Kyzylart - Bor Dobo border crossing (Murghab-Sary Tash)

[Fess]

Hi- I was just told that this border is closed since the last 2 weeks. However I have found nothing on the internet to confirm that one way or the other. Has anybody been through in the last week/few days and can please provide an update. It would be greatly appreciated. Happy Travels

[jacoblab1]

It's not closed, I crossed two days ago and it was perfectly normal.

[Fess]

Thanks!!

[mazeno]

ok, this is my story from some years ago, a bit funny, for relaxing.

bordobo, coming from kyzyl art to sary tash, about 8am.
entered the office. the customs and soldiers have their sleeping room right next (open) door, some of them still lying on their beds and yawn.
the kyrgyz officer behind the office desk is looking ungry and nasty at me.
after some welcome greetings and courtesy returns the dialog continues (in russian of course):
me: 'why are so ungry?'
kyrgyz officer: 'every day i have 20 such tourists like you coming up and 20 tourists coming down. i'm tired with this work. and you're the first in the morning.'
me (looking at their sleeping room): 'you have 5 steps from your bed to your work. i tell you something. you know, sometimes i work in the places where i had to go several hundred steps, but not on the flat floor in slippers, but on a vertical ladder, with some kilograms of equipment attached to my harness. it means 45-60 or more minutes of climbing up. and my work is much harder than the way to it, hanging in open air some hundred meters above the ground, sometimes in hard sun, sometimes in freezing winter. do you want to tell me your work is hard?'
(among others works, sometimes i work as a high altitude worker).
ko (surprized and interested): 'ekhm... what is your work?'
me: 'i work on the antenna towers and high buildings. sometimes 300m or more high. i repair them, paint them and so. i cut high trees where there is no possibility of common lumberjack work. so i have not only 5 steps to my work, but, it happens, more than 300 meters, not flat and easy but vertical. and i don't lament like a witch. man, be a man. five minutes with me and you go back to your bed. the sooner the better. for both of us.'
ko's mood improved a bit.
after some minutes of customs stuff the time of paying for the car-tax comes (1000kgs=15usd, i had no soms, paid in usd, gave him 20).
ko (looking attentively at this 20 usd, little crumpled): this is not good. the bank will not accept this. (i see he is trying to take up a scam-challenge).
me (changing for another one note): man, come on. this is the last one. i'm not first time in kyrgyzstan, you take or will talk to your captain. the change may be both in dollars or soms, 65 to 1 (approx. that times).'
ko (comes to a cash-safe for the change, then gives me 5 notes of 1 usd).
me (also looking attentively at every note, also crumpled, i chose one and showed to him): this is not good. the bank will not accept this.
kyrgyz officer started (we both started) to loud laugh to tears, the ice were broken.
next visitors should be grateful ;)

[[email protected]]

Hi,

Can anybody confirm, that Kyzylart border crossing works on Saturdays and Sundays?

MJS

[mazeno]

open 24/7

[rhinomaxil]

Hi,

We crossed this border on 04/10/19 with a rental vehicule (self-driving). Easy crossing: no bribe, very friendly guards on both sides (we were invited for tea and lunch at the Tajik side - most folkloric border crossing I’ve experienced btw, worth the experience!). The Tajik guard even insisted on explaining to us how the "import tax" on foreign vehicules works: it’s 25$ for European cars but only 11$ for Kyrgyz cars (maybe the same for other Central Asia countries?). Point is if you rent a car in Osh, you should only pay 11$.

Weather-wise: beginning of October we were caught in a snowstorm while crossing the Kyzylart Pass but it is still manageable

[Naliworld]

Hi, has anyone crossed this border in the last month? Is it still open to cross from the Tajik side?

[bwv812]

In the last week someone reported (in another thread) being turned back by the Kyrgyz side.

[travelerthomas]

I suppose there aren't any updates on this front recently?