Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Dairyman four-table shop-restaurant), but like most it has outside toilets and no real
shower. Homestay
Jamshid
( 323 0016; r US$4)
has slightly tattier rooms, but offers
hot-water shower and indoor squat toilet.
Like traditional Kandovan homes, the
Kandovan Laleh Rock Hotel
( 323 0191; fax
323 0190; tw/tr/ste US$340/390/440)
has 10 remarkable rooms that have been carved out
of 'fairy chimney' rock knolls. But inside they are luxurious affairs with stylish lighting,
oriental-style futon-beds, underfloor heating and (in many) deep-stepped Jacuzzis as well
as fully equipped bathrooms.
Getting There & Away
Minibuses from central Tabriz run regularly to Osku (US$0.50, 50 minutes) till around
6pm. From Osku to Kandovan (25km) taxis cost US$6 return plus US$1 per hour waiting.
Minibuses are extremely rare. Direct car-tours from Tabriz to Kandovan cost from around
US$13 return per person.
Jolfaافلج
0492 / POP 14,000 / ELEV 708M
The original Jolfa was once a major Armenian settlement famous for its skilled artisans.
So skilled, in fact, that in 1604 Shah Abbas kidnapped the entire population, whisking
them off to build him a new capital at Esfahan where their descendants still live. Original
Jolfa is now a busy little border town focused on Ashura Sq, a sizable roundabout directly
south of the Azerbaijan immigration post.
Nearby you'll find freelance moneychangers and
No Avaran Internet Club
(Vilaete-
Fagih St off Ashura Sq; per hr US$1; 9am-2pm & 4-8pm Sat-Thu)
.
The town has little to see in itself, but makes a good low-budget base for visiting the
Church of St Stephanos (
Click here
)
, exploring the fascinating and scenic Aras River Val-
ley or crossing into Nakhchivan or Armenia.
