Iran - Andrew Burke [203]
For lodgings, the super basic Hotel Mohammad ( 0912 455 3306; Valiasr St; tw IR60,000), unmarked in English opposite the Imamzadeh, is not the sort of place you’ll stay more than one night. Better but overpriced is the government-run Shahr-e Kord Inn (Hotel Jahangardi; 222 1077; Dr Shariati St, north of Basij Sq; r US$40; ); while the best available is the Shahr-e Kord Azadi Hotel ( 333 0020; r/ste US$49/64; ), a taxi-ride up the hill at the edge of town. The Ferdosi Soffrekhaneh ( 225 4355; Ferdosi Sq; 8am-10pm), just west of the bazaar, is one of the most atmospheric, original teahouses in Iran, and serves cheap dizi and kababs with its chay and qalyan; it’s highly recommended.
Transport radiates out from the Terminal-e Azadi, southwest of the Imamzadeh. One minibus departs for Chelgerd (IR6000; two hours) at 8am, returning after lunch. In the late afternoon buses head south to Shiraz (mahmooly/Volvo IR22,000/35,000), but it’s much easier to take a savari towards Yasuj (IR50,000) and get out wherever takes your fancy.
Chelgerd
Chelgerd is the home of skiing in this part of the Zagros range and is also the ideal base for climbing some of the many surrounding peaks of just less than 4000m. The Kuhrang Ski Resort has a single 800m-long T-bar running up a slope near the Kuhrang Tunnel; the snow is skiable between late December and early March, and you’ll often have it to yourself on weekdays. There are a couple of cheaper places, but the Hotel Kuhrang ( 0832-762 2301; hotelkoohrang@parsonline.net; r US$50) is the place to stay because the English-speaking and statesman-like manager Mr Raisi is an absolute mine of information about the whole region. Alternatively, the guys in the Esfahan office of the Mountaineering Federation (Map; Shams Abadi St) have climbed most of these peaks and have photo albums to prove it; they can arrange guides, insurance, equipment, transport and permissions. As little English is spoken, they are usually contacted through the Ziaee brothers from Amir Kabir Hostel.
Farsan to Yasuj
There is no tourist infrastructure whatsoever between Farsan and Yasuj, but the road is one of the most spectacular in the country. Winding through villages and gorges and steep-sided valleys hosting fast-flowing rivers, you won’t soon forget the trip. The first two hours is most interesting.
Sepidan
pop 15,000
Sepidan is a sort of alpine resort village with rental accommodation and a handy information office on the main road. It’s the jumping-off point for Poolad Kaf, a ski slope about 15km uphill from Sepidan. There are four lifts, one being 2100m long and climbing to 3400m. There is no regular transport to Poolad Kaf from Sepidan, but stand around the information office and you’ll soon have a ride. From Yasuj, savaris (IR15,000), buses and minibuses (IR5000) run frequently to Sepidan and on to Shiraz.
Activities such as horse riding, cross-country skiing, trekking and rock climbing can also be arranged; Mr Raeesi from Iran Sightseeing ( 0711-235 5939, 0917 313 2926; www.iransightseeing.com) has had good reports.
There are, of course, several other routes through the Zagros and we don’t have space to cover them all. To read about a 2006 bicycle trip from Hamedan to Esfahan, see www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iran/Esfahan/blog-76174.html.
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INTO THE DESERT
‘A great silence overcomes me, and I wonder why I ever thought to use language.’
Great Persian poet Rumi may never have been to these towns, but this oft-repeated line could have been written specifically for them. Dasht-e Kavir, the northern of the two deserts that lay themselves across Iran like slowly dehydrating camels, is a mix of sand and salt that is as blinding in its whiteness as the