Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
To outlying destinations such as the transport terminals, look for taxis heading in the
right direction from the following places: Takhti Junction, Laleh, Qods and Ahmad Abad
Sqs (for anywhere to the east); Imam Hossein and Shohada Sqs (for the north); and the
southern end of Pol-e Si-o-Seh and Azadi Sq (for the south and west).
The Zagros Mountains
If the idea of a direct bus, train or air trip between Esfahan and Shiraz sounds like a
missed opportunity, you may wish to consider an alternative jaunt through the Zagros
Mountains. Here, the sharp folds of barren ridge and flowing valley stretch for 1500km
from the Turkish border in northwestern Iran southeast to the Persian Gulf coast. The pop-
ulation is Persian, Lori and Kurdish mixed with a vast number of nomads, primarily
Bakhtiyari and Qashqa'i. The best time to travel here is from April to November, when
the nomads are here; in winter they move to the valleys south of Shiraz.
As a travelling experience, this trip definitely qualifies as 'off the beaten track'. Few
people speak English, public transport is infrequent or nonexistent, and accommodation is
basic.
It will cost anything between US$200 and US$260 to hire a car and driver for the two-
day trip (more if you organise a driver who is also a guide). Prices will be cheaper if you
organise a driver directly rather than doing so through an agency. Note that with this op-
tion, you will also need to pay for the driver's meals and accommodation. To drive the
route in one day should cost between US$150 and US$200. Alternatively, you can make
your way on public transport and by hitching. We don't suggest doing this in winter,
though, when roads can be blocked and services cancelled.
IRAN'S NOMADS
The 20th century saw the Iranian government try repeatedly to settle Iran's many nomadic tribes. For all their ef-
forts, however, there are still about a million people living as nomads in Iran. They are mostly Turkic Qashqa'i and
Bakhtiyari, but there are also nomadic Kurds, Lors, Baluchis and smaller groups such as the Khamseh of Bavanat.
The Bakhtiyari are concentrated in an area extending southward from Lorestan province to Khuzestan province
and westward from Esfahan to near the Iraqi border, moving their herds of sheep and goats between summer and
winter pastures. They speak a dialect of Lori.