An American’s 10-Day Adventure Traveling in Iran
Traveling to Iran may come with hesitation and concern for many foreign tourists, especially Americans. However, this travelogue by an American traveler, Mac Candee, who visited Iran for the first time, reveals how real experiences can transform all preconceptions. During his 10-day journey, he explored Iran from Shiraz in the south to Tehran in the north, capturing unforgettable moments.
It is time to fly to Iran 🇮🇷
I am an American and I’m about to travel to Iran for my first time ever. I took a two hour taxi from Abu Dhabi up to Sharjah and almost missed my flight to Iran. But luckily I made it. I was feeling super nervous about this trip with everything happening right now in the Middle East. But I have been waiting months for this visa, so I decided to ignore the media. and hop on the plane. The nerves were increasing as i was flying to Iran, specifically to Shiraz, which is in the southern side of the country. I stared out the window for the entire roughly one hour flight.
All I could see was vast desert lands until right before we were landing, there was a massive pink lake. Upon landing, I went through customs where I got some very sus looks from the officer who asked me a ton of questions as to why an American would visit Iran right now. And after telling what felt like my entire life story, he warmly welcomed me to Iran. And now I’m here in my 66th country. Follow along to see what happens to an American visiting Iran
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Day One in Shiraz, Iran: i can’t believe i am in iran
This is day number one as an American in Iran, and I just arrived here in Shiraz with my friend, who is a tour guide here. And honestly, the nerves of being in Iran vanished almost instantaneously. We first stopped by a restaurant to try out the national dish for starters. And wow, that thing was delicious . After filling up our bellies, we cruised over through Shiraz and made our way over to this beautiful botanical garden that was filled with exotic trees and nature and tons of locals, including some playing some music for us. After we made a stop over at the tomb of Hafiz, which attracts people from all over Iran. And these were my thoughts after the first few hours here.
Perceptions will shape how you look at the world and you’ll miss out on so much if you just consume one type of media, which is just whatever’s on your TV. We grabbed some tea afterwards and then walked down to the first area where locals spend their Friday evening. being super active, walking and playing volleyball. And later in the evening, we stopped over in the western side of Shiraz, which is known as the more modern side of the city. It was full of life, style and fashion. Make sure to follow for more videos both here in Iran and all around the world.
Day Two in Shiraz, Iran: Persian Breakfasts, Friendly Taxi Rides, and Pink Wonders
number two as an american here in iran good morning good morning i started the day with a delish iranian breakfast and then headed over to do my first currency exchange. And I got this massive stack of cash for 300 a millionaire here in iran now. After I went to this exotic mosque where the stained glass lights the place up so beautifully a few hours after sunrise. This mosque is the master of using pink color. Before the it was not usual to use the pink color in the mosque. The architecture here was so impressive where you can even see cathedrals in the mosaics inside the mosque. I then grabbed the taxi over to the next spot and on the way I spoke a little bit of Persian to the driver and he loved it.
We finished off with the best for last to this incredibly beautiful pink salt lake. These are naturally pink lakes. There’s an algae that turns it into this beautiful pink natural color. Welcome to Iran.
This is freaking insane. Pink horizon, pink skyline right there with the sun on the Orange Mountains. What I saw almost felt like a mirage in the distance with what seemed to be a massive lake. But up close, it gave me a feeling like I had just entered into a new winter like climate. This is just mesmerizing. it’s literally just like the texture of snow. This place in itself is a natural phenomenon which left me nearly speechless in some moments. But to understand that there is actually a type of shrimp that can thrive in these living conditions. They are very small and the color is also pink. it can use as a food for fish farming and other also purposes. When the lake is actually filled with water you can take a
boat out there’s a lot of different landscapes in the world, but I would say salt landscapes are one of the most exotic ones I’ve ever seen. It’s such an unrealistic feeling that you can see pink color that’s natural. This is just like icicles of salt, salticles And they actually mine the salt from here. And you can see that way out there in the distance. We’ve got this crazy green color. That’s the algae. And that algae turns it into this naturally pink salt. Should I taste it? No. Pink, green, white on both sides. It’s like an ice cream sandwich. Who wants one?
Day Three in Iran: From Persepolis to the Heart of Yazd
Number three as an American in Iran. Today we had a full day of driving nearly six hours. This is Iranian traffic right here. Oh my god. That is the danger in Iran here. Flying hay off the back of the pickup trucks that are overloaded. So our first stop was to grab some fuel. The subsidized one is only 10,000 rials. And the free one is about 30,000. After a 70 kilometer drive from Shiraz, we made it over to Persepolis, the ancient capital of the Persian kings. Officially, my friends, welcome to Persepolis. This place shows the remains of the power and influence of the Persian Empire, and it will blow your mind to see this whole area. We are able to be sent 2500 years in the past and see the remains of what was once
a beautiful and glorious empire. What should have been one of the wonders of the world, especially in the perspective of the Iranians. After that, about ten minutes down the road, we are now here at a UNESCO World Heritage site, which is Necropolis, meaning the tomb of the dead kings of Persia. We saw the four tombs of the kings known as Necropolis. And to finish off the day, we drove another four hours up to the city of Yaz. Welcome to Yaz, where we’re going to be spending two nights. And we checked into this amazing boutique hotel for the night. Follow for more videos here in Iran and all around the world.
Day Four in Yazd, Iran: Ancient Temples, Sweet Surprises, and a Rooftop Sunset in Yazd
day number four as an american in iran with my two new buddies. Hello. I woke up in this incredible boutique hotel in Yazd, Iran, and headed over to what’s known as the silent Temple. And this place will blow your mind. It’s a tower on top of this hill. Took us probably 80 stairs to get to the top. And once we’re at the top, there’s a hole in the middle. And this hole was once a place where bodies were Afterwards, we stopped at the Yazd Fire Temple, which has literally been burning nonstop for at least fifteen hundred years. And even before fifteen hundred years, it was relocated from another place. Then we went to this beautiful hotel that had architecture leading out to the garden. And it just gives you this feeling of being in nature. Afterwards, we had shrimp that was so good our mouths were watering. Thanks to our good man Abbas.
Because you look like a boss. And we can’t forget that strong 0.0% beer we took down during lunch. Cheers my friends. We took this to the next level and went to the bakery where these nice ladies gave us some free samples. That is so freaking good. And I ended up buying four containers of extremely delicious treats. We finished the day over in the old quarter where we watched sunset from this rooftop.
And it was the most bizarre looking skyline I had ever seen because of these wind catchers where they essentially bring in a natural air conditioning system into the souks and into people’s homes and buildings. And last but not least, we walked the old quarter back home in this beautiful night here in Iran.
Day Five: Into the Desert – Adventures, Legends, and a Sky Full of Stars
Day five as an American in Iran, we would go deep inside the Iranian desert known as the Messer Desert. And joining me on today’s adventure is my legendary tour guide, Isan known as Kako or Baro Dar. It took roughly five hours to go from Yazd and we went through some pretty wild terrain. But on our way, we stopped at an oasis in the middle of the desert where we got a free natural foot spa. All right. All right. It’s time to eat. You know, it’s interesting that At the beginning they come and why they go to your feet so much more than me? I’m jealous. Your feet is much more delicious than mine. There is no fish here. They like the American feet. It’s show time over here. After another hour, we made it to Messer Village and met the legend Abbas. My brother Abbas, how are you? How are you? Good and you? Nice to meet you. For a meal before venturing deep
inside the Iranian terrain. This wild four by four safari took us ripping through the desert. If you guys are seeing this, I survived. Just in time for sunset. We’re in the middle of the desert here in Bessar, Iran. This place is crazy. It’s a dream. We only had one hour here and I feel like this is the most alive been running in nature, where we got to experience one of the most beautiful sunsets in the country. We finished the evening with a fire, some tea, and gazed up at an extremely rare comet. They call it the Sutinshan Atlas. It’s crossing our solar every 80,000 years. Follow for more content both here in Iran and all around the world.
Day Seven: Getting Lost in Isfahan’s Magic and Hospitality
Day number seven as an American here in Iran, and we’re in the city of Isfahan. The fear of being here was long gone. At this point, I felt like a local. So I went straight to the money exchange to get another huge stack of Rial. You’re going to be a millionaire just after five minutes. And then over to the most mind-blowing place in the country, Naqsh-e Jahan Square.
This place had some of the biggest mosques I had ever seen. Wow, this is so big. Let’s go to see how is the acoustic in this area. It sounds like we are in an auditorium. so everywhere you can see the handicrafts because this one is the capital of handicrafts in the whole country. That is impressive. You can see so many different types of things to purchase around here. To the country’s best carpet hustlers. Higher schedule. 11 days. That means I have to be rushed to sell you a nice carpet. Who happened to pull me in for a quick sale. All right, we got a winner. Damn. Here we go, there we go.
And then tons of interactions with local Iranians. I can say that Iran is easily one of the most hospitable countries. Even when I was buying sweets at a legit shop, it is in their culture for it to be offered for free. Of course that would pay. We strolled the city to a few more spots and finished the evening at a bridge that turns into a locals music venue at night.
Day Eight: A Journey Through Iran’s Past and Present
number eight as an american in Iran. We drove over to this wild looking red clay village known as apiane so we just made it over here to apiane after about two hour drive. Which teleports you back to what rural persian life was like hundreds of years ago. If you’re far away, it would blend in with the mountains. Everywhere they use the mud and it’s a kind of red mud because the mountains of this village, the soil is red. This is why everything seems red in this village while i’m was there, we had some tea and got to experience locals singing in the narrow alleyway. Afterwards, we stopped for some lunch we’re gonna have a nice little chicken kebab right here. Let’s see how this tastes. And strolled through a perfected iranian garden and a traditional mansion to see how much work
it takes to create one of these scarves. While we were there, we tried this interesting iranian lemonade. So refreshing with like a pedal screen you just feel like you’re drinking earth with lemon and finish the day with a drive up towards the iranian capital, Tehran, including a stop along the way at this modern, I guess, mall or pit stop with crazy chocolate tools. Carved out chocolate in the form of tools. Those are my favorite types of tools. Follow to see what happens as i continue exploring Iran.
Day Nine in Tehran, Iran: From Golestan Palace to the Tehran Bazaar
Day number nine as an American in Iran. The day started over at the Golestan Palace which was one of the most luxurious places I have ever seen. Chandeliers hanging down, details on everything. As we walked around Golestan Palace somehow we got pulled into taking some shaw photos. Yeah you’re doing it too yeah of course. Very nice. With your hat. That’s the American style. I think you have to buy one of these king of Chicago. Salaam. My name is Shah. Well, she may have rained on my parade as being a Shah in Iran, but little did she know we were about to be her best client of the month. And spent 60 million rials, then made a quick pit stop at the most picturesque spot in Tehran, Azadi Square, before making our way over to the Tehran Grand Bazaar to buy a few things. Oh CNN, world’s smallest tea house. Oh that’s awesome, this is you.
Love you, bro. Love you too, bro. The night finished with a walk down this crazy pedestrian bridge known as Tabiat that has amazing views of the city and then strolled a little further and found ourselves a 0.0% beer to finish the night off here in Tehran. Follow to see what happens as an American exploring Iran.
Day Ten: Hiking, Sunsets, and the Beauty of Northern Tehran
Today is day number ten as an American in Iran. We drove to the northern part of Tehran to visit the Sadabad complex, which was filled with so many gardens and palaces. After we headed towards Darband Valley. So we have just made it over here to Darband Valley. in the northern part of Tehran. This place is known for its seemingly infinite amount of places to stop for food, drinks, snacks, ice cream, or whatever else you can imagine.
While you’re eating and drinking your way up the mountain you’ll end up hiking roughly 45 minutes until you start to see amazing views of the mountains. And at the top there is a cable car you can take back down to the bottom and experience amazing sunset views. Here in the Tehran airport now and heading out. Just finished up
11 days here in Iran, and it was such an epic trip, traveling from the south all the way to the north. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect on this trip. I didn’t understand how big of a country iran was and how vastly different the landscapes are. Seeing just the areas from shiraz up to tehran gave me a small glimpse into what this country has to offer. But I know i will need to plan another trip to explore a lot more of this country. Until next time, Iran.
conclusion
This was a trip that was a roller coaster of emotions from the initial concerns early on leading to indescribable moments in the middle of the desert in pure nature with nobody else around. Long days on the road and deep conversations with my tour guide as well as locals… it was a trip that I greatly appreciate and am blessed to have had the opportunity to tell some stories about this place.
I realize after going there that all the locals would comment that I’ve seen pretty much nothing during 10 days of nonstop travel and I believe it… so I’ll be back at some point; not sure when but I look forward to it.
I may sound like a broken record on repeat, but throughout the Middle East exploration, I always find the hospitality and warmth from locals to be something that can’t be described… but something that can be felt in those moments and I’m lucky to have met all the people I did who showed that side of the country to me throughout this trip.