Back from Georgia and Armenia in a van (page 1 of 3)

Just back from Georgia and Armenia. Trip in April 2011 with a small Renault Trafic van. No particular difficulties... except the GMR.

Uh, approximate title. Actually, the Caucasus and the borders of eastern Anatolia: Iran, Iraq, Syria. If you need any info, don't hesitate!

Hi BB31,

Could you tell me what "sauf la GMR" means? I’m planning to visit the country in September.

Best regards,

JPP

Georgian Military Road.

Michel

Hi everyone,

Thanks, Michel, for the info. Is this the road also known as the GMH Georgian Military Highway? What’s the issue with this road I’m planning to take? Road conditions, checkpoints, corrupt cops, safety?

Thanks in advance. JPP

Unfortunately, I can't tell you more about it.... Others will come along. 🙂

Michel

More detailed story on trafic-aménagé....in the travelers' corner section....Borders of...

That’s really interesting—where is it?

Michel

Well, exactly.

Hi everyone, Like Michel, I’m looking for where the travel journal can be read.

Thanks in advance.

JPP

Hello Bernard and Sylvie,

Thank you for your excellent account of your trip to the Caucasus.

I took the liberty of extracting a few sentences that raised some questions for me—feel free to answer them or not. I won’t hold it against you.

In the morning, after exchanging thanks and addresses, he hands me his card: police officer, head of military security in Batumi.

Is it possible to get this address?

Arrival at the homestay spotted on a Canadian motorcyclist’s blog. A closed courtyard facing Georgia’s most visited site: over 30 years of traveling in a camper van, never such a perfect bivouac.

Is this address available?

On the descent toward Kazbegi, 18 km before the Russian border, a police checkpoint. Sylvie asks the skeptical officers and a security officer: what are these French people doing in the middle of a military operation? Sylvie is furious: "You didn’t tell me Kazbek was such a dangerous area." True. Winter 2011. Russian airborne troops attack Chechen fighters who had taken refuge in the Pankisi Valley in Georgia. Several killed. Some of these fighters later moved to Ingushetia and the Kazbek massif. The area has recently become sensitive, as Georgia no longer wants to be accused by Russia of serving as a rear base for Chechen terrorists.

But what’s even more dangerous are the avalanches—7 deaths on this road in 2010.

Your story hasn’t put me off visiting this region. Are there any precautions to take?

While running errands, we meet a UN official: "Visiting from France, it’s incredible. I’d like to invite you to visit the refugee camp where I work."

Is this address available?

Finally, a horseman. I ask him for directions to the monastery, and he laughs: "Here, it’s Azerbaijan; Georgia is behind you." In short, we’re driving in Azerbaijan without a visa or vehicle authorization documents. At the very least, a diplomatic incident. Immediate U-turn, heading northwest, and we find sheep and an Azerbaijani shepherd.

How can we avoid this kind of mishap, which could have had serious consequences?

At customs, the chief, in Russian: "novy rino" I take a moment to understand he means new Renault. "Niet, stary rino" We check his list of utility vehicles imported into Armenia and find a... Swiss Vivaro that entered in 2009. First vehicle registered in the database—long formalities before Yerevan gives the green light.

Is this just curiosity, or a requirement for entering Armenia? (Vehicle registered in the databases.)

Or we learn that the Vale checkpoint is closed. We take the route through Akhaltsikhe, even further west.

Great idea: I was planning to go all the way to Batumi. But the map shows Akhaltsikhe to the east of Vale.

What about the Akhalkalaki/Ardahan/Kars route?

Thanks in advance.

Jean-Pierre Pillot

03 45 62 60 83

Vice President

Camping-Cars on the Silk Roads and Around the World

jean-pierre.pillot@neuf.fr

www.camping-car-monde.fr

Hi Jean-Pierre,

Happy to answer your questions.

BATUMI: the police chief wants to remain anonymous. He’s a friend of "Micha."

MTSKHETA: at Gulo MEREBASHVILI’s place. 4 or 5 rooms, but it’s a pedestrian zone—cars allowed with a permit, but no RVs. Big parking lot behind the cathedral.

GMR: NO PROBLEM in the summer. Don’t skip it! Roads have been redone, thousands of tourists head up to Sioni and the monasteries above Kazbegi. Gorgeous hikes toward Mount Kazbek. In Kazbegi, dozens of homestays. However, the road to Vladikavkaz is impossible.

UNHCR camp: coming from Gori, a few kilometers before MTSKHETA, on the left. As long as you’re not acting like a voyeur, unaccompanied visits are no problem.

ARMENIA Customs: for us, retaliation because I refused insurance by showing my MAIF certificate in English. Border post: it’s Aktas that’s closed, not Vale.

VALE-KARS road is very smooth, pass at 2,500 meters.

About Azerbaijan, sorry, I didn’t understand the question. But we ran out of time for Baku: the embassy in Tbilisi issues visas without a LOI in 3 days. And without a CPD, you can drive your vehicle for 72 hours—but no longer. Same for Iraq: they’d let us into Kurdistan but required swapping the camper van’s plates. Visa is free for French citizens. But we only had 3 weeks off.

Hi Bernard and Sophie,

Thanks for all this info.

About Azerbaijan, sorry, I didn’t understand the question. How to avoid ending up in Azerbaijan unintentionally?

The embassy in Tbilisi issues visas without a LOI in 3 days. And without a CPD, you can drive your vehicle for 72 hours. But no longer.

LOI: ? The Automobile Club website doesn’t list Azerbaijan among the countries requiring a CDP. ? JPP

Hi there,

To avoid getting lost, always follow the track shown in the photo. Otherwise, a marital crisis is guaranteed: Sylvie: "Great, we spent hours wandering the steppe and missed the monastery."

LOI: official Letter of Invitation for the visa. I can confirm about the vehicle. April 2011, Tbilisi, met an English couple returning from Baku with their 4x4. They did the round trip in 72 hours; otherwise, you have to leave a deposit of several thousand euros at the border. Same info from a Bulgarian—3 days or a deposit. Both recommended crossing the customs at Sheki.

But things change so quickly...

Testimonial about the Georgian welcome at the homestay mentioned above:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xkboey_tbilissi-2011-2_travel

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xkbo85_tbilissi-2011_travel

A really great encounter, in the spirit of VoyageForum.

Someone pointed out that the title isn’t very precise. This trip took place mostly in Asia Minor.

Right, here are a few images from the route after the Caucasus:

1 Armenia-Anatolia crossing 2 Doğubayazıt 3 Mount Ararat 4 Iran-Turkey military road 5 Iraq-Turkey border post 6 Nusaybin, along the Syrian border 7 Şanlıurfa 8 Cappadocia 9 Sultanhanı 10 Konya

Actually, these are the Anatolian borders. Still getting the hang of VoyageForum—maybe I should’ve titled it: return from Georgia, Armenia, and Anatolia by van.

Final note on the mini-van’s fuel consumption: exactly 716 liters of diesel for 10,530 km, with over a third of that at altitudes between 1,500 and 2,600 m. Average of 6.8 L/100 km. And of course, Class 1 at tolls and on the ferry. Hard to beat that unless you're on a bike.

Hi there,

1 Armenia-Anatolia crossing

This pass is close to Georgia, south of Posof. Unless you're referring to the crossing from the Anatolian plateau to the Armenian high plateau (which is further west, though)?

Perfect. It's just past the Vale checkpoint since Aktas was closed. I'm impressed.

Perfect. It's just after the Vale post since Aktas was closed.

So we agree: it's the Turkey-Georgia border (the wording "Armenia-Anatolia crossing" could be confusing)

Hello,

Is this Aktas Lake post still open? It does exist, but it's so remote...

Michel

Hi Michel,

I don’t know anything about it; I had a quick look last year as an option for the overland route from Georgia to Turkey, but the only thing I saw was Posof. The Aktas border post must be a bit like Kurtkale—you’ve got to find it first.