When planning a trip, the country you visit greatly influences what needs to be done beforehand. Certain preparations are always necessary, such as getting vaccinations, budgeting, and buying travel gear. However, our trip through Mongolia, Russia, Central Asia, and Iran requires extra planning and considerations.
We discovered that there isn’t much up-to-date information available for backpacking in these regions, so we decided to compile helpful details for future travelers. We had to decide which country to start in based on weather conditions and our preferred activities, considering whether to enter by land or air.
Our planned route is as follows: China → Mongolia → Russia → Kazakhstan → Kyrgyzstan → Tajikistan → Uzbekistan → Turkmenistan (pending visa approval) → Iran → Possibly Turkey. We’re still undecided about our plans after Iran.
Except for Kyrgyzstan, all these countries require visas. We need to submit two passport photos (3.5cm x 4.5cm) with our visa applications. Although Turkey allows visas on arrival without photos, this isn’t the case for other countries. Living in China, the nearest embassies are in Shanghai. We plan to visit the Mongolian embassy on Monday to submit our passports and return in a month to apply for Russian and Kazakhstan visas.
Regarding our Iranian visa, we’re coordinating with Key2Persia. This visa process is lengthy. Once approved, the agency will send us a “code” to collect the visa from a designated embassy, necessitating careful planning to be in the right place at the right time.
Some visas must be obtained during the trip. We’re planning to create a visa guide on our website, detailing costs and application processes for each country.
Kyrgyzstan doesn’t require a visa, unlike the other countries. It’s crucial to contact the embassies of your destination countries to understand their requirements, as some visas can take weeks to process.
Visa validity is typically only three months, so don’t apply too early. Since we live in China, we’ll enter Mongolia by land via the Trans-Mongolian train, booked in advance through the CITS agency in Beijing.
For a Russian visa, proof of transportation and accommodation is necessary. We’re collaborating with Real Russia to book our train travel, likely on the Trans-Siberian train.
Traveling by air in Central Asia is costly and less safe, so we prefer land travel. When entering these countries, book your tickets in advance. If flying into Uzbekistan, you can get a visa on arrival with a Letter of Invitation from Stan Tours for about $35. Tajikistan also offers a 30-day visa on arrival if entering by air, without a Letter of Invitation.
To obtain the Russian visa, we need to pre-book accommodations through HostelWorld.com and Booking.com. Note that some countries lack ATMs compatible with our bank cards; using our credit card is fine, but debit cards might not work. We’ve applied for a Visa credit card and plan to bring $3,000 USD for currency exchanges. In Iran, only cash in USD and Euros will be usable.
For trekking, camping, and fishing in this part of the world, we’ve equipped ourselves with lightweight gear including a tent, sleeping bags, mats, trekking poles, a fly-fishing rod, and cooking utensils. We already have essential items like backpacks, clothing, a first-aid kit, and electronics. We’ll list all necessary travel gear once we finalize our purchases.
Travel insurance is crucial, especially given our high-altitude activities. We prefer WorldNomads Insurance for its affordability, extensive coverage, and the convenience of making changes online.
Planning a trip to Central Asia is more complex than to Southeast Asia, primarily due to the visa requirements and in-trip applications. We will update this information while traveling to assist future adventurers in this region.