Iran
Earth > Asia > Southern Asia > Iran
 Iran | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Language: | Persian; recognised regional languages are Azeri, Kurdish, Mazandarani and Gilaki |
| Capital: | Tehran |
| Population: | 70,472,846 |
| Currency: | Iranian rial ( IRR ) |
| Hitchability: |  (good) to  (very good)
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| Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots | |
| <map lat='32.10118973232094' lng='57.12890625' zoom='5' view='0' float='right' /> | |
Iran is a very friendly country, at least for male hitchhikers. Some hitchhikers on their way to India even decide to stay in Iran instead.
Hitchhiking is done in Iran by waving one's arm at an oncoming car. Do not gesture with your thumb up as in the West, because this is an obscene gesture in Persian culture.
Waiting for a ride can occasionally be a frustrating experience sometimes, but it is generally relatively easy to hitchhike here. Frustration comes when there is a driver stopping for you every few minutes and suggesting taking you to a bus terminal, and sometimes you may find it hard to explain that you travel at low budget and that you actually WANT to hitchhike.
When hitchhiking in the north of the country, it might occur that people stop just to ask if you need assistance unrelated to transportation. In fact, you don't stand longer than 10 minutes without some car stopping for you. It can be even a police/army vehicle (they are in every corner of Iran): they will pick you up and even stop a car for you and convince a driver to take you further.
In Farsi language (official language in Iran spoken as a first or second language by most citizens) the word "hitchhiking" doesn't exist. The translation of this word found in English-Farsi dictionaries seem to have a confusing effect on locals of Iran since they hear it for the first time in their lives. Though some people (especially couchsurfers or young Tehranians) know about it, call it "autostop" or English "hitchhiking". The Farsi majani savar shodan seems to be the closest. Useful phrases are: Do you go to ...? - shoma be ... mirin? Can you do me a favour please? - Mishe ie lotfi be man bokonin? Can you give me a ride to ...? - Mom kene man ro be ... beresoni? lotfan I don't want to pay - Man nemicham pul bedam
Iran has borders to Iraq, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Getting in
You can't rely on it completely but if you're not American you can probably get a code through iranianvisa.com that you can use at Iranian embassies. People successfully managed to get Iranian visas in Istanbul, Ankara and closest to the border, Erzurum. Some hitchhikers received their visa in Trabzon without the expensive code the same day they applied for it.
Hitchhiker alex: "Sadly, I had to fly into Iran. I did not manage to get a visa in Yemen or in the United Arab Emirates beforehand (I stayed 7 days in Muscat until the embassies opened again; they told me at the Embassy of Iran that they can only issue for residents in contrast to what I have been told before). Flying into Iran is an option for people from some privileged countries. Larger airports in Iran can issue a 14 days transit visa on the spot. However, I guess this is not an issue as most people here will travel the other direction and will only start their journey when they have this visa (since this is the only visa Germans can not get at the border)."
Personal experiences
Hitchhiker alex: "I have only experiences with hitchhiking in Northern Iran, Tehran Airport towards Turkey. However, this was quite easy and I assume that it is the same in the rest of the country. Many people do not know the idea of hitchhiking (you start a "conversation" with an explanation that you do not want to go to the bus terminal) but they are very helpful and hospitable. With the first drivers who gave me a lift I couldn't really communicate as we didn't have a language in common (most people I met spoke Farsi only) -- just hand, feet and PointIt. However, at a later stage many lifts I've got have been from people that spoke to some extend English. It is beneficial when you can read Arabic writing as Farsi uses an extended version of it even though many road signs are in Farsi and English. Many people say you are expected to pay drivers in Iran. Generally, I personally found it easy to notice if a driver is willing to give a free ride, or he expects money, - noticing this in time, it is easier to reject a ride if it is a latter case. Furthermore, I had some rides from couples and families, too. PS: As with in Turkey it is wise to have you own mug along as you are offered tea all the time."
Cities
Links
- Just hitching rides: A journey from Eid to Christmas, Abgefahren Blogs
