North-Iran Cruise
For more than ten years, since our first overland tour from Germany to India in 2008, we are leading several groups per year to or through Iran. Be it during transit to India or Oman or our combined "Cuacasus-Iran-Expedition": Iran always fascinates us the most. Especially its people surprise us with their warm hospitality and cosmopolitan attitude. Reality and our prejudices lie miles apart!
I held my wish to operate tours exclusively in Iran since I first came here. But for a long time, this dream was doomed to fail because of the country&squot;s restrictions on riding bikes with more than 250ccm; I simply did not have any bikes that were fit to travel.
During my research, I found a new motorbike in Iran and decided, after balancing the pros and cons, to use this bike for our tours in Iran. It is a Benelli TNT 250 from China. We can easily ride on Iranian streets with these bikes and finally nothing stands in the way of traveling through Iran. We also have a local partner guiding and organizing the tours. To give you the best possible experience, we are also offering a service car for your luggage.
Routing
1. Day: Departure
Your adventure is about to start. You board your airplane and a couple hours later, you arrive in Isfahan.
2. Day: Arrival in Isfahan
Your first day in Persia. After a couple hours of sleep and a tasty breakfast, we are starting to explore Isfahan by foot. Our destination is the Naqsch-e-Dschahan square (image of the world), which is now also called Imam square, one of the world's biggest town squares. We will also be visiting some of the surrounding mosques and palaces and immerse into the hustle and bustle of the bazaar. In the afternoon, we are getting to know the motorbikes.
Later on, we are strolling along the mostly dried-up river Zayandeh and have dinner together in on of the city's most famous restaurants.
3. Day: From Isfahan to Kashan / ca. 210 km
Today is the first trip on our bikes. We have to ride a relatively short distance and will arrive in Kashan around noon.
After checking in to the hotel and freshening ourselves up, we will set out for a tour through the city. During that tour, we will not only see a koran school, a beautiful old bathhouse but also two of the most prestigious merchant's houses. Also, we are getting to know the specialty Kashan is famous for: the production of rosewater.
4. Day: Day Trip to Abyaneh and the Fin Gardens / ca. 180 km
Abyaneh is a small village in the mountains, with picturesque historical buildings and streets. Also the inhabitants try to keep old traditions alive as much as possible. The whole village is like a big museum.
Following the visit to Abyaneh, we drive to one of the most beautiful and most famous gardens of Iran, the Fin Gardens near Kashan.
We'll also enjoy a spectacular mountain part, because Abyaneh is located amidst beautiful mountains, only connected to the outside world by a very curvy road.
5. Day: From Kashan to Qazvin / ca. 370 km
We are able to visit impressive mosques, a royal bathhouse and one especially beautiful bazaar in Qazvin.
During our dinner together, you have the opportunity to try a specialty from Qazvin: a meal made of lamb or chicken with different nuts, saffron and rice.
6. Day: Day Trip to the fortress of Alamut / ca. 200 km
The trip to Alamut leads us to the most beautiful roads for motorcycling of the whole tour. The landscape is stunning, and the roads seem to only have curves. The fortress itself is not well-preserved but the strenuous climb up is absolutely worth it: The magnificent view on the surrounding mountains and valley pays off for any physical effort.
7. Day: Day Trip to Teheran
Our bikes have their rest day today. We organized a bus and a local guide with whom we will discover Iran's capital city. Of course, one day is not enough to get to know the city with its history of thousands of years completely, but we will get a good first impression.
8. Day: From Qazvin to Rasht / ca. 175 km
Today, we are riding into the mountains of the Alborz range.
9. Day: Daytrip Rudkhan Castle und Masuleh / ca. 160 km
Our trip today brings us to a fortress which is only reachable with great difficulty. The road itself is not the problem, but rather the 1000 steps waiting for us to climb them up.
If we still have the energy, we can visit the nice mountain village Masuleh afterwards, which is built in a special way: The houses are terraced on a steep mountainside so that each roof of the lower houses are also the floors of the houses above them.
10. Day: From Masuleh to Astara / ca. 195 km
Today's tour leads us partly through the Alborz mountain range and partly along the coast of the Caspian Sea. Astara on the boarder to Azerbaijan is our destination.
11. Day: From Astara to Ardabil / ca. 80 km
All Iranian bikers will agree that today one of Iran's most beautiful mountain road lies ahead of us.
In Ardabil we will visit the shrine of Safi ad-Din, who founded the first Sufi monastery there. He was also the name giver for the Safavid's dynasty.
12. Day: From Sarein to Kandovan / ca. 250 km
If you have already been to Cappadocia in Turkey, you might find yourself back there. Kandovan is built similarly into the rocks. We will have plenty of time to explore this picturesque place.
13. Day: From Kandovan to Zanjan / ca. 350 km
We are slowly biking southwards again and will stop in Zanjan, a small town on our way. It is a typical nice Iranian town with pretty mosques and a lively bazaar.
14. Day: Day Trip to the fortress of Behestan / ca. 210 km
On today's agenda is an excursion to the fortress of Behestan from the epoch of the Achaemenids.
15. Day: From Zanjan to Hamadan / ca. 260 km
The drive takes us to Sultaniyeh. Here we find the Öljeitü mausoleum with an extraordinary domed structure. With a height of 35.1 meters, the dome is one of the largest in the world.
16. Day: Day Trip to Ali Sadr and Lalejin
Today, we are getting deep into Iranian soil and visit the country's probably best-known stalactite cave. We are sailing through the tangle of tunnels with a boat and especially our photo-enthusiasts will enjoy this trip.
On our way back, we will visit Lalejin, a small village where almost every inhabitant is a potter. We will be looking over these artist's shoulders while they are working.
17. Day: From Hamadan to Kermanshah / ca. 185 km
We will be biking through the Zagros Mountains for the next three days and will get to know many nice mountain passages with our bikes.
18. Day: From Kermanshah to Khorramabad / ca. 185 km
On our way to Khorramabad through the Zagros Mountains, we will visit two historically important places: Tag-e Bostan and Bistoon.
19. Day: From Khorramabad to Isfahan / ca. 405 km
This is our last day motorcycling. It leads us once again through the Zagros Mountains and finally to the starting point of our tour: Isfahan.
20. Day: Isfahan
Today, you have again the opportunity to explore Iran's "most beautiful city".
21. Day: Departure
Your Iranian adventure has come to an end. We hope you enjoyed your tour with us and that we might see you again, maybe on the tour through the southern, more desert like part of the country.
