Dear travellers,
I am planning to spend my summer vacations in IRAN, in the
Lonely planet (1992) I've found two news that I've found of
particular interest:
1) Is it still working the law that allows only 5 films
to be brought in that country.
2) Is it still usual that travellers with backpack maybe
not accepted in Hotels because Iranian people often
associates it with the beat generation ( that is not totally
compliant with their point of view of life).
Reading through the topics in this page I've read that it
is not possible to travel in IRAN without buying an
organized tour, is this true ?
If anybody has an answer for these question I'll be very
grateful for every information; on my side if anybody has
questions about Middle East (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan ) or
Nord Africa ( Lybia and Tunisia ) I'll be delighted to try
to answer them.
Best Regards
Gabriele Pierantoni
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Your reading of these pages is very accurate. Impossible to
travel in Iran without organized tour, such as provided by
me.
Hi Gabrielle!
I will not pretend to know what I am talking about, but
according to the previous message on this page, it is
impossible to travel independently. I do not suppose that
it is impossible, and I am leaving for tehran on June 5th.
The new updated LP book from 1998 says that backpacks are
OK, and is aimed at individual travellers.
....You DON'T NEED an organized tour to travel in Iran.
Though to get your visa you will need an invitation letter.
I am going to Iran in late July and August and although I need to get my invitation letter through a travel agent, the only thing I will be buying from that agent is my flight and 2 nights in a hotel in Tehran, nothing else!! So, it is possible to travel individually, as I would prefer. It is a much better and cheaper way to meet local people and really explore the iranian culture!
About the films, I have no clue how many you are able to bring, but I certainly hope more than 5 !! Hopefully anybody else will be able to answer this. And yes, I am also travelling with a backpack, I believe that is accepted right now.
Happy travels.
Mariska
You can travel in Iran without an organized tour. Also, it's
fine to travel with a backpack in Iran, and although I'm not
sure about the film issue, if you run out of film in Iran
it's available everywhere in the cities, including major
brands.
This guy 'Shaitan Bazargan' is making jokes. Well, his made-
up name in Farsi means: Satan Merchant!!!
1. It IS possible to come to Iran without tours
2. Backpacks are OK, though not as popular as in Europe and
America.
3. And you can find just whatever film you want in Tehran.
4. When in Tehran, come and visit the Italian Language
School of Italian Embassy where you could find several
young Iranians speaking fluent Italian who would be glad to
give you a hand on whatever problem you may face!
See you in Tehran
You do not need: a sponsor in Iran or an invitation
letter, or a tour or tour guide or ever-present driver to
organize the administrative part of your trip (i.e.,
visa.) I say this from immediate experience in the last 2
weeks (US citizen, got 1-month-stay, 3-month-validity
tourist visa.) You will need lots of persistence and luck
in getting a visa without the aforementioned, however, and
a travel agent-sponsored visa will be the quickest and
easiest way in. Some will require the purchase of a small
tour, or some nights booked at an overpriced (maybe $35 a
night) Tehran hotel to compensate them for their effort.
Proper decorum, dress and attitude will get you a visa,
while any kind of complaint or confrontation will cause the
office personnel to delay the visa issuance for whatever
reason they conjure up.
I brought in 46 rolls. I waved it at the customs guy on the
Turkish border to avoid getting it xrayed. No problems
there.