Bishkek to Ashgabat Overland

Travel insurance is compulsory for all our trips. We require that, at a minimum, you are covered for medical expenses including emergency repatriation. We strongly recommend that the policy also covers personal liability, cancellation, curtailment and loss of luggage and personal effects. When travelling on a trip, you won't be permitted to join the group until evidence of travel insurance and the insurance company's 24 hour emergency contact number has been seen by your leader. If you have credit card insurance your group leader will require details of the participating insurer/underwriter, the level of coverage, policy number and emergency contact number rather than the bank's name and credit card details. Please contact your bank for these details prior to arriving in-country. http://www.intrepidtravel.com/insurance.php

VISA INFORMATION Many countries that we visit on our travels will require visas to enter. Some are best obtained before you leave home, and others can be obtained en-route. Whilst the ultimate responsibility for obtaining visas is yours, we will endeavour to assist you wherever possible. The visa requirements for your trip vary depending on where you are from and where you are going. The information provided is given in good faith and we do try to keep the visa information as up to date as possible. Please read the information very carefully to make sure everything is clear and you aware of what you need to do. Please also be aware that rules surrounding visas do change, often suddenly, and without prior warning. This is why it is important that you also double-check the information we provide for yourself. For visas that are needed in advance, you may wish to submit the applications directly to the relevant embassy or consulate. If you require any supporting documentation for your visa applications, Dragoman will obtain this on your behalf as part of your trip price - we will contact you to request additional information in order to make this application for you. However, for trips that involve multiple visas, you may find it beneficial to use a specialist visa agency to assist you with your applications. While this does sometimes increase the cost, it usually makes the process much easier for you. As you will often need to submit your passport together with your applications, we recommend that you avoid making any travel plans in the weeks leading up to your departure. Most countries require that your passport is valid for at least 6 months after your entry into the country. For trips that are not yet guaranteed, you may find yourself in the position whereby you will need to start the visa application process prior to your trip being guaranteed - in this situation we still advise you not to purchase flights until your trip is guaranteed. However, you can start your visa application process, ensuring that when applying for your visas or letters of invitation that you allow several days before and after your entry into the country to allow for delays, availability of flights, etc. PASSPORTS Check that your passport will still be valid for 6 months after the end of your trip - this is important as some countries WILL refuse entry to anyone whose passport is due to expire. A temporary or 'visitor's' passport is not valid on our trips. You will need to provide us with your passport details prior to departing for your trip. If you change your passport, please remember to inform us as soon as possible - however, please be aware that changing your passport can cause big problems if you need to apply for visas or permits (such as the Inca Trail or Gorilla Trekking) in advance. KYRGYZSTAN Citizens of the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada and most EU countries will not need a visa to enter Kyrgyzstan as a tourist for up to 60 days. Please note that citizens of Bulgaria, Romania and South Africa will need a visa. Citizens of other countries should check with the relevant consulates as to whether a visa is required. If a visa is required, you will be able to obtain it on arrival at the border – the cost will depend on nationality. A valid yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers coming from areas with risk of yellow fever transmission. Uzbekistan Citizens of most countries will need a visa to enter Uzbekistan as a tourist for up to 30 days. It is now possible for citizens of the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada and most EU countries to apply for an E Visa. E Visa’s must be applied for online and in advance – please go to https://e-visa.gov.uz/main to apply; it should take 1 – 2 weeks to be approved, then they will send a visa approval confirmation to your email address which you must print out to present at the border – the costs may vary depending on your nationality. Please note the visa’s are only valid for 3 months from the date of issue. If you are asked to provide an address in Uzbekistan on your visa form, please use the address below: Grand Orzu Hotel, 27 Mahmud Tarobiy street, Tashkent, 100090, Uzbekistan info@grandorzu.com For citizens of countries that are not eligible for an E Visa, you will need to apply for a tourist visa at your closest embassy. You will also need a Letter of Invitation from an Uzbek agent in order to make the visa application, and you must obtain the visa in advance. You cannot obtain the visa at the border in any circumstance. Firstly you may need to apply for the Letter of Invitation through Dragoman - we will contact you to request additional information in order to make this application on your behalf. This service is included. These support documents can take several weeks to issue, and will be emailed to you once they are ready. You will need to specify at which Uzbek embassy you intend to make your visa application at. Please note that Uzbekistan Letters of Invitation are typically issued once a day to the complete group of people that happen to have applied on the same day through the same agent addressed to the same consulate; as such your name, nationality and passport number will appear on a list on the Letter of Invitation alongside other tourists who may be on your Dragoman trip or travelling with other companies, and this list will be shared with everyone on it. As this is a standard practice of the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we do not have any control over this and cannot get around it; if you view this as an unacceptable breach of privacy, then you will be unable to apply for the Letter of Invitation and will not be able to travel to Uzbekistan. After your Letter of Invitation has been issued, you can use this to apply for the visa in advance at the Uzbek Embassy specified on your Letter of Invitation. You can either apply yourself directly to the embassy, or hire a specialist visa agency to make the application on your behalf (which is recommended, especially if you are applying for several visas). Please note that you will only be able to apply at the embassy that you have previously specified, and your Letter of Invitation will not be valid for any other Uzbek Embassy. If you are joining the trip in Tashkent or are on an Eastbound trip, you will need to obtain your visa in advance of travel. If you are travelling on a Westbound trip, many travellers choose to obtain their visa in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Please ensure if you choose to obtain your Uzbekistan visa in Bishkek that you have your application form printed and ready to go along with any supporting documents required before you start your trip. Please note that the visa is only valid for a period of 3 months from the date of issue. TURKMENISTAN Citizens of all countries will need a visa to enter Turkmenistan for up to 10 days. You will need a Letter of Invitation from a Turkmen agent in order to make the visa application. Firstly you will need to apply for the Letter of Invitation through Dragoman – we will contact you to request additional information in order for us to make this application on your behalf. These support documents can take several weeks to issue, and will be emailed to you once they are ready. Please note that there is a risk of your Letter of Invitation being rejected by the Turkmen Ministry of Foreign Affairs which we have noticed has increased since last season. Unfortunately the decision that the ministry makes is completely out of our control and often they will not provide a reason as to why they have rejected the application, which we understand can be frustrating. If your Letter of Application is rejected and you are part of a longer trip, we will do our best to help with making alternative travel arrangements until you can rejoin the group, however this will be at your own cost. We would also strongly recommend if flying into or out of Turkmenistan that you purchase flexible flight tickets in the event that your application is rejected. Turkmenistan Letters of Invitation are typically issued once a day to the complete group of people that happen to have applied on the same day through the same agent; as such your name, nationality and passport number will appear on a list on the Letter of Invitation alongside other tourists who may be on your Dragoman trip or travelling with other companies, and this list will be shared with everyone on it. As this is a standard practice of the Turkmen Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we do not have any control over this and cannot get around it; if you view this as an unacceptable breach of privacy, then you will be unable to apply for the Letter of Invitation and will not be able to travel to Turkmenistan. After your Letter of Invitation has been issued, you can use this to apply for the visa in advance at any Turkmen Embassy. You can either apply yourself directly to the embassy, or hire a specialist visa agency to make the application on your behalf (which is recommended, especially if you are applying for several visas). If you are joining the trip in Ashgabat, it is possible to obtain the visa on arrival at Ashgabat International Airport. It is also possible to obtain the visa on arrival at the land border with Uzbekistan at Dashoguz if you are on a Westbound trip. Both of these options can be very time-consuming on arrival, so it is recommended that you obtain the visas in advance if possible – you will need the Letter of Invitation in all cases. You must get your visa in advance if you will arrive into Turkmenistan at the port of Turkmenbashi after the Caspian Sea ferry on an Eastbound trip, as there are no visas available at the port – you will be denied entry onto the ferry in Baku if you do not have your visa in place. If obtaining your visa on arrival at one of the above locations please note all visa related fees are generally only to be paid in USD cash. Costs will vary for different nationalities as well as entry ports. Besides the visa fee, you will also be charged an immigration fee between 14 USD and 18 USD regardless if you already hold your visa or obtain it on arrival. If you are asked to provide an address in Turkmenistan on your visa form, please use the address below: Ak Altyn Hotel, 141/1 Magtymguly Avenue, 744000, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan Tel: +99 312 363 700 If you are asked to provide a host in Turkmenistan on your visa form, please use the details of the Turkmen agent that issued your Letter of Invitation (this will be printed on the letter). We will need to register your visa within 3 days of entering the country. Your Dragoman leader can do this on your behalf, but please bring 2 passport photos for the registration process.

Finish point

• Ak Altyn Hotel
• Magtymguly şayoli 141/1
• Ashgabat
• TURKMENISTAN
• Phone: +993 12363700