Destination: Iran
LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION
Itinerary: Canyons, Forests & Paddyfields
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TEN DAYS / TABRIZ TO MASULEH
This intriguing 10-day meander through alternative Iran' is ideal for those who've already seen the main desert city sites and who are confident in navigating through areas unaccustomed to foreign visitors. The basic route is 865km (plus 175km in side excursions), of which a sizable chunk (265km) is covered during one long day on the splendid taxi ride between Jolfa and Kaleybar.
Challenge Iran’s desert image in the partly wooded, sometimes lush, very rarely visited mountains of northwestern Iran. In the remotest, most dramatic sections of this route you’ll need to charter taxis, but with rides at barely US$2 to US$3 per hour they’re a very affordable luxury.
Start in bustling Tabriz, where you can dive into the magnificent bazaar and meet the city’s gilded youth in the cafés of the Valiasr District. Allow a day (two if you’re hiking) for an excursion to quaint little Kandovan, Iran’s mini-Cappadocia. Take the ponderous train to Jolfa and spend the afternoon at ancient, isolated Church of St Stephanos and in nearby canyons. In Jolfa arrange a taxi for next morning’s early start: reaching Kaleybar along the fascinating, scenic but little-visited Aras River Valley will take a long day. Be aware that you're driving alongside international borders for much of this section and that permit requirements might be imposed should political developments in the Caucasus make the region sensitive. Unwind in Kaleybar after hiking up the soaring crag of nearby Babak Castle.
As you make savari hops from nearby Ahar via Meshgin Shahr to Ardabil sit on the right for impressive views of Mt Sabalan. While in Ardabil visit the small but impressive Sheikh Safi od-Din mausoleum, one of western Iran’s finest monuments. Descend to the Caspian Sea coast either via Astara, or through eerily quiet nomad-country via Kivi and Khal Khal. Stop in Bandar-e Anzali or rainy Rasht long enough to enjoy the garlic-stoked food, then escape through paddyfields and thick forests to the truly charming mountain village of Masuleh.
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