Iran route - looking for feedback
 

Hi,

I'm looking for some feedback on the following route:


- Tabriz
- Ahar
- Kaleybar (loop along Azerbaijan border to Ardabil)
- Ardabil
- Astara
- Rasht
- Masuleh
- Qazvin
- Hamaden
- Qom
- Kashan
- Esfahan
- Yazd
- Kerman
- Zahedan

In total I have a month, but a rough tally gets me to 24 days. I'm on an 86 G/S. Sane? Insane? Too slow? Too fast?

Thanks for any feedback.

Kevin

hi,
i was there last year around april for 2 and a half months. dont know when you wanna hit the road, its really quiet important, meaning is getting to F* hot for exemple in the summermonths in certain places.
I really liked masuleh, a totaly other iran. nice quiet little village up in the mountains, at least it was that in may. skip zahedan. not really intersting unless your thinking of going further in to pakistan, take instead a trip along the persian gulf. there are some really nice islands and all the road from bander abas upto busher is magnificant. you can even go offroad there along really beautifull deserted beaches. take your tent. camped a lot out there..hot in daytime but cold at night...
enjoy it there if more info required let me know..
greetz niels

Thanks for the feedback. Again, this forum does not allow me to subscribe to updates ... *argh* A quick note at kevin@berettainc.com is appreciated when your reply.

If you skip Shiraz, you don't see Persopolis. I say it's worth the side trip

Kerman is crap - go to Bam and stay at Akbar's guest house and how they're rebuilding after the quake.

In Yazd stay at Silk Road Guest House - the roof or downstairs dorm are cheap with few beds. Great place to stay.

Agree - avoid Zahedan

You'll be fine on the GS - roads are good and speeds are high.

Go onto the HUBB communities and look for Mehdi Abadi - he lives 40k nw of Tehran. You can stay with him and he'll show you round. Lovely guy.

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm here now, and it is indeed hot. Camping would be pretty painful now .. :-) I'm crossing into Pakistan, hence Zahedan and the route the way it is. I hear from a lot of people Tehran is a place to skip ... We'll see. I rode around the north, north of Tabriz, via Kaleybar and to Astara, following the Azerbajani border. Very nice area. In Rasht at the moment. Going to Qazvin tomorrow and then onwards.

Seems like a reasonable route. But i can't say what is a bad route in Iran, the people are nice everywhere you are.

Yes, i agree, the Tehran isn't the nicest place. But indeed, if you look from the feeling of Asian city aspect and want to experience it, go for it.

I remember despite the traffic that was so dense and slow that the cars almost scratched each other, they always leaved a huge space for me - probably they understood instantly that i'm foreigner with a big GS enduro with ally panniers etc (over 250cc bikes are banned for iranian citizens).

But indeed, it wasn't nice while it's some over +40C temperatures out there and you move few metres per second in that traffic!!! I was there last year at the same time as you are now. I think only idiots go there this time of summer ;), but we adapted with the heat in Iran about 1 week we was there and it was OK in the end, could ride around with thick black riding jacket that sucked the sun.

Consider trans- Dast-e-Kavir road, that was one of the highlights for me. From flat bloody hot desert to steep high refreshing mountain chain in the middle of the desert, fantastic nature.

Yazd and Esfahan were the absolute favorite cities i visited.

Safe travels, Margus