Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
¨
areas in Kazakhstan near the Chinese
border, including the altay mountains in the
northeast and areas close to mt Khan Tengri in
the southeast, require special permits that can
take up to 45 days to procure.
¨
Baykonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan can
only be visited on tours organised through
agencies. You need to start the paperwork
process at least one month before your visit.
¨
Visits to the Semipalatinsk Polygon nuclear-
testing site and its command town Kurchatov
(both in Kazakhstan) need to be organised
through tour agencies or Kazakhstan's
National Nuclear Centre.
¨
In Kyrgyzstan any place within 50km of
the Chinese border and not an open border
crossing (such as the Inylchek Glacier, alay
Valley and Peak Lenin) requires a military
border permit that is fairly easy to obtain
through a trekking agency.
¨
The Gorno-Badakhshan (GBaO) region of
Tajikistan needs a separate permit, which you
can get at most embassies abroad (Bishkek is a
good choice) or in Dushanbe in a day.
Turkmenistan presents a more complicat-
ed picture, as much of the country outside
the main cities (restricted border regions)
has to be listed on your visa for you to be
able to visit it. You'll need a travel agency
to get the visa in the first place, so your
visa acts as your permit.
CHINESE VISAS IN
CENTRAL ASIA
Chinese visas are a real pain to
organise in Central Asia, with mot
Chinese embassies now demanding
a LOI, a letter from your employ-
ers and even bank tatements. The
Chinese embassies in Almaty (Ka-
zakhtan) and Dushanbe (Tajikitan)
do not issue visas to non-residents.
Bishkek (Kyrgyztan) and Tashkent
(Uzbekitan) are better places to
try. The bet advice is to get a Chi-
nese visa before you set of, though
remember that you mut normally
enter China within 90 days of your
visa being issued.
and are your best bet but will charge a
fee. You may find it easier to travel to a
neighbouring republic and arrange an-
other tourist visa.
Travel Permits
Visiting some border or strategic areas
requires additional permits, some easy to
obtain, others of which will require travel
agency support and several weeks of
planning. The most common destinations
requiring permits include:
