Understanding rials and tomans

To make the currency story short and simple let’s say, that:

The official Iranian currency is RIAL (IRR), which has been subject to rampant inflation over the last decade. In 2021, the currency inflation rate was 43.4% according to worlddata.info, in 2022 – 48.96%). In previous years, it was similar – actually, the Iranian rial fell into sudden serious troubles when US President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal with Tehran (in 2018) and reinstated economic sanctions suspended three years earlier.

With the Iranian currency rapidly declining, daily settlements have become complicated for Iranian citizens. The Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran has announced a currency reform in which redenomination (10 000:1) is to be carried out.

 At the beginning of 2021, new banknotes and checks  – were introduced to the market by the central bank. New notes had double denomination – in rials and in tomans. Officially, the redenomination process is ongoing and the date of its completion is unknown.

The concept of “toman” settled in the social consciousness and Iranians began to use this name when listing prices. However, in the common understanding, it was enough to cut off one zero from the amount in rials and the resulting value was the value in tomans. A million turned into 100 000 this way.

There are many hypotheses as to why this happened. One of the common opinions says that redenomination was a bottom-up process, i.e. invented by people, and done in stages. In the first stage, one zero was cut off, and now three zeros representing thousands are omitted. However, it seems most likely to us that the 10 000:1 operation, if applied immediately, would make it impossible to settle small amounts and give change.

How to convert rials to tomans?

1 000 000 rials = 100 000 tomans = 100 tomans

Yes, it seemed weird to us at first too. However, the easiest way to remember this process is:

Cut off one zero from the price in rials – this way you will get the price in “folk” tomans. From the price in “folk” tomans, cut off three zeros – this way you will get the price in “government” tomans.
Let’s take a look at what it looks like on popular notes. Obverse on the left, reverse on the right:

Old and new note 1 000 000 rials

Note that the denomination is given twice on the notes – in rials (1 000 000 rials) and in government tomans (100 tomans). A complication is that the banknotes come in several versions and you just have to learn how they look.

Notes of the same denomination may vary in size and color.

Some older banknotes have the value in Arabic numerals on one side only. It is worth learning Arabic-Indian numbers from 0 to 9 – it will make things easier in many situations.

How do Iranians quote prices?

Iranians will quote the price in all possible ways: in rials, tomans of both types and sometimes – when they want to emphasize how cheap something is in Iran, they will comment on the price:

Only 2 $, so cheap for you…

In official price lists – e.g. in hotels, in large supermarkets, prices are usually written in rials. In shops with handicrafts, souvenirs – if they are given at all, they are handwritten in tomans (in Arabic-Indian numerals). There is a government fuel price at the gas stations that will please you (at the time we traveled there – December 2022 – March 2023 – it was 30,000 rials per liter – about 7 cents).

Where there are no prices and you ask for them – make sure whether the seller gives the price in rials or in tomans. Stay alert! It’s easy to make mistakes here, because of the language barrier (few sellers know English), and – as everywhere – in Iran you can also find someone who takes advantage of a foreigner.

It is worth checking whether you have understood the price correctly by writing the price in “folk” tomans on the smartphone calculator and asking “toman”?

It is also worth working out benchmarks based on what basic things can cost in Iran. For a European, prices in Iran appear low, but the initial confusion with different currencies and banknotes makes it easy to be mislead.

Here’s an example: In the second week of our stay in Iran we ordered 2 chicken legs from a street fast food place. We gave the seller a smartphone to enter the price on calculator and he typed in 800. It seemed weird at first – 800 tomans? It would be around $20. This price in Europe is quite possible, but it seemed far too much for Iranian realities. We handed the salesman  bill of 100 tomans (100 000 tomans aka 1 000 000 rials). He stared at us apparently waiting until we give him another 7 hundred notes. However, we were not deceived and reached out for the rest. Seeing that the trick failed, he handed over 20 tomans reluctantly and settled the rest.

Mah Card – Travel debit card for Tourists

The cashless payment system is well developed in Iran. Everywhere – in the smallest booth, in the most remote village, you can pay with card … an Iranian card.

As a foreigner, you can pay with Mah Card – a prepaid debit card for tourists. You can order the Mah tourist card on the official website (€19 fee per issue), or through travel agency that helped you to obtain iranian visa. Mah Card gets delivered to you at your hotel or post office. You can top it up online via bank transfers. The exchange rate from your $ or € is slightly lower than the free market rate and is charged a 7% currency conversion fee. Mah card payments are free of charge.

However, cash withdrawals are subject to restrictions. Withdrawals are free of charge, but you can only make them at Ayandeh Bank ATMs and with  2,000,000 rials per day limit (200 000 aka 200 tomans).

Is it a lot or a little? Well – you will not be able to pay with this amount for 1 night in an average quality hotel, but you can cover food for 1 day. Another example: a ticket for a foreigner in almost every museum or other attraction costs 1 000 000 rials (100 000 aka 100 tomans).

Cash in Iran

You can pay cash everywhere. Be aware, that you need to take dollars or euros with you on the trip, because these 2 currencies you can exchange easily. Take more money for unexpected expenses, because during your stay in Iran you will lose access to your money stored in bank accounts. It is also worth taking a large sachet as the exchange rate is such that for just $ 100 you will receive a few centimeters of Iranian banknotes.

Banknotes have to be learned, because one denomination comes in several incarnations. You will often receive low-value bills when exchanging, which will add extra mass to your wallet. Carrying such a file is cumbersome, but it is a more financially advantageous option than using the Mah card.

In grocery stores and for purchases of small value, when the seller does not find low denominations in the cash register – you can get change in candy.

When planning for a currency exchange, it is best to take the denominations of 100 and 50 dollars / euro with you and exchange them gradually, because the rial devalues very quickly, which is reflected both in the amount of rials you get for dollars or euros, as well as in the prices you will pay for hotels, restaurants and shopping.

For example, when we entered Iran $1 equaled 380 000 rials (38 000 aka 38 tomans). 3 months later – already 520 000 rials (52 000 aka 52 tomans).

How and where to exchange currency in Iran?

Worst, least beneficial is exchanging in banks – rates are set at a very low level by the government. A little better in exchange offices, but there are few of them and sometimes they refuse transactions at all, saying there is a system failure or they suffer from lack of cash.

Best exchange is in jewelry stores and shops trading investment gold.

The best strategy for us was to locate the goldsmith street in the bazaar and go from one gold shop to another. Usually, at the farthest third or fourth store we asked, the goldsmith wanted to protect the assets from devaluation and had enough money in the safe to complete the transaction. Therefore willingly exchanged rials for dollars.

Where to check the exchange rate in Iran?

Check the free market rate at bonbast.com (the website works in Iran only with a VPN). This page gives you the exchange rate in “folk” tomans, with three zeros. You will rarely get the exchange rate listed here in your transactions. We usually managed to exchange about 1 000 tomans less than bonbast rates.

When exchanging money, ask for high denominations. If the seller understands English, ask for “blue notes” – this is the color of highest denomination (1 million rials or 100 tomans) and if you get it during the exchange, you will significantly restrict the thickness of your wallet.

What to choose – Mah card or cash?

Main differences between payment methods are mentioned below.

Proponents of cash are usually persuaded by its almost full financial value in relation to the free market rate.

A fun fact to finish the topic of payments

Iranians pay no attention to security of their payment card. Ordinary citizens know how to operate payment terminals. Many times you will see the customer handing the card to the merchant and then loudly dictating the pin to him. Or when the seller is busy sorting the goods – the customer asks him about the price, enters it himself into the instructions on the terminal counter, authorizes the payment and exits the shop. Something unthinkable in Europe, not surprising here!

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Is it hard to get Iranian visa in 2023?

Getting Iranian visas used to be far easier before the events of September 2022 and the following internal issues. What we hear from travellers now, is that it is almost certain you get rejected when you apply directly online at evisa.mfa.ir and you would be reluctantly approved when you apply via agency with good reputation.

When we ourselves applied online in July 2022 we got rejected with annotation “Please apply via travel agency” Than we decided to apply via Tappersia and follow their recommendations in terms of timing (apply one month before).

Iranian visa through the agency

We applied in November 2022. via Tappersia. We were asked to fill the form online and provide rough itinerary of our journey. Few days later one of us got his “visa granted” message from Iranian authorities, but the other one did not. Anyway the agency employees had worked on this issue, informing us via online communicator day by day. The other grant arrived about 10 days later.

Than we got to collect the e-visa documents in the Consulate chosen by us earlier. We arrived to Erzurum in north eastern Turkey and showed up in the Consulate early morning. Iran Consulate in Erzurum opens the door for public at 8:30 and we were told that it’s good to be there early in the morning. Bags need to be leaved in special cupboard outside and mobile phone -at the reception point. After an hour waiting we got a piece of paper with account number and the amount to pay in TRL.

By default this consulate applies the rate of urgent visa (75$ for PL citizens) instead of standard visa rate (50$ ) that you should have had granted when applying normal way with agency. Better check the amount and if anything – try to communicate to change it.

With the account number you’re supposed to go to nearest Zirat Bank and pay for visa itself.  You can pay in TRL there.

You get back with payment confirmation and exchange this document to the real printed eVISA. The same document you get via email, but again – one of us got this email and other did not, so make a copy of it and keep it in a safe place.

Iranian visa’s extension – what you need to know

Extending visas inside the country is said to be piece of cake, but just as Iran does not rely on strictly followed procedures the whole thing vary from place to place and might be more or less time consuming.

We have extended our visas twice during our stay in Iran at the turn on 2022 and 2023. Our original 45 days visa was applied online through agency and collected in Erzurum in Turkey. We have been informed that we can extend it in any bigger city, 2 times by 30 days, and that we cannot stay more than 90 days in Iran. How did it happen that we were there for 105 days when we can only stay for 90 days? You have to think about it flexibly, just like the rules there are flexible.

The most common information and advice for you given all over the internet are:

• Apply for Iran visa extension in a city that is used to receive tourists (like Isfahan, Yazd or Shiraz)
• Apply just in the final days of your visa validity, no earlier than 5 days before your visa expires (otherwise they will assume you can make it to the border on time and you’d waste your time)
• The most common scenario is to extend your visa by 30 days and you can apply for extension 2 times.
• You will wait for a stamp an unknown amount of time – from 30 minutes up to several days.

This is not very accurate, but coming to Iran you must have accepted certain amount of unknown and ambiguities. This is what travel agents and all sort of “folks, who’ve been there” tell you and the best what you can do is treat it as guidelines to follow. The reality is your luck-based in fact.

Iranian Visa extension step by step

1. Prepare yourself with:

2. Go to Immigration Office of Iranian Police in any bigger city (list of the cities here ) early in the morning (most are open 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.)

3. Fill the form if they ask you to, or let them do that

4. Pay the money they ask (it has been 100 000 tomans for 2 person in early 2023 – about 2,5$)

5. Let the officers do the job

Every immigration office has reception where you have to explain your goal and leave all the electronic devices (above all your mobile phone). At the Immigration office you need to be properly dressed (hijab is mandatory)

When your extension is granted you will not receive any special document. Your e-visa will be stamped on the back. The officer will write down the date of your extension validity by hand, with indian arabic numerals and according to Jalali calendar. Make sure you are able to understand it and if not – ask officer to transfer it to gregorian calendar for you.

Our personal experience with iranian visa extensions

First time we extended visas in Yazd (known as friendly city to obtain extension). We came 6 days before visa expiration date and asked for 45 days extension. We’ve been refused extension longer than 30 days and also we had to wait 2 days for the stamp.  I guess the officer serving us had just the bad day to make us wait so long.

Second time we extended in Bandar Abbas – 8 days before expiration and they gave us 30 days in 30 minutes disregarding that the whole period of our stay exceeds 90 days.  Gosh, what an luxury experience we’ve had here!

We were received by English speaking lady accountant, who helped to communicate with everybody accompanying us from window to window. They prepared our documents folder by themselves and even filled the application form for us.

Luckily, we used our visa almost to the expiry date and we can say we saw more of Iran than some Irani we met.

If you have a question regarding travelling in Iran please ask in a comment below. We love to share our experience.

The post Getting and extending Iran Visa 2023 first appeared on ONE MORE ADV.

We were tempted to do so too, as our visa once prolonged already was very close to expire.  But we’ve had some points of interest at the far Southern east corner of Iran that we did not want to skip. Besides going along the coast and crossing the entire  Sistan & Balochistan from down to up seemed fantastic idea. Lots of people warned us against this area as it is believed there is a lot of smugglers, thieves and “bad people”. Other emphasise that Balochi themselves are ultimately warm hearted and you cannot leave the country without experiencing their hospitality.

So, when we circumnavigated Qeshm island we took the car ferry back and headed straight to Bandar Abbas.

Bandar Abbas and the urban energy of freedom

It is a complex city with cosmopolitan vibe and the biggest cargo port of Iran. From here ferries go to Dubai playing important role in economical migrations as well as in Middle East tourist routes.

In the past Bandar Abbas witnessed adventurous traders of Portugal, Netherlands, England, as well as Omani Arabs. Many Indians worked here within British East India Company Ventures, so Indian influence is visible on the streets as women dress in patterned sparkling chadors put on colorfull dresses. 

At the time we arrived the city was absolutely overcrowded with Iranian tourists, as it was only 3 weeks till Nowruz ( Iranian New Year), so high season and good weather brought people to explore the area and shop for goods. 

It seems that everybody was there with energetic, vibrant spirit. Iranian tourists came to experience relaxed atmosphere of the town and hit the islands. Villagers came with huge bags full of handicrafts to earn good profit based on seasonal price raises. The market was buzzling in the evening with customers trying to buy new clothes, furniture or gifts as a part of Nowruz tradition.

Picnic blankets, conical tents and a weird camping spot

Just after lunchtime the seaside promenade area was coming to life with numerous picnic blankets and cone shaped tents. Nibbling sunflower seeds introduced long sets of picnicking pleasures – boiling water for tea, preparing kebabs in portable grill devices and smoking shishas. Chadors (tents) have been put on the grass as well as on the pavements or just near the carelessly parked car directly in the parking lot.

We arrived at sunset and could not find a place in any hotel in the city, as the hotels were full. We’ve been invited home by several hospitable Iranians, but for that night we just felt like staying in our own piece of home was better idea. So we decided to join the crowd and put up our tent in the grassy corner just behind the main promenade. 

Indeed it has been the weirdest of all our camping spots. Stuck between the main seaside highway and buzzling bicycle lane the place was loud, hot and full of people staring at our tent and motorcycles. Nevertheless it suited us as the temporary one night shelter.

We were happy to wake up the next day and just dismantle our tent as soon as possible. So after barely half an hour we were ready to visit immigration office to extend our visas. 

Visas prepared in no time

What a nice surprise here – we have been received by English speaking female employee who guided us through the office. We had to leave our mobiles and camelbags at the reception and we were also searched here. Than the lady took us to the high authority who approved the extension by signing short note on our visa copy. Later on she helped the other chadori employee fill our application forms and we were asked to wait half an hour as the system was not working well. Eventually our visas were ready and we were happy to be legally travelling few more days.

It was only 11 a.m. and visas were ready so quick, that we decided to get done with last shopping in bazaar and head east along the coast at the same day.

Silly people. Finding safe parking for our loaded bikes took us over 1 hour of google translate discussions. Finally we parked in shopping mall parking just at the guards booth.

As we did not make the shopping by the time the shops closed we decided to continue in the evening and stay one more night here. In the meantime we took a nap on the beach.

Than we continued the shopping in the afternoon finding really decent garments as for Iranian standards. We were also lucky to meet Iranian who made some phone calls to hotels and booked decent well priced room for us. 

We rested here for a day before we got back on the road.

Beige picturesque monadnocks and sandy plateaus

The road east of Strait of Hormoz goes straight between beige picturesque monadnocks and sandy plateaus but rarely gets close to the sea. Drivers hurry as usual and all the experience was similar to riding Qeshm island. The kilometers were passing with us watching the spectacle of golden hour landscapes.

That is the charm of overlanding – images of the road changing so slowly that you have time to notice and appreciate every single change

Closer to sunsets we started searching for apriopriate camping space. Jacek has found great place behind the vast mountain – completely hidden and not visible from the road, but little bit windy.

Putting up the tent took us more time than usually not only because of that, but also because there was rocky bedding under a thin layer of dusty soil that didn’t receive pins easily.

But in the end we’ve got one of the most picturesque locations and ended the day observing almost full moon.

Hosted in Konarak

The next day got us all riding again, but the landscape got flat and industrial by the time of searching camping spot. So we got to the nearest small city of Konarak and headed place founded on google maps that supposed to be a hotel.  We stopped by a building that literally couldn’t be anything else than small provincional mosque. Luckily some man In shalvar kameez went out of the gate and managed to understand what we are looking for. To cut the story short this helpful folk called the English teacher, and this one decided to accommodate us in school’s teacher’s apartment as it was already after dark and there was no suitable place to send us – neither a hotel nor even wild camping spot. 

So we’ve got the whole 2 bedroom apartment for us with bathroom and kitchen and than the teacher brought us even a dinner not to leave us hungry. Merhdad left us there alone with a lot of assuring that he is there if we needed anything we should let him know. 

That was Balochistani sophisticated hospitality already that we did not know yet.

We soaked into gratitude as getting such place in the middle of nowhere was real gift for tired travellers.

The miracles of nature waited for us the next day. But not through easy way though.

Darak dunes

First we reached Darak dunes – charming stretch of hilly sands – one of the very few spots in the world where dunes meet the sea.

As the temperatures raised far above 35 degrees we were tempted to jump into the water and cool down a little bit. Not at this spot though as from time to time few Iranian visitors were coming to capture some selfies.

We decided to explore small roads used rarely by local people just at the coast and find a nice secluded spot.

The beach we discovered matched the requirements but it was quite rocky. So we spent some time here observing red crabs and small fishes stuck in small ponds.

Roads here were not easy peasy for heavy motorcycle. From decent sandy dirt roads to hard surfaced, bumpy passages with thick layers of sand blown at the full width.

The last section of the route lead through the road recently flushed and damaged heavily by water. Water has literally carved little canyons, one meter deep across the road. Local Kavirs and Pishtazes were detouring it through sandy roadsides. But for our heavy bikes the risk of falling was there with every pass.

We did fall here one by one without major injuries neither for us, nor for our bikes.

“Earth belly button” – to complete our journey

Crossing that terrain up to the paved road again took more time than expected. But than we got rewarded by the magnificent sunset views of still active mud volcano Gel Afshan. We were allowed to enter without any payments, not sure if it was because this attraction is free, or just for the reason the guard hardly understood how come we appeared there.

Being almost alone we parked our bikes high up almost at the slope and walked to the summit. So called Earth belly button has blessed us with several small flowerings in half an hour. We’ve never seen a mud volcano before, and we got hypnotized by the moony views of the area.  There were visible traces of that it must had been active recently as the road leading to it seemed to vanish among dried muddy formations.

Finally the dusk made us end this visit and rush to next destination – charming Balochi dominated city of Chabahar.

The post From Qeshm to Chabahar – south of Iran first appeared on ONE MORE ADV.

After the autumn 2022 events, customs have relaxed a lot. In the streets of larger cities you are meeting women with a headscarf barely draped over the back of their heads, with a scarf just hanging around their necks, or girls in funny hats or caps.

On the other hand, chadors prevails in many places and you will not visit some mosques if you do not cover yourself from head to toe (fortunately they will lend you a chador on the spot).

The law in Iran has not changed, all women are still required to cover their heads. How to reconcile this with riding and wearing a helmet?

When I was researching the subject many months ago, one piece of advice prevailed on motorcycle forums – “wear a head sock”, i.e. pull a Buff sleeve over your head.

This is a very practical solution and many female motorcyclists choose just this. When they take off the helmet – they pull on Buff’s head and it’s done. Unfortunately, not everyone likes such a headgear, both in terms of aesthetics (then you look like you’ve really pulled a sock over your head) and practical (it’s too cold or too hot, besides you have to wear a headscarf to a mosque or other serious place anyway ).

So I threw off the head sock and decided to wear a headscarf like Iranian women.

Soon I developed my own methods of tying a scarf and a shawl in such a way that after removing the helmet, I could quickly cover my hair. From my experience, I recorded a vlog about how to wear a hijab while riding a motorcycle in Iran (we were there for over 3 months).

What about the other items of clothing ?

We entered Iran from Turkey in the winter and left for Pakistan in the summer. In sub-zero temperatures, I rode wearing multiple layers of clothing and normal motorcycle outfit, not caring that the jacket only reached half of my hips. When it got very warm – we rode without jackets. At that time, a simple long-sleeve thermal shirt and quite loose technical trousers were in use.

A woman on a large motorcycle evokes admiration and respect in Iran, even among officials. No one ever pointed out my attire to me, even when we were stopped for documents checkups.

Of course, you will find other advice all over the Internet.  There were girls who somehow tucked  long tunics into their trousers and pulled them out of there immediately after hopping off the saddle to cover their buttocks as soon as possible. For me, however, Iran turned out to be quite liberal in terms of dress and I was wearing my normal travel clothes freely.

I definitely do not recommend “overthinking” before leaving – you will consider it on the spot how much you need to adapt. If necessary – in Iran you can easily and cheaply buy baggy clothes.

Do you have your own ways to wear hijab in Iran? Share it in the comment!

Have a safe ride!

Hania

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While we were in Anzali we posted information about our trip on the Tehran Couchsurfing board. We wanted to meet Iranians who spoke English well, because in small towns in the north of Iran we often had trouble communicating on basic matters – let alone discussing profound topics.

We got so many responses that I spent long hours in Anzali answering invitations.

I knew that Couchsurfing, although banned oficially, is very popular in Iran. So many people wrote to us: Teheranians who wanted to host us, those who wanted to show us Tehran and those who wanted to practice English with the hareji over tea or kebab. Guides and hostel owners wrote, for whom CS is a pond to catch newcomers. Iranians from other cities also wrote, taking on the rare contact with the tourist at an earlier stage of their journey. Among them, Mohammad from Isfahan also spoke to us.

Mohammad turned out to be a jack of all trade – a skier, ski tourer, hiker, climber, and generally a man of the mountains.

We agreed to keep in touch and try to go skiing together. We didn’t really know where, how and on what terms, because there are no mountains close by to Isfahan, but somehow we were sure that we would be carefree in his company …

At 11 pm on Thursday we checked into the hotel in Isfahan, and on Friday (i.e. Iranian Sunday) at 5.30 am we were about to go to Fereydunshahr Ski Resort. We were dying of curiosity and quite excited.

At 5.00 am in the morning it was still dark when we took off by Snapp (Iranian Uber) to the agreed place. We reached the corner of the semi-circular square and as we were a few minutes ahead of schedule – we walked within a radius of 200 meters, wondering from which building our new friend would emerge.

Meanwhile, a white Samand drove up to us with Mohammad and his friend Dorsa inside. We greeted them and made ourselves comfortable in the back seats. We left Isfahan drowning in darkness and set off along the foggy highway. We got to know each other slowly asking about life details. He and Dorsa both spoke excellent English, so we could finally hope to have a real conversation.

Until recently, Mohammad was a tourist guide. However, during the Covid19 pandemic, tourist traffic came to a standstill and just as it was about to recover a wave of internal protests poured out in Iran. Western governments have issued travel warnings and foreign tourists are rarely seen in Iran. In Isfahan itself recently, there is bunch of globetrotters in hostels, groups of Turks coming here for a cheap city break, or military-age Russians hanging around. But that’s not a good target group for an Iranian guide fluent in English.

Dorsa, 27, works as radiologist at Isfahan hospital. She lives alone, works and studies at the same time. It was her second skiing expedition in her life and as she had recently sprained her knee while trying to make as turn while snowploughing, so she was a bit afraid it might happen again.

Mohammad and Dorsa met through an English learning site. We joked a bit that since their first meeting was in the holy city of Qom, their relationship must also be sacred.

Meanwhile, the weather cleared up and we entered the Zagros Mountains region. The landscape outside the window was breathtaking: snow-capped mountains and hills stretched for miles creating unearthly arches and curves. Sandy houses stuck like almonds in a cake between them reminded us that we were still within reach of civilization.

We flew through Fereydunshahr – a small sleepy town inhabited mainly by the old migration of Georgians and living mostly from tourists coming here to ski, ski touring or mountainbiking.

And finally we arrived at the ski resort – Fereydun Shahr – about 200 km west of Isfahan. The large parking lot was still almost empty. Several meters below loomed the base station of the lift, and in the distance you could also see a flat slope for beginners.

We stretched our bodies after a 3-hour ride and went down to the rental building. Thanks to Mohammad’s help, we managed to get along with the rental employee quite efficiently and pay for the equipment.

Ski, boots and poles available here are not what we used to rent in Europe. The average age of the equipment is probably around 30 years old. No one here sharpens the skis or cares about their bottoms. Shoes that are too big are adapted by tightening the buckles. But the real star are the poles – paired more or less in height, bent in every direction, without plates and often without loops.

Fortunately, we were able to choose some pieces with which we were going to go.

Mohammad handed us skipasses (here it is simply colored cardboard protected with foil against getting wet) and took Dorsa to beginner’s slope. We went skiing with main lift.

Fereydun Shahr has 2 routes – a narrow ski slope led through a road that is closed in winter and the other – wide, but groomed only to the middle of the slope, because above the route runs along a couloir and the snow groomer can no longer get there. So whoever wants to use the wide route, pulls out in the place where the groomer has arrived, or earlier if it is too steep for him and starts skiing from there.

We went 2-3 times more carefully to warm up our legs, get to know the slope and the equipment.

Jacek’s shoes, about 2 sizes too big, shaped a bit and we tightened them with buckles. Then Mohammad joined us and we did some descents together. Unfortunately, the capacity of the lift was not large, and queues formed quickly at the bottom, although there were almost no people on the slope.  Anyway, itt was very pleasant to ride in full sunshine, on a well-groomed route without ice and moguls with the opportunity of turning to powder snow. We looked carefully at the snow in the gully, but we did not decide to make the full ride, because the gully was shaded for most of the day and there were quite large stones sticking out from under the snow. It would not have been wise to risk legs there with mismatched equipment.

We rode alternately our trips, training trips with Mohammad and also looked at the beginner’s slope where Dorsa was grinding her snowploughs. We shared what we knew about skiing and invented exercises for them.

In the middle of the day, our hosts organised a picnic – they shared with us the lunch they had prepared. Then we went back to the slopes, enjoying the beautiful weather and snow that no alpine resort would be ashamed of.

For many non-skiing Iranians, Fereydun Shahr is a great place to go sledding. Next to the ski slope there is a large sledding slope, much more crowded than the ski slopes. A bit further we also saw a beautifully built igloos and a high-mountain training next to them.

Around 3 pm we all had enough of fun and decided to go back. We handed over our rented equipment and headed to the car.

And again a surprise – there was a party going on in the parking lot. Puffs of smoke billowed from the open trunks of the vans, and people smoked shisha inside. Some people sat on the carpets spread out in the snow next to their vehicles and enjoyed snacks. Others gathered around the blazing fires and warmed their hands, or grilled and boiled tea in blackened pots. Music, chaos, laughter and loud talks everywhere.

In the middle of that Iranian Samand’s, Peugeots Pars’s and Dena’s tried to leave the parking lot, slipping their old, wasted tires on the freezing snow and ice. Every now and then, groups of Persians ran up and pushed vehicles until traction was caught. A gigantic traffic jam has formed here, because somewhere along the main road a group of young people have blocked the street, dancing to the rhythm of the music coming from the old Zamyad. It took us a about an hour to get through that parking circus.

On the way back, we were again surrounded by the same beautiful landscapes. We discussed the differences between the ski resorts of Iran and Europe and learned the dreams of our new friends. We took short naps one after another. And only Mohammad remained awake, driving our group back to Isfahan.

If you want to experience skiing in Iran just as we did – contact Mohammad Sajjadi: Mobile: +98 913 864 7717, Insta: @sajjadi92

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