Western Iran - Iran - page 280

skirts 4070m Mt Oshturan taking around four hours out, less back. Bring your own food
and tent. Even if you don't hike, great views justify the car journey as far as Darb-e-
Astaneh , a mud-house village 18km from Dorud.
Very friendly but easy-to-miss, the basic Mosaferkhaneh-e Baharestan ( 422-2919;
Shari'ati St; s US$8) is upstairs opposite Dorud's cinema.
The porticoed Mehmansara Shahrdari ( 422 0020; Beheshti Blvd; tw/tr US$18/27,
summer US$25/35) has spacious, very comfortable rooms and a decent restaurant featur-
ing great photos of local beauty spots. It's in a park off Dorud's main through-street 1.5km
west of the train station, and 2.5km east of the bus terminal where minibuses and scorch-
ingly fast savaris run to Khorramabad and Borujerd. Esfahan-bound buses pick up passen-
gers around midnight from Taavoni offices on Beheshti Blvd. Incoming trains are met at
the station by savaris for both Khorramabad and Borujerd.
The Dorud-Andimeshk Railway
This super-scenic railway trundles through beautiful, remote and virtually roadless valleys
skirting Lorestan's pointy peaks and passing through dozens of tunnels. Most trains run in
the evenings but there's a day service departing Andimeshk at 5.30am, returning from
Dorud at 2pm. It's timetabled to take 5¼ hours but often takes nearer seven. Often over-
crowded to the point of sheer mayhem, the journey is a cultural experience but also a test
of endurance.
BISHEH WATERFALLSهشیب راشبآ
The tiny village of Bisheh (Bishehpuran) hides one of Iran's prettiest waterfalls . It cas-
cades in 30m chutes off a tree-topped gully then trickles in rivulets into the river below. In
summer many local tourists make the scenic day trip from Dorud (train only at 2pm, 30
minutes) or Khorramabad (new road, no public transport). By autumn only their litter re-
mains and you'll have the village to yourself, with the entire population of children fol-
lowing you Pied Piper-style. The best waterfall views are from across the river using a
new footbridge at the northern edge of the village. The day train offers fabulous glimpses
of ziggurat-shaped Mt Parvis en route. You'll have an ample (if trains are on time) 4½
hours in Bisheh before the 7pm Tehran-bound train arrives to take you back to Dorud.
SEPID DASHTتشد دیپس
The railway does a switchback at Sepid Dasht , the biggest village en route. Sepid Dasht
itself isn't architecturally attractive but its mountain backdrop is spectacularly spiky. Rare