Destination: Iran
LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION
Itinerary: Desert Detour
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TEN DAYS / ESFAHAN TO KERMAN
After a few days in big, bustling cities, such as Tehran or Esfahan, the wide open spaces, ancient mud-and-straw towns and tiny oasis villages in and around the Dasht-e Kavir desert are like a tonic for the soul.
You could start this detour in Esfahan and take a short bus trip to Na’in, where if you arrive too late the caretaker at the Imamzadeh Soltan Said Ali will happily offer you pilgrim status and a basic room.
From Na’in hitch or take the 5pm bus east to Khur, and any transport you can find to take you the last 38km to Garmeh. The silence in this oasis village is profound, and the hospitality at Ateshoni heartfelt; you could easily be here longer than planned. Take a bus to Yazd and check into one of the great-value hotels in the old town. Visit the Zoroastrian Towers of Silence and a qanat, the veins that have supplied water for centuries. Take a day trip to Meybod, Chak Chak and the mud-brick ghost town of Kharanaq, before lashing out on a night of Safavid-era luxury in the restored Caravanserai Zein-o-din as you continue south.
Hardier (or poorer) souls could try the Kermanshah caravanserai, 30km further south, where you can sleep next to local shepherds and their flocks – if they’re in. Move on to Kerman, where you can arrange camel or 4WD tours of the surrounding desert, including the beautiful sand castles at Kaluts.
Do not even think of doing this trip during summer. October to April is the best time to travel.
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