Eastern Iran & Afghanistan.
 

Hello everyone,

Currently taking a break on my overland ride across Asia but I will soon hop back on the Bander Abbas-bound ferry from Sharjah and start riding north towards Mashhad.

I am looking at a route in the eastern part of the country : Bam-Kerman-the Kaluts area-Birjand-Taybad-Torbat e Jam-Mashhad.

On my map the Kerman to Birjand stretch looks pretty desolate and last I heard there were checkpoints and military activity in the area. Is it doable ?
Has anyone travelled it recently ?

Then there is Afghanistan nearby... I'd be tempted to do a quick foray across the border to visit Herat. Realistic or unrealistic ?

Thanks for your input,

Levelo.

Levelo.

That eastern region of Iran is fantastic, one of my favourite parts.

I recommend driving from Kerman to Shahdad and then east to Nehbandan. Make sure you have plenty of fuel and water. If you have a breakdown you could wait several hours before anyone else comes along. And if you chose to go off road you are really on your own.

Birjand is not very interesting, but Taybad has a beautiful Timurid-era mosque, and there is a nice tomb tower nearby at Karat. I highly recommend also driving the road along the Turkmenistan border starting NE of Torbat-e Jam and ending in Sarakhs, there is some very beautiful scenery.

People in this region are also extremely friendly, even by Iranian standards.

One thing to be aware of is the incidence of drug smuggling. Be prepared for frequent encounters with police.

As for Afghanistan, Herat is a marvellous city. If you have a double entry Iranian visa you can easily make the trip there and back (check the security situation on the road; should be OK, but I have not been there since 2010).

The trouble is that you almost certainly don't have a double entry Iranian in which case you can either go into Turkmenistan (road to the border can be dangerous, travel only in the day and check the situation first) or apply for a new Iranian visa in Herat. Or you can ship your bike to Kabul or Mazar and go on to Uzbekistan.

Be aware however that there are no safe overland routes between Herat and Kabul / Bamiyan / Mazar-e Sharif.

You can read more about my trips here:

Eastern Iran:

https://eurasiaoverland.com/2009/02/04/14i/

Herat:

https://eurasiaoverland.com/2010/03/31/18/

Have fun,

EO

Thanks Eurasiaoverland, very informative.
I am cycling :))
Is the Shahdad-Nehbandan stretch paved ? Are there checkpoints, convoys ?
I was actually looking at the Shahdad-Birjand route as it is more direct.
If everything goes according to plan I should be there in March.
The situation in northern Afghanistan is difficult to assess, there is very little recent, first-hand information about it. No big surprise there.
The Iranian double-entry visa is impossible to get, I failed last year.
Crossing into Afghanistan does sound safer as a return trip to Mazar from Termez or into the Wakhan Corridor from Tajikistan.
Your thoughts ?
L.

Hmm, you'll need a lot of water to cross the Shahdad - Nehbandan stretch if you're on a bike; although it won't be 50ºC it could easily be 35 I think, and the air is very dry. There is literally not a single thing on it once you're a few kilometres away from either of those towns. There was no checkpoint but I was stopped at gunpoint by a plain-clothed group of police. On a bike I doubt they would hassle you. It is all paved (like just about every road in Iran), and there were no convoys. There was really nothing on the road at all.

As far as I am aware there is no direct road from Shahdad to Birjand. Certainly in 2009 there was no road after Shahdad except the one to Nehbandan.

I am not sure about Herat at present, but I think the city is OK, no so the surroundings though. If you don't mind flying, then going by air from Herat to Mazar and cycling on to Termiz would be a nice trip.

But yes, safer to just go to the Wakhan from Tajikistan; all very different regions of Afghanistan :)

EO

Kheili mamnoun, Thanks EO !

Well, all my paper maps, both Iranian and Western printed, do show a straight road north from Shahdad to Birjand without having to detour to Nehbandan. That is odd. It sort of parallels the main Kerman-Mashhad highway to the east.

I have done my homework and researched the risk assessment in Northern Afghanistan. The situation is fast deteriorating.
The Talibans have strongholds in Faryab Province near the Turkmen border and 6 Red Cross staff were ambushed and killed in Jowzjan Province ( slightly east of Balkh ) last week... Sad.
Badakhshan Province is not doing that well either with the islamist insurgents gaining territories and valleys very close to Ishkashim and the Tajik border ( which was closed for some time last summer ). Even the Wakhan Corridor looks under threat.
Mazar might be the next target.
Cheers,

Levelo.