Bajgiran

Bajgiran is an Iranian village located at one of three border points between Iran and Turkmenistan. It is located 75 km from Quchan (Iran) and about 40 km from Ashgabat, capital of Turkmenistan.

Get in
No public transportation gets to Bajgiran.

The best solution should be to rent a taxi from Quchan (about 30 000 rials per person).

See
Some old mud-houses. The landscape is wonderful, but pay attention to the fact that the small road going into the mountains can cross the border with Turkmenistan without any warning.

Buy
Post office, bank, some small shops, where you can change Iranian rials into Turkmen manats, at a correct rate.

Eat
The only option seems to be the restaurant in the hotel left when you enter the city. 50 000 rials for the day meal, including drink.

Some food in the small shops, more expensive than in the rest of Iran.

Sleep
Bajgiran is only a small village, and it seems there are only two places to sleep in.



There is another hotel, with much more simple rooms (shared toilets outside!), 500m further on the road, at the middle of the village.

Connect
No Internet café in Bajgiran. Cell phones can be used with no problem.

To Quchan
Take a taxi going down from the border. Bargain the price!

To Mashhad
Take a taxi to Quchan. From here, buses leave every two hours (8,000 rials) to Mashhad.

To Turkmenistan
As no public transportation goes across the Turkmen border, to get to Ashgabat in Turkmenistan, the following option is the most convenient:
 * Go to the border (opening time: 7.30-15.30 Iran time). Crossing the border can take up to 2 hours. Turkmen police will ask for an entry tax of $10 (per person) + $2 of bank fees (per group), to be paid in US dollars only.
 * In the Turkmenistan side, take a taxi to Ashgabat, which can cost up to $15 per person. Duration: about 1h.