbek citizens could cross.

Although “Avoid this Soviet Exclave!” (upload date 2022-01-15) youtube videos are not the most reliable source, but this one actually filmed (@ min 38-39) a foreign couple being turned away by a Kyrgyz border guard, calling the crossing “dustorovni,” i.e. “locals only.“ (With my very limited Russian I'd transliterate дусторовни which yields no result on the web.)

Digging a bit further the German Foreign Ministry site advises „Prüfen Sie vor Einreise auf dem Landweg, die Einreise-bzw. Transitregelungen des betreffenden Nachbarlandes.“ that is “”when crossing a land border check the entry and transit regulations of neighbouring countries“ just to continue a bit further down (in diplomat speak) “we haven't got a clue what those are, ask locally.”

Running Шоҳимардон + граница only yields some news reports from Sept 2017 that additional border crossings were opend and“uzbek and kyrgyz citizens” only need passports, not a word about foreigners.

[duffajfka]

turned away by a Kyrgyz border guard, calling the crossing “dustorovni,” i.e. “locals only.“ (With my very limited Russian I'd transliterate дусторовни which yields no result on the web.)

My freestyle Persian (doost = friend) and Russian knowledge would translate this word as friend-relevant or friendly. "Locals only" seems like a functional translation.

[uncle_sam01]

calling the crossing “dustorovni,” i.e. “locals only.“ (With my very limited Russian I'd transliterate дусторовни which yields no result on the web.)

It's a mispronunciation of "двусторонний", ie. bilateral. Meaning only citizens of the neighboring states (sometimes residents, too) are allowed to cross, as opposed to "многосторонний", ie. multilateral/international, meaning anyone can cross.

Some random dude in the video mentions that another border crossing is open to all citizens (he says Khaidarkan, which is a town way out), but the only other road leading to Shohimardon is in buttfuck nowhere, so I very much doubt that the other post would work. Who knows, maybe a little "negotiation" could've helped

[Siberiade]

I really, really wanted to do it. But long story short: there's simply no way in for people who aren't Kyrgyz and Uzbeks. It is truly a "двусторонний" border and not open internationally.

The relevant points I learned over the last couple weeks:

I met a travel agent on the train to Fergana, who then put in touch with someone locally. We want back and forth and basically he explained to me the exclave was open in the 1990s – basically until 1999. Afterwards there was Islamic militant activity in the mountains and the border was closed. And so it remains.

I met an American who lives in the valley and it's same. They've been in contact with hotels in the exclave (information is scant online). They have no history of and no way to accommodate foreign guests. (There's a number on a poster in the Fergana bus station: +998 91 674 23 48 for a hotel in the exclave as well.)

I also saw a tour for travel from Fergana to the exclave – but it was noted explicitly that this tour (and this tour only) was open only to Ubzek citizens.

I also looked into getting a border permit/погранпропуск for the relevant area of Kyrgyzstan, as I thought this could help with the border. The bottom line is that Batken Oblast is closed to foreigners, and apparently there's no way to arrange a permit. The nearby Kadamjay Oblast can get a permit, but the actual exclave is accessed through Bakten so it's not really useful.

While I didn't go down to the border to try and bluff with the guards – every piece of information I was able to gather on the ground makes it seem like the exclave is truly closed.