48 Hours in Varzaneh

Here is one of the most beautiful deserts in Iran to enjoy the glory of the night in the desert further visiting unique places in the village during the day.

Desert Varzane (the correct word Khara desert) is located in Isfahan province, about 100 km of Isfahan and 150 km of Yazd. Here is one of the most beautiful deserts in Iran to enjoy the glory of the night in the desert further visiting unique places in the village during the day.

The first 24 hours:

VISIT- Gav chah, Asyab shotor, Karbafy workshop; Citadel of Ghortan

• Gav chah
  You can see one of the most traditional and initial ways to get water from the well. It works with a huge cow who moves and pulls the windlass, but he never starts moving unless the old man he knows sings a song.
   

• Asyab shotor
  Here is a place for grinding wheat. In this way, we have a camel who walks slowly and trolls the grinder and produces the flour.
  
   

• Karbafy workshop 
  Karbafy is a traditional textile industry, which is common in Varzane and villages around. This handmade gets woven by women in various designs and colors. In Varzane you can find them strips and blue.
  
   

• Citadel of Ghurtan 
  The ancient Ghurtan old citadel is located 12km west of Varzaneh, and you can reach it directly from Isfahan, being 90km east of Isfahan city. It's located on the bank of the Zayanderud river and has survived natural disasters and many wars for 1000 years. Having very thick walls made of adobe mud brick) made it a protected complex for people living in the region. The thickness of the walls varies from 3 to 4m and they are about 9m high. The citadel has an area of 40,000 square meters. Nowadays, only four families are living inside. The citadel contains four mosques, a pigeon house, a water reservoir, a mill and, many houses. It is protected by fourteen round towers and you would enter by two gateways.
  
   

• Accomodation in Varzane
  In Varzaneh you can stay in traditional guesthouses. There are many guest houses in Varzaneh that have comfortable rooms, accommodation facilities, and delicious traditional foods. If you are looking for an authentic desert experience then we highly recommend Chapaker guesthouse. “Chapaker” means “a well by the wall”. The owner Reza Khalili is a geologist and a tour guide himself, he has bought this house in 2009 and renewed it as a local guest house. Chapaker has a traditional decoration and is Located in Isfahan Province, Varzaneh, Beheshti St. Chapaker can accommodate 30 people, it has 6 rooms and a big, atmospheric courtyard where you can spend time relaxing in the evenings. The rooms are spacious and comfortable. In the courtyard, there is a well and a “Howz”. You can also use the kitchen to cook yourselves. The hosts will take you to see local people weaving carpets, salt lakes, and dunes. You’ll have an amazing stay in Chapaker guest house.
   

Another local house in Varzaneh is Bootimar's traditional guest house. This 100-year-old house has an atmospheric, quiet place where you can enjoy the beauty of nature for a couple of days. The name comes from a bird that fell the courtyard migrating and the owners took care of it for a while. Bootimar traditional guest house owners, try to provide their guests with travel away from technology and closer to nature and local life. So Bootimar traditional guest house doesn’t have Internet, television, and radio. For sleeping, you have to use traditional sleeping floor beds or sleeping bags. Also, they serve traditional delicious foods, freshly baked pieces of bread, fried eggs, and a wonderful Abgoosht, which is baked 24 hours in pottery dishes in the oven! Kookoo Sabzi and Kashk-E-Bademjan are other delicious foods. You can experience camel riding in the desert and visiting the traditions of local people and their culture. Bootimar traditional guest house is located in Isfahan Province, Between Isfahan and Nain, Koohpayeh, Ghehi village.

The next 24 hours:

• Sand Dune
  • The dunes usually do not move considerably, that is to say, you can camp for several nights there, having easy access to town. However, please note that, except for late spring and summer, the temperature often drops below 10°C and to 10 degrees below freezing in January and February), due to the lack of humidity. Thus, you would need sleeping bags if you want to camp there. The desert is about 45 km long in diameter.

Click here to see 1-day Varzaneh tour

• Wetland Gavkhooni
  • Gavkhooni is one of the 19 international Iranian lagoons located in Yazd and Isfahan that Zayanderood sheds there. Several types of animals and birds used to live there such as gazelles, ducks, and flamingos.

   

• What is the best time to go?
  Whole the spring, October, November and December are the best time to visit there.

• Getting there?
  From Isfahan, travelers can go to the Jey terminal and take the Varzaneh buses and minibusses, paying 20,000 IRR (less than 1 USD). You do not need to make a reservation for tickets in advance. You may go directly to Jey Terminal and ask the Terminal staff where the bus (or minibus) is. Almost once per hour, 07:00-17:00, there is a bus going to Varzaneh. It takes 1h30 to reach there. Plenty of taxis are also available, usually in front of Terminal to reach Varzaneh. You would pay about 10-15 USD to get there in a taxi.

HiPersia offer you to choose wonders of Varzaneh tour to visit this great place.