Iran - Andrew Burke [102]
Dizin
0262 / elev 2700m
The largest field in Iran and home to Iranian skiing, Dizin Resort (day pass IR150,000-400,000; 8.30am-3.30pm Dec-Apr) has more lifts than Shemshak but the runs aren’t as difficult. Still, with a vertical drop of about 900m it should appeal to anyone feeling the need for speed. With base camp at about 2700m and the upper slopes about 3500m, skiing is usually possible from December until April. From the base, you take an antique-looking gondola to the mid-station, and another to the top. A third gondola ferries you to the eastern slopes. There are also six Poma lifts, two chairlifts and a T-bar around the mountain.
Pistes are sometimes groomed and there is plenty of scope for off-piste if you get a fresh snowfall. Apart from Friday, waiting for lifts is not really an issue. Hiring skis can be a lottery, starting at about IR80,000 and climbing as high as IR250,000. If you do hire a guide, they will ensure you get decent skis.
Dizin boasts summer activities such as grass-skiing, hiking, horse riding and tennis, mainly on weekends.
SLEEPING & EATING
Dizin Tourist Hotel (Hotel Jahangardi; 0262-521 2978; d/tr/5-bed r US$53/71/119; ) This is one of only two hotels in Dizin itself – right at the bottom of the hill. The recently renovated rooms aren’t bad and those in the main building have better views. Four-/five-bed villas are also available for US$230/264.
Gajereh Resort (0261-521 2232; www.gajereh-hotel.com; r US$60; ) About 2km down the road to Tehran, the Gajereh Resort is one of several unstylish resort-style places serving Dizin.
Getting There & Away
Local travel agencies sell one- and two-day trips that include transport, accommodation and lift passes for reasonable prices (tours booked through foreign agencies are ludicrously expensive considering the costs). Look for trips advertised in English-language newspapers, or ask at your hotel; Hamid at the Firouzeh Hotel can help with budget trips.
Shemshak and Dizin are linked by an unsealed mountain road but it’s closed for most of the time between late November and May. Instead, you’ll need to take the Chalus road to get to Dizin, which is then 123km or roughly 2½ hours’ drive from Tehran. In winter you’ll need chains or a 4WD for the last 10km or so.
Shemshak and Darbansar are about 55km north of Tehran on much more direct Shemshak Rd, which links to Dizin via the aforementioned summer road. Getting to Shemshak by taxi should cost between IR80,000 and IR120,000, depending on how far away you are. Getting back to Tehran should be cheaper.
Shuttle taxis or minibuses also serve Shemshak from Tehran’s eastern bus terminal.
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Western Iran
* * *
BAZARGAN
MAKU
AROUND MAKU
KHOY
SALMAS
SERO
ORUMIYEH
AROUND ORUMIYEH
LAKE ORUMIYEH
MARAQEH
AROUND MARAQEH
TABRIZ
AROUND TABRIZ
PAYAM
MARAND
JOLFA
AROUND JOLFA
AHAR
KALEYBAR & BABAK CASTLE
AROUND KALEYBAR
MESHGIN SHAHR
ARDABIL
AROUND ARDABIL
ASTARA
ASTARA TO RASHT
RASHT
AROUND RASHT
RAMSAR
CHALUS & NOSHAHR
AROUND CHALUS
KARAJ
QAZVIN
ALAMUT VALLEY
SOLTANIYEH
AROUND SOLTANIYEH
ZANJAN
ZANJAN TO TAKAB & BIJAR
BIJAR
SANANDAJ
AROUND SANANDAJ
HOWRAMAN
PAVEH
KERMANSHAH
AROUND KERMANSHAH
HAMADAN
AROUND HAMADAN
KHORRAMABAD
AROUND KHORRAMABAD
ANDIMESHK
SHUSH
CHOQA ZANBIL & HAFT TAPPEH
SHUSHTAR
AROUND SHUSHTAR
DEZFUL
AHVAZ
AROUND AHVAZ
* * *
From paddy fields to blizzards to the original Garden of Eden, this region will shatter your preconceptions of Iran. Standing at the frontiers with Mesopotamia and Turkey, western Iran has witnessed many of civilisation’s great empires, fortunes oscillating between trading glories and military decimation. The deeply hospitable region lacks the iconic gem-city sites of central Iran so it’s often skipped by first-time Western visitors. But that makes it all the more appealing for those who relish delving a little deeper and being the ‘only tourist’.
Western Iran is a linguistic and cultural