Cycling In Iran - Crossing The Desert - Mashad To Yazd - Route Description

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Cycling in Iran - Crossing the Desert – Mashad to Yazd (954km) Ferdosi University area in the NW of the city is where many Couch Surfers live. The road heads South West from here, dropping to join the main Tehran road. (1000m)

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Sign for Neyshabur says 110km and you now start to head in a more NW direction and begin to climb gradually (about 900m is the low point)

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Town with shops on the road

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Just before the top there are tracks that head off to good camping spots

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The top (1650m)

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Fakhr-e-Dawood Village, with shops and a bakery

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Oadamgah town off to the right – lots of shops and bakery. (1300m ish)

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Turn left for Neyshabur just after the petrol station, or continue to the big roundabout and turn left there. The first left turn is actually sign posted to Kashmar

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Neyshabur centre – loads of shops.

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Once out of Neyshabur there is a sign that says Kashmar 125. The road is now going to cross a wide dry valley to the range of mountains in the distance.

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Lowest point (1200m)

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Village with shops (Camping is now possible between villages)

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Village with shops

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Ghasem Abad – the road has finally crossed the plain

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Road goes through gap in rocky outcrop and bends right. Camping possible

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Ata-i-Yeh – shops, but no milk (maybe just on our day)

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Road heads up beautiful canyon, plenty of camping opportunities

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Valley opens up and gradient lessens (1615m)

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Village with shops followed be steeper bit

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Another flattish plain (2000m)

222.5 231

The top (2100m) Large squirrel shaped rock (from this direction) is the target Small village (1750m)

233-235 Rivash – shops and restaurants (1650m) then road climbs again 244.5

The pass - you can see it for the last 2km (1930m) followed by a gorge with small river

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Picnic area in beautiful gorge (1650m) camping possible if you head up the side valley

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Roundabout – turn right and there are loads of restaurants lining the road. There is a shrine here and public toilets. Fridays it would be full of people.

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You are now in Kashmar. Turn right at roundabout

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Turn left at roundabout – good shop on corner

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Turn right at roundabout to leave Kashmar(1080m)

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Kili-Abad. Shops

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Houses start to thin out and there are places to camp. Most people here live in Kashmar and come out to tend their fields of grapes. If there is electricity going to the buildings then they live out here.

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Village with shops

315-319 Bardescan (950m) lots of shops 321

Village with shops

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Village with shops

331-332 Anabad (900m) Shops and camping just outside town in trees / park. The land gets more desolate from here

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Isolated houses and deserted buildings offer some shade

368-370 Doruneh off to right. If you stay on the main road there are some shops and restaurants at the final turn for Doruneh 374

Turn left for Tabas. There is a a restaurant and police post here but the restaurant was closed when we were there (April 2009)

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Lowest point (830m)

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Sign saying Eshq Abad 85

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Small village with shop

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Tappeh Taq – the police start to check you constantly from this point on – shops and good water from tank in front of the mosque

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Highest point with camping possible (1300m)

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Road reaches wide plain (1180m)

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Lowest point (965m)

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Village off to left

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Lowest point (750m)

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Cafe and rest stop

476-478 Eshq Abad – Petrol station and Pizza place just on left over roundabout – looks unassuming but they are friendly and cook OK pizzas. A few shops (780m) 491

Village with b eautiful mosque to left

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Cafe / Shop /Toilets (900m)

509

Bridge for train, possible camping in tunnels

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Easy camping behind raised embankments

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Deh Mohammed – great shops (1180m) Turn right. This is the highest point of the road.

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Road flattens out – up 30m down 30m (1120)

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Road drops more steeply (1100m)

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Road begins to flatten out (765m)

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Buildings with possible water

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Roundabout – turn right to avoid Tabas centre

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Mosque on edge of town with lots of restaurants around it. From here you could easily head into town and stay in a hotel. You are now in Tabas

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Lowest point (650m)

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Road enters the mountains through a gap in the hill and winds it's way up through the rocks. There are camping opportunities everywhere although the best ones are down tracks built to access the railway line construction to the left.

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Large gravel pit to left with Wildlife wardens staying there. There was a large water tank and several buildings although we saw no people

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The top (1210m) Plenty of places to camp

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Medical emergency station and work camp. Water available in jerry cans if people are around.

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Mosque with good water and Shop

707-719 Flat plain (825m) Perspective plays tricks on you here. Are you climbing? Dropping? 742-743 Robat-e-Posht Badlam. (1220m) Shops and also water in the small park to your left. There is a salty tap in the middle of the park and a great good water tap at the rear left corner behind the wall – slightly hidden so look carefully. They also have a bakery but it is hard to describe so just ask. 755-757 The road has been climbing for ages and this is the top (1545m) The road now descends 777

The bottom (1115m) You are on a salty plain and the road climbs for ages from here

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Beautiful Caravanserai and fort, good for a shady rest or for camping

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Saghand – turn left for shops next to mosque. There is a cooled fresh water source to the right of the mosque. (1330m)

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The top (1450m)

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The bottom (970m)

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Old ruined tower (1145m)

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Road begins to climb and wind it's way up a desert valley surrounded by rocky hills (1400m)

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Karanagh (1760m) Shops, good food, restaurants

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The top (1865m) There are several places to camp on the way down and it is now easy cycling all the way to Yazd

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Junction with Yazd road (1135m)

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Mosque with shops on opposite side and bakery on right

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Roundabout – go straight on

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Roundabout – go straight on (1190m) from here consult you LP or local people for directions for the old town area. You are now in Yazd but there are 10 more km to the very centre Centre of Yazd old town - THE END

General Description of route Look at the profile for a real idea of the route. It is not a flat desert but involves you crossing several mountain ranges of various heights separated by wide salty desert valleys. The section between Tabas and Yazd is least inhabited and poses the most logistical problems. Water You never need to drink salty water. There is always good water but you may need to carry up to 10 litres, especially for the section between Tabas and Robat-e-Posht Badlam. Do not rely on the wildlife wardens or the medical emergency station, they might be closed or the water tanks locked. All villages have good water (somewhere) Wind The prevailing wind is from the SW but it can change any time. Most of the villages are built on the Northern side of the passes to escape strong winds. We experienced one day with a tail wind for 2 hours, the rest of the time it was a head wind. It is worst as you cross the wide valleys. Only once did we descend a hill where we didn't have to pedal Heat Heat can be a problem although small bridges over dry river beds are great for a cool break. Most of them are between Yazd and Tabas, clean and poo free. You could even camp in them. Take rehydration sachets in case you get dehydrated and also put plenty of salt on your food to avoid cramps. 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 flatter empty areas you need to look out for the gravel pits used to make the road or the raised drainage embankments. Most of the gravel pits have a rough dirt road leading to them. Nearer villages and in the Northern sections you can camp near the irrigated fields which generally are only inhabited during the day. Time We took 10 days (including 2 very short days) and didn't stop in Tabas. We should have done. 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. © Simon Taylor 2009

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