Iran - Andrew Burke [305]
Mosaferkhanehs & Mehmanpazirs
Iran’s most basic accommodation options are mosaferkhanehs (literally ‘travellers’ houses’), a dorm or basic hotel, and similar mehmanpazirs. Both are very much male-dominated. Standards vary somewhat but generally you can not expect private bathrooms nor spoken English. Some bottom-end places won’t even have a communal shower. Prices start at around IR30,000 per bed in a noisy, grotty, male-only dorm. Simple, private rooms, perhaps with a sink, cost IR30,000 (US$3.30 or €2) to IR130,000. Useless old TVs are often added just because it allows the owner to rack up a higher price. In a few cities, including Esfahan, some mosaferkhanehs aren’t allowed to accept foreigners (see the boxed text). In others, notably Bushehr, Khorramabad and Yasuj, you need written permission from the police to stay anywhere cheap. That’s easy enough to organise through a 10-minute visit to the local Amaken – an arm of the police – so long as you don’t arrive between 9pm and 6am, when it’s shut!
Suites & Homestays
Along the Caspian Sea coast and in those northwestern rural resort-villages most frequented by Iranian tourists, you’ll find locals renting out rooms, bungalows and self-contained apartments (‘suites’) in their homes, gardens or above shops. In the low season prices can be very reasonable, but in summer prices rise by up to 400% and bookings are virtually essential.
Some suites and almost all rooms/homestays are unmarked in Farsi let alone English so it’s just a case of asking around for an otagh. Food is generally not included.
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ACTIVITIES
Beach Going
Iranians are not really sun-worshippers and even if they were, the dress code (women must swim in full hejab) and sexual segregation of the beaches takes much of the potential fun out of lying on them. If you’re undeterred by women in orange jumpsuits and scarves, Kish Island is ‘Iran’s Hawaii’, while Qeshm Island has a much lower profile and a more local feel.
Iranians love the Caspian coast Click here because, well, it’s a coast and they have little to compare it with. But faced with a scraggy, rubbish-strewn ribbon of black sand, uninspiring architecture and constant rain we think there are better places to spend your visa time.
Cycling
Iran’s main highways can be terrifyingly truck-dominated, but the well-surfaced secondary routes are well-suited to cycle touring Click here. You’ll find few locals pushing the pedals, but a steady stream of overlanders brave the traffic en route between Europe and Asia.
Diving
Scuba diving and snorkelling is limited to Kish Island and Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf. Readers report the number of dive sites around Kish is limited, particularly when there’s more than a zephyr of breeze. More appealing are the range of reefs off Qeshm plus three ships sunk during the Iran–Iraq War.
Mountaineering
It may come as a surprise to learn that Iran boasts several high mountains, some of them permanently snowcapped. Many can be climbed by anyone fit without special equipment, experience or a guide, but you should always check the situation before embarking on a mountain trek. Early June to late August is the best climbing season.
Northeast of Tehran, Iran’s highest and best-known peak, Mt Damavand (5671m; Click here) has a classic Fuji-esque profile, but reaching the summit is not of great technical difficulty for a mountain of such altitude. The magnificent Alborz Mountains surrounding it contain around another 70 peaks over 4000m. At 4850m Alam Kuh (Mt Alam; ) is Iran’s most technical peak with an 800m near-vertical granite wall on its most difficult northern face: a world-class challenge.
Mt Sabalan (4811m) is an elegantly soaring peak usually approached from Meshgin Shahr, though it’s worth arranging guides and equipment in Tabriz before setting out.
Too tame for climbers, Mt Oshturan (4070m; Click here) is the most accessible peak of the splendid Zagros Mountains. It has