Continuing east from Yerevan on bicycle. Iran? Kazakhstan?

[James.on.a.bike]

Hello Caravanistan! First of all, thanks for all the great information! This is such an amazing resource!

I am American (us passport) and i am days away from reaching my first goal of biking to Yerevan from Morocco. I hadn't planned anything past Yerevan because i didn't know if i would want to continue, but i DEFINITELY do. I got that "round the world" itch! The way i see it i have two options:

1. Ride to Baku, take a boat to Kazakhstan and ride though Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to Almaty and then fly to New Delhi, skipping Xinjiang province. Pros: i REALLY want to see this part od the world. Easier visa/border process. Cons: its December so yeah its cold, i know. Not great, but not impossible.

2. Go through Iran and Pakistan. Thia is where i need some advice. As an American i assume i need a tour company, so how likely/expensive would it be to hire a tour company to just follow me on my bicycle? Should i just fill out the custom tour form here on this website? And then theres the border crossings with iran and Pakistan and Pakistan and Pakistan and India. Ive read other posts about those specifics and it doesn't sound simple, but not impossible. Im also not opposed to riding as far east as possible and then potentially skipping Pakistan by taking flight.

Thoughts? Help?

[sina_persian]

Hi there. I'm a cyclist from Iran and I'm sorry to say that your 2nd plan is not possible. The tours for americans through which u may obtain visa is just a fixed plan and a cultural tour to say so that they can track u through every where. U are not the first american cyclist willing to make it to Iran but had to pick the other plans so don't waste your time on contacting tour companies.
Cheers

[steven]

You are going to have to go north. Unless you have a lot more money than the average cycle tourist, cycling Iran is not affordable.

Hope you understand the temperatures you will be facing? Here is a good guide: https://ridinground.com/2014/02/26/brie ... in-winter/

Most Americans winter in Tbilisi.

[James.on.a.bike]

Damn, what a shame. How much money (roughly) are we talking? Like, if i paid for petrol and food and paid for necessary lodging for a guide/driver (when other options aren't available) how much would a custom tour guide charge per day?

Yes, about the weather... its been snowing and windy and cold as fuck the last several days in Armenia, Georgia, and Turkey. And well, i mostly stayed in cheap hotels, but spent some cold nights in abandoned buildings and some cold (but dry) nights in my tent. I assume lodging will be very spaced out, so yeah im not expecting heat other then my body heat. Im pretty okay with it. Its been fun so far, definitely challenging though. My bike is definitely taking a beating from the salty frozen slushy sandy roads... If i decide to go through with it ill definitely buy a shitload of those little handwarmer things in Yerevan if i can find them. Any clues about prevailing wind direction? I cant seem to find that info. I know its windy, but am im i always going to be fighting it, or will it be helpful some days?

Thanks fellas

[steven]

How much money? I don't know - 100$/day all-in? Maybe you can do it for less now, Iranians are really suffering from the sanctions. You can ask, but I wouldn't get my hopes up.

[James.on.a.bike]

Ok, cool, yeah maybe ill fill out the form and see what comes up. I hate the idea of flying, but i might end up flying to India biking east, then flying back to central asia to "connect" the sections in the spring.