Iran north to south, 30 days, slow bike
 

Hi all,

I've been through the threads here and have been taking notes, but I can't seem to find anybody who's taken a similar route through Iran.

Here's the poop: I'm entering Iran in a few days via Armenia, and no more than 30 days later I intend to head to Dubai via the ferry leaving from Bandar Abbas. Some points:

1. The only must-go destinations along the way will be Tabriz, Teheran, and Esfahan. At least, those are the must-go destinations that I know of at this point. :)

2. Road quality is very important to me, though it's heartening to read all these reports of Iranian roads being quite good indeed. My bike isn't suitable for off-roading of any sort, really, unless you're talking about a well-graded gravel road. On the other hand, I'd like to avoid major highways and insane traffic (i.e. trucks) as much as possible.

3. My range on a single tank of gas is 250km. It ain't much. And I'd imagine the gas-station density in the deep south of the country isn't all that high. Or maybe it is -- I don't know.

4. I'd rather not attempt anything more than 400km in a single day.

So -- can anybody throw some recommendations my way?

Thanks for your time.

Cheers,
JVM

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

JVM,

Not sure this will add much to what you've already read.

Experience based on 2 weeks riding in Iran 2007:
all the main highways to and between destinations you've listed are excellent tarmac. Even 'secondary' roads are usually good tarmac.

Any good recent paper map of Iran roads, e.g. "Iran-International Travel Maps" is pretty reliable.

Tehran inner-city traffic is a "horrible" fun challenge. Most other cities are no problem. Outside urban centers, traffic is generally no problem.

Did not get as far south as Bandar-e-Bushehr ferry port, but since you're heading for Esfahan anyway, do not miss Shiraz, and with that much time, even consider an south-eastward leg to Yazd.

Experienced no problem with gas availability/ density--at least on main roads. Your 250 km range is ok. 400 km day is fine.

You list Budapest as current locale, but your name sure doesn't sound Hungarian. I assume, whatever your passport/ citizenship, you've already researched/ understood and taken care of visa and vehicle entry requirements. They aren't easy for anyone, and most difficult for USA folks.

Hey, thanks for the advice! I'm crossing in to Tabriz tomorrow.

As for my name, well, it sure ain't Hungarian, unless you translate it to "Janos." But I lived in Hungary for eight years. I've got the Iranian tourist visa in my Canadian passport and I think I'm good to go...

So I'm in Tabriz right now, looking to make my way to Tehran over the next couple of days. After that, I'll head south towards Esfahan, Shiraz, etc.

Looking at my map, there's a major highway taking me straight to Tehran. I'd like to avoid that highway, if possible, given the luxury you have in this country of being able to take secondary roads that are in fine shape. Would you be able to recommend any out-of-the-way road, towns to stop in along the way, etc?

Cheers!

JVM,
Assuming you have the time...
Instead of direct Tabriz->Tehran
I have ridden and would recommend any of the major/ minor roads eastbound Tabriz->Ardabil->Astara (on Caspian Sea coast), then south down the Caspian Sea coast road to Rasht, then inland to Qazvin; or even further south down Caspian Sea to Chalus, then south over the Alborz mountain road (beautiful) into Karaj, picking up main highway again into Tehran.
Pick a campsite or hotel anywhere along the Caspian Sea coast.

You could do this optional route in +1 extra day, but +2 days would be preferable.

BTW, as recently as 2007, the dividied motorway/ tollroads into Tehran were technically forbidden to motorcycles. That may have changed--or not.

(That's because Iran law limits cc size of domestically purchased motorcycles to <250 cc (does not apply to foreign-registered motorcycles) and the smaller displacement bikes are unconsidered "dangerous"/ unsuitable for high speed motorway traffic.)

Don't be surprised if you're stopped jby cops from using divided motorways, or directed off the motorway should you enter them in Tehran vicinity...or you might get lucky :scooter: