Iran is the safest country I've ever visited!
The story of solo female travelers in Iran

There is definitely so much negative propaganda, noise, and rumor about Iran in media around the world, especially in the US and Europe, but let's see the image of real Iran in view of two solo woman travelers who were brave enough to come to Iran and see the clear sky out of the negativity clouds. Jessica lives in the United States and submitted the following report about Iran which is posted on solotravelerblog.com Reasons to Visit Iran Iran has a wealth of history and culture. Despite its tenuous relationship with the West and regardless of what the media says, in my experience, it is a very safe country with much to offer the intrepid traveler. My personal interest in Iran began 13 years ago while I was studying ancient history and religion. To visit Persepolis was my ultimate dream, to walk in the footsteps of Darius and Xerxes. The tour I took (Americans and many other Westerners are required to have guides) began in Tehran and quickly moved to Shiraz, Kerman, Yazd, and Esfahan with a couple of stops in the desert along the way. I had the chance to sleep in a 400-year-old Caravanserai, get to know a family in a rural oasis village in the desert, and roam the rooftops of a town that is 1500+ years old but only recently vacated.
The Pink Mosque (Nasir ol Molk Mosque)in Shiraz is absolutely a must-see-be sure to go early in the day to catch the light coming in! The people of Iran are some of the most gracious and welcoming I have ever met. Not once did I ever feel unsafe or unwelcome. They want us to see them as they really are!

Top Experiences:

1. Zein-o-Din Caravanserai Experience a night or two on the Silk Road. Be sure to catch the sunset over the mountains.

2. Eco Lodge Shafi'abad Get to know what life in a village is like.

Iran is probably not the first place that will come to mind when you are considering your next trip. More than one person told me I was crazy or begged me not to go. But fortunately, I listened to others who had traveled there before me, along with my gut, and I was rewarded with the experiences of a lifetime: friendship, culture, and history. Kamila Napora is another solo traveler to Iran who has many things to say about her journey: I went solo to Iran and found it one of the safest countries ever! So I went to Iran alone. Most people think I'm stupid or crazy, a couple of minor panic attacks before going, mostly due to my uncertain visa situation, but also because I haven't traveled to such an exotic, unknown destination before, the one I didn't really know how to prepare for.

7 Days Iran Tour

Safety For the whole time I've spent there I didn't encounter even one situation when I would have felt in danger or even uncomfortable. Unlike other countries that are top tourist destinations but can be challenging for solo women (I'm looking at you Morocco) Iran was completely safe! Some braver one tried to talk to me and every day I repeated the word "Lachestan" ("Poland" in Farsi language) countless times. Usually, the question about where I am from and how I like Iran were the only ones I was asked. Just the other day I saw a list of the safest cities in the world and I was not surprised to see Tehran there. Iran really was probably the safest country I've ever visited!

Iranian people, I heard so many things about the incredible Iranian hospitality I was really curious to see how it really is. I usually divide such stories by four and don't expect much but surely on my second day in Iran (or was it a night?) I experienced it as well. I took the night bus from Tehran to Shiraz and at 5 in the morning I was woken up by the driver-it turned out he lives in the random town we were passing by and since at that point there was only me and two more passengers - a mother with a teenage daughter - he invited us over for a breakfast. Normally I wouldn't have accepted such an offer (and I refused a few times before finally agreeing) but since I was accompanied by other women and I figured out nothing bad can happen. Still, it was a really lovely time, I felt very welcomed, ate much more than I wanted, and even got some extra food for the onward journey. And stories like this do happen in Iran, a lot.

One of my highlights in Iran, Kashan is just like from "One Thousand and One Nights". Beautiful mosque of all the mosques I've seen in Iran, Agha Bozorg Mosque was the most empty one, during my visit there were maybe three other people around. It was just stunning!
Traditional houses - the biggest attraction of Kashan But the biggest attraction of Kashan are the traditional houses, a perfect example of fine Persian architecture. I've been to two of them - I expected them to be similar but I couldn't have been any more mistaken! Both Khan-e Boroujerdi and Khan-e Tabatabai looked like nothing special from the outside but stepping inside is like moving into another world, the fairy tale one.   Iran Tours Itineraries

In the end, we should say that there are many more solo travelers visiting Iran than Jessica and Kamila. It is completely possible that people as tourists face troubles and dangers during their visit to any country and destination and this is such an inevitable issue in the tourism industry, but it is a matter of frequency of such problems and surely we can say Iran unlike of many things that tourists may hear before visiting the country is not a dangerous destination at all, and even is among of the safest.