Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Lonely Planet Thorn Tree
(
www.lonelyplanet.com/thorn
tree)
Plenty of trip reports.
Other travellers have shipped from Bandar Abbas to Mumbai and been very pleased with
Ali from
Seco Shipping Services
(http:\sites.google.com/site/secoshipping services/)
.
Border Crossings
AFGHANISTAN
The border at Dogharon, 20km east of Taybad, is open and straightforward. Daily buses
between Herat and Mashhad make the trip simpler still. Note that visas are
not
issued
here. See the boxed text (
Click here
)
for more information.
ARMENIA
The border between Iran and Armenia is only 35km long, with one crossing point in Iran
at Norduz. Armenian visas are issued at the border, though sometimes the bus leaves be-
fore you have your visa - apart from that it's pretty smooth. See the boxed text (
Click
AZERBAIJAN
The Azeri border has two recognised crossings: between Astara (Azerbaijan) and Astara
(Iran; see the boxed text,
Click here
)
, and Culfa (Azerbaijan) and Jolfa (Iran; see the
boxed text,
Click here
)
, the latter leading to the exclave of Nakhchivan, from where you
cannot enter Armenia and must fly to get to Baku. Visas are
not
issued here.
Direct buses between Tehran and Baku (US$40, three weekly, 24 hours), via Astara, are
available but are not such a good idea because you'll probably get stuck for hours while
your conveyance gets a full cavity search, which is considerably less interesting than it
sounds. Taking one bus to the border, crossing as a pedestrian and finding another bus is
much
easier.
IRAQ
Border posts at Mehran and Khosravi - servicing the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala in
Iraq - are open for locals only. Further north, the chaotic Haj Omran border near Piran-
shahr is the gateway to Iraqi Kurdistan and opens fitfully to foreigners. On entering Iraqi
Kurdistan you get a visa on arrival; see the boxed text (
Click here
)
and check Lonely
Planet's
Thorn Tree
(
www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree
)
for the latest information.
PAKISTAN
Along the 830km border with Pakistan, the only recognised crossing for foreigners is
between Mirjaveh (Iran) and Taftan (Pakistan). For border details see the boxed text
(
Click here
)
.
