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above the clouds

International Travel and Lifestyle Blog


Arriving Into Iran and the Tests of Traveling

August 21, 2018 by Dave18 Comments

Shiraz International Airport

Shiraz International Airport

Spices & nuts, Streets of Tehran

Spices & nuts, Streets of Tehran

I left for the Tbilisi International Airport in the country of Georgia at 10pm. I arrived at my final destination, Shiraz, Iran some 20 hours later – the next day. If you look on the map this is about a 3 to 3.5 hour flight. As it were, the airport in Tbilisi is under construction; a new runway is being built so all day flights have been moved to the night. I spent all night in the beautiful fairly new Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku, Azerbaijan – nestled as best I could in a ‘birdcage’ (a metal cage resembling a bird cage with a soft cushion) trying to sleep, all the while chirping birds reminded me of being in a rain forest in Papua New Guinea.

Then it was on to Tehran – where I had already secured my visa ahead of time but that only seemed to slow down the process of being granted entry to the country. There were plenty of people from Korea, Australia and various European countries applying for visa on arrival.

First up was a long line to purchase mandatory health insurance – for €15 it seems like quite a bargain as anything health related is covered while in the country – including major surgery if needed! Then it was over to a longer visa line where I waited for an hour and then finally was given a yellow piece of paper with merely the number €75 written on it. Others were receiving the same paper but ranging from €50 to much higher amounts. I paid, waited some more and then was finally granted my visa. Then it was into another line to pass through immigration which went smoothly. Finally I was in Iran!

I tried to purchase Iran flights while overseas but the websites are all in Iranian and with the help of Google translation I eventually reached a page which required a national ID number. I then visited large travel agencies in Tbilisi but none of the Iranian airlines were in their system and they were unable to help.

Upon arriving at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport I found the Iranian airlines counter and was able to purchase tickets for this afternoon. They sent me to a bank to pay and then I returned and was given my tickets. Next I discovered the flight was from Mehrabad International Airport, about a 50 minute drive from Imam Khomeini International Airport. I found a taxi who typed 50,000 rials into my phone. But when we arrived he informed me it was 500,000 rial. Obviously it takes some getting used to this skewed exchange rate. I exchanged $100 USD and received nearly 4 million Rial!

At Mehrabad International Airport airport, I discovered my flight had been delayed for 2 hours. Finally it was touchdown in Shiraz around 730pm. Immediately what people told me about friendly Iranians rang true. When my taxi driver found out I was low on rials he stopped and withdrew money from his own bank account and gave me a significantly higher exchange rate then what I was given at the airport. He was quite excited to practice English with me – and had a stack of English books sitting on his dashboard that he has been studying from for the past year.

I am now comfortably settled into the Golshin Traditional house – a difficult to find guesthouse hidden in a maze of back alleys. Once inside, the walls and floors are covered with rugs – there is an open air courtyard and this feels like it will be a nice home base for the next few days.

There will be plenty of exploring this week including the famous ruins of both Persepolis and Necropolis. The weather is warm and dry but not hot. This is a perfect time of the year to visit Shiraz.

Ibis & Novotel across from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport
tehran-iran

Street at night, Shiraz
shiraz-iran (1)

Courtyard inside the Golshin Guesthouse
shiraz-iran (2)

Mosque at the Shiraz International Airport
shiraz-iran (3)

Related posts:

Iran; the most misunderstood country of the world! Springtime in Shiraz Is … Arriving in Almaty, Kazakhstan From Camping with Nomads to Exploring Tehran Persepolis; The Magnificence of Asian History

Filed Under: Middle East · Tagged: Airport, Animal Rescue, Australia, Georgia, Iran, Korea, Mosque, Papua New Guinea, Taxi, Travel Insurance, Visa

Comments

  1. Teh Chin Liang says

    August 23, 2018 at 2:45 pm

    “When my taxi driver found out I was low on rials he stopped and withdrew money from his own bank account and gave me a significantly higher exchange rate then what I was given at the airport” – Kindness can be found in the smallest of gestures, and I am glad you found one in this exotic and sophisticated nation.

  2. Dave says

    August 23, 2018 at 8:02 pm

    Thanks Teh. The people of Iran are among the most hospitable people of any of my travels.

  3. Safari Tours in Hurghada says

    August 31, 2018 at 1:16 pm

    Simply Amazing…!!! I love each and every image that you have shared. Great post. Keep blogging…!!

  4. Jacki says

    September 2, 2018 at 7:31 am

    Informative, awesome post as usual Dave! I need to get to Iran ASAP! Hopefully 2019 Travel Bucket list! See you in LA soon.

  5. Dave says

    September 3, 2018 at 7:43 am

    Thanks Jacki – hope your time in Portugal is going well – please drink lots of aged Port wines for me 🙂

  6. Juan Ovalle says

    September 4, 2018 at 4:35 am

    I would’ve never thought of Iran like this! I loved reading this post

  7. Dave says

    September 4, 2018 at 10:40 am

    Thanks Juan – this was one of my more memorable and accommodating trips 🙂

  8. Halong Oanh says

    September 11, 2018 at 12:05 am

    Hi
    This is an amazing place
    After I read your post, I want to get there as soon as possible.
    Thank you for that

  9. Dave says

    September 11, 2018 at 4:29 am

    Halong – yea, I need to go back!

  10. Luxx Press says

    September 13, 2018 at 8:11 am

    Great article! Thanks for sharing..

  11. Markus says

    September 19, 2018 at 7:19 pm

    Amazing!
    Loved reading it throughout. Thanks for sharing mate.

  12. Ranjan Khadka says

    September 21, 2018 at 3:57 pm

    Hi There!
    Thanks a lot for sharing your fabulous travel experience. It sounds exciting to read your blog which contains a relevant article and mesmerizing photographs. Appreciate it for your great effort.

  13. Simon says

    September 21, 2018 at 5:44 pm

    Great post! Loved it.

  14. Ranjan Khadka says

    November 16, 2018 at 9:12 am

    Thanks a lot for sharing your travel experience in Iran. I’d loved it reading this post. This is my 3rd time to read this post again. I feel excited to read this post.

  15. Ranjan Khadka says

    December 4, 2018 at 2:20 pm

    If you are wondering to visit Iran. This post is an ideal for all those solo travelers. It contains relevant post. Highly recommended.

  16. jim corbett says

    December 19, 2018 at 7:40 pm

    in iran we don’t have so many places to visit but some place are good at it. you can enjoy 1 or 2 day travel in iran. you didn’t have much time to explore too much because you have other places to go, but still you cover-up a good story in iran.

  17. Bruno says

    October 31, 2019 at 4:45 pm

    Hi. I traveled to Iran a year ago. I had a great experience there, I found a company called 1stQuest.com which provide Iran travel services. I booked a budget tour and had an amazing experience in Iran with its hospitable people. I really recommend it, Iran is worth a visit.

  18. 1stQuest says

    November 13, 2019 at 8:48 pm

    Thanks for your review Bruno, Thanks for supporting us, Wish you had a great time in Iran.

    Best,
    1stQuest Support Team

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