km Cycling in Iran – Yazd to Shiraz (450km)

0 Yazd (1200m) Go straight down Shahid Raja'i (there are signs for Shiraz)
6 At this point you go past a large left turn that you can't get to, so go round the next roundabout
and come back 200m to get on this road. This is the Shiraz road
10 Go under the main North South Highway (signposted Nain)
23-30 Taft Village, lots of shops. At about 25km on the other side of the river to your right there is a
small bakery.
36 Village with shops
38 Eagle rock and Restaurant near it with good cheap food
49 Petrol station and shops
59-61 Aliabad village off the main road, shops
63 Road steepens. Many places to camp in small groups of trees on the way up.
71 Top of Pass (2580) with good place to camp 100m after pass, up side track to right.
93-94 Dehshir Village, Cafes and shops (1810)
102 Police Stop and shops. Don't get the water from the tap, ask in the shop or small village or at
the police post. The road is now flattish for a long time.
144 Small village
147 Shamsabad village with shops
152-160 Abarkuh town (1495m) goes on for ever, loads of shops, restaurants etc.
158 Ice making towers to left
182 Cafe
183 Small town with shops
203 Junction with big main road – Surmagh (1870m). Turn right
205 Farm belonging to Sasan Izadi – renowned Iranian tourist catcher – blue gate on large farm
compound to left with 'Welcome' written next to door. About 500m before his land there is also a
hotel which you can stay at for about $10 a night.
From here the road climbs gradually up a wide valley with mountains to left.
215-225 Camping possible behind rocky outcrops, road then heads across valley and starts to climb more
steeply.
247 Top of pass (2510m) Shop on top of pass and Police post.
264 Sahfr-Shah Town to left, shops and restaurants
288 Lowest point (2070m) before another climb
293 Another high point (2265m)
321 Turn off to Pasargardae (signposted 4km)
325 Saadat Shah rest area, restaurants and shops (1810m)
328 Turn off left for old road if you want a quieter time. We didn't and the main road now enters a
gorge. It often follows the side of the new Yazd to Shiraz railway line and there may be camping
opportunities behind it.
334 Saadat Shahr off to left (1810m)
342 Cafe
343 Beautiful river to right – there has to be camping
350 Village (1765m)
351 Small shop (Persepolis sign 40)
365 Cafe and Shops
370-72 Camping possible up side valley
373 Restaurants/Cafes
 383 Mavdasht turn left. Persepolis is actually to your left across the field about 2km away but you
will have to cycle 6km and then come back 3km up another road. If you can see a short cut
through the fields take it. We didn't realise where Persepolis was.
389 Turn left at roundabout for Persepolis
393 Persepolis- You can camp at the main gate on the right. Just ask the security guards and camp
in the trees in the area where the Shah held his famous party. There are toilets and good water
and a shop not far away selling icecreams, crisps and drinks.
396 Back at the roundabout. This time go straight on into Mavdasht
396-406 Mavdasht. At about 399km there is a row of cafes opposite the university serving good cheap
food (especially breakfasts) Follow signs for Shiraz, the road turns a bit but is easy to follow.
407 Rejoin main road
418 Zarqan Town to right..road starts to climb
425 Cafe on right, good food
431 Top of pass (1890m)
433 New low point (1800m) Road climbs again
435 Top of pass (1890m) From here it's all downhill to Shiraz
446 Finally you reach the edge of Shiraz as the road emerges through a break in the cliffs and
enters a gorge. This is the junction shown on the Lonely Planet map (1620m)
450 Shiraz Centre (1540m) You will have discovered by now that Shiraz is a hilly town.

General Description of route

Look at the profile for a real idea of the route. There are a few long climbs and descents and
even the 'rolling hills' can be a bit of a drag. The first day out of Yazd has 71km completely uphill
and with a strong headwind could be hell.

Water
You don't need to carry much water apart from the section between Surmagh and Sahfr Shah

Wind
The wind can be a real problem although if you travel the opposite way from Shiraz to Yazd you
will have it behind you a lot. For us the wind was hell! We were blown off our bikes several times
by terrible gusty winds and struggled to pedal down the steep hill to Sahfr Shah at more than
6km/hr. Be prepared for the worst and hitch-bike if it becomes really bad.

Heat
Heat can be a problem although this route has quite a lot of shelter and villages so there are
many opportunities for escape and cold drinks. For women wearing a head covering it can easily
get too hot. For men in shorts and a T-shirt it is much easier.

Camping
Once in the mountains, camping is easy, in the more inhabited areas you will struggle. You may
have to ask someone if you can camp on their land. You can also stay at Sasan Azidi's farm near
Surmagh or at a hotel near Surmagh. There are also hotels in Taft.

Time
We took 5 days. With the wind in your favour it would be much easier. A day where you could
easily do 150km with the wind can also be one where you struggle to do 50km into the wind. Be
careful and always carry spare water and food. If you decide to take the smaller old road then it
is about 40km further although the highway is very good for cycling with a large hard shoulder
and reasonably polite traffic.

© Simon Taylor 2009 http://hk-to-uk.blogspot.com