Hi,
Myself and a friend are planning a central Asia trip this summer (first time in the greater ranges) to climb some 5000-6000m (ish) peaks. We were looking at Pakistan, China (Sichuan) and Tajikistan; not mad keen on Kyrgyzstan (despite lack of red tape) because teams have been there from our mountaineering club a few times before now and we want to go someplace different! We're open to other suggestions for countries but these are just the ones that we've considered so far. As students, we're skint and certainly don't want to hire guides or liaison officers to go climbing. My assessment of things so far:
Pakistan: Loads of big peaks, nice scenery, mostly stable and safe (from what I've heard, just stay away from borders and Karachi). Fees and requirements (eg liaison officer) vary for different regions, current status unknown
Tajikistan: Relatively unfrequented, don't know much about it except there's a lot of mountains and some should be climbable, but probably long approaches. Some fees, visa required, etc. Details unknown.
China: Loads of peaks in Sichuan that see few, if any, ascents, beautiful scenery, cool stuff to see. Also piles of red tape, fees, rules, etc. and might only be permissible if one of the group is Chinese or something. Not really central Asia this far east, I admit
Just wondering if anyone has more info on any of these areas with regards to rules and regulations for 2016???
Any advice, tips and anything relevant would be helpful.
Cheers!