Iran: The Wonders of Persia

Previously 'Yazd Backpackers Hotel'; closed down by the government and reopened under its new name 'Silk Road Hotel', in 2004, it is one of the best budget hostels I have ever been to.

Not that cheap for a backpacker but worth every cent (around 130.000 IR (12 euros) for a single room and 220.000 IR for a double room (20 euros)). There are also two dormitories without A/C for broke backpackers (40,000 IR, 4 euros).

Near the Jameh Mosque, this hostel is built around a great patio, every room (except the dormitories) has a view on this patio. Once you get to Jameh Mosque, the hostel is well indicated. Do not ask for Silk Road Hostel when taking a taxi, but for 'Jameh Masjid'.

This hostel is located near the main sites of Yazd. The old city is only a few yards away and the Amir Chaqmaq is a few hundred yards away. The rooms are super clean, look new and there is a/c in every room. Soap is provided in the bathrooms and there are even European toilets. However, no covers on the beds.

Great and cheap food is served in the outdoor restaurant(around 17,000 IR in 2005 (2 euros) for a full meal, do not forget to try camel meat).

Super friendly staff. Ali, the manager will make your stay memorable. He can book flight tickets, arrange city tours, and other minitrips for you at a reasonable price (you can be grouped with other backpackers). You can ask for a trip in the Qashqai mountains and an overnight stay in a nomad camp.

On the evenings, this hostel is a buzzing place for young Iranians who will try to engage into a discussion with you. They are all friendly and will chat with you over a cup of tea and a narguileh.

Also, from time to time, an old man will come into the hotel and offer a flower to girls in exchange of a kiss on the cheek. Girls are allowed to remove their veil in the hotel premises.

There are Internet facilities in Jameh Mosque street, about 50m from the hotel

If you go to Iran, this is a place not to miss!

This is an impersonal guesthouse managed by two brothers. Although the Lonely Planet guidebook recommends it, I found its recommendation to be somewhat exaggerated. Maybe its popularity among backpackers lead the managers to 'rest on their laurels'. When I went there in July 2004, service was reduced to the minimum and the hostel was almost full.

The hostel is popular among backpackers because it is central, near the Imam Khomeiny Square and Esfahan can be visited by foot from this hostel. Also, it is a good place to exchange information with other travellers. There is a small library with books left by tourists and an information board on the ground floor near the stairs.

However, I found it to be overpriced for the services it provides (I paid 90.000 IR (9 euros) for a double room in 2004). The en-suite rooms (with A/C and cold showers) are clean but small and lack charm like most cheap hostels in Iran. Also, there are no covers on the bed, only bedsheets to cover the mattress.

It has a backyard which is quite noisy because at night several Iranian families sit in it and chat. Some rooms on the upper floor are cheaper but do not have windows. Laundry is possible. There is also a small Internet room in the hostel and sending e-mails is free. But there is no restaurant. The managers will recommend you a small restaurant near their hostel, managed by one friend, but I would not recommend it.

Negotiate the prices and visit several rooms before you book in. Also it is a good idea to ask the other hostel residents the price they paid for before negotiating.

Personally, I would try another place to stay in Esfahan and there are numerous cheaper hotels in the same condition nearby.

In the mountains near Shiraz, in the province of Fars, you can find qashqa'i nomad camps who survive despite the Iranian government efforts to make them settle down in a city.

The Qashqa'i are a tribe of nomadic pastoralists and 90.000 of them can still be found in the mountains, following their flocks, north of Shiraz. They move where there is food available for their flocks.

The camps are more and more rare as the efforts of the Iranian government have been partially fruitful (a financial compensation is given to nomads who give up their lifestyle).

The tribe I visited had black tents with nice colorful decorations inside (mainly woven carpets piled one on the other) and it was ruled by an old matriarch (for once women were ruling!). You need her permission to stay in the camp for the night.

To visit them, you need to book an individual tour from Shiraz or Yazd (I booked it at Silk Road Hostel, Yazd and negotiated the price over the phone without even knowing what to expect). However, I was not disappointed at all; it was the most authentic experience I had in Iran that year. The nomads are not used to seeing foreign tourists and I was certainly the main attraction when I visited them.

In 2004, the price to visit a qashqa'i settlement (including an overnight stay in their camp, in your own private tent - lent by your guide) was around $50, including jeep transfers from Shiraz to Bavanat (a village closer to the nomad camps, then transfers from Bavanat to the nomad camp, hot food and drinks, and the presence of a guide and a driver). You go back to Shiraz by bus on the next morning. The price is negotiable but I found it to be cheap as the transfers take several hours through the Fars mountains.

The guides do not speak good English but are extremely friendly and will try to make your stay memorable. They will make efforts so that you enjoy yourself and discover the nomads' lifestyle without disturbing their activities.

Probably the most emotional experience I had in Iran.

In 2004, to go to Bam by your own means was difficult, especially after the 2003 earthquake which virtually destroyed every building in the city and killed one third of its inhabitants.

I booked a one-day tour of Rayen and Bam in Kerman Bazaar (just ask anywhere in the Bazaar for a guide to go to Bam and someone will help you) for $40 (including transfers by taxi and the explanations of a guide who spoke good English). If you think you do not need a guide, you can just go to Rayen and Bam by taxi and back (in 2004, it would have cost around $25).

Most taxis have no A/C and you have to buy lots of bottles of water to cross the desert between Kerman and Bam because it is incredibly hot. If I knew it would be that hot (above 50°C in July in the desert), I would probably have paid more and took a taxi with A/C or left Kerman much earlier in the morning.

You do not notice the damages of the earthquake until you arrive into Bam. Everything is destroyed: buildings, streets, trees are down, the 2000 year old Citadel is merely a pack of rubble. Entry was free in 2004, seven months after the earthquake.

In 2004, people were living in metal blocks (with A/C) or in tents (A/C was also provided by NGOs because of the heat of the desert). It is a very emotional and sad experience and if you can, visit some NGOs near the citadel and ask them how you can help (by giving money or else). Do not give money to the inhabitants as they want to retain the bit of dignity they have left. I would recommend not to take any pictures of the streets or the tents.

The Iranian Government has invested money after the earthquake to rebuild the Citadel so that tourists can come again, but has not given a financial compensation to Bam inhabitants so that they can rebuild their homes. NGOs are doing their best to provide help to the people who still live in temporary homes.

My guide was on the verge of crying when we visited the Citadel together. He explained to me that after the earthquake which killed some of his friends, he could not go there for four months as it brought back too painful memories to him. So, if you go to Bam with a guide who has/had acquaintances in that city, be prepared for an emotional moment.

After the 2003 earthquake which destroyed Bam, tours operators soon searched for another site nearby which could compete with the ancient site of Bam. They soon found Rayen which is now visited by numerous coaches full of tourists.

Rayen is a short sidetrip on the way between Kerman and Bam and its citadel is younger than Bam's one. It is believed to be 1,000 years old and its architecture is typical of the desert castles found in Iran, with mud buildings.

In 2004, entry was less than $1 for foreign tourists, but prices may have increased due to the increasing success of the site after Bam was wiped off the tours.

Although the visit was quite short as the citadel is much smaller than Bam's, it is worth it because you can have a rough idea of what Bam looked like in 2003 (if you had not visited it before then). If you intend to visit Rayen and Bam on the same day, it is best to start with Rayen so that you can have an image in your mind and mentally reconstruct the Citadel of Bam in your mind.

In Rayen, some buildings are so well preserved that you can even climb on their roofs and have a look at the desert around you. If you are lucky, an Iranian will come and comment the scenery for you.

Bring a bottle of water with you during the visit as the heat can be exhausting, especially in summer.