Backpacking in Iran: Touring the unknown village of Yaseh Chah.
I cannot be 100% sure but this is probably the first ever travel blog post in English about the village of Yaseh Chah in Iran. Basically Yaseh Chah is not on maps, it’s not in tourist guide books, nobody outside of Iran knows of it but it exists. I’ve been there. The village of Yaseh Chah.
The sign on arrival at Yaseh Chah, Iran.
On our one month long stint backpacking in Iran, we ended up touring this remote, small village thanks to our friend Rasool, our host from Shahr-e Kord. Iranian people are surely the friendliest people you will meet on your travels, and having now visited 100 countries, they are easily the most hospitable I have personally experienced. Iranian people will talk to you, greet you and look after you during your stay in their country.
Panny crossing the bridge to Yaseh Chah.
It’s also important to note that when you are travelling in Iran you don’t really need to book any hotels – basically local people come up to you and invite you to stay with them, ALL THE TIME. We had about 5-6 invites to stay with Iranian families and we took the opportunity to stay with Fatih and Issa in Zarad Band (near Tarjrish in North Tehran) as well as with Rasool and family in little known Shahr-e Kord. We also spent an afternoon and dinner with a family in Marvdasht who we met on the bus between Shiraz and Persepolis. All three experiences we had were with local families, miles away from the tourist spots and simply an unforgettable memory that you cannot replicate.
Yaseh Chah, Iran.
What is Yaseh Chah?
Yaseh Chah (Persian: ياسه چا, also Romanized as Yāseh Chāh) is a village in Hureh Rural District, Saman District, Shahr-e Kord County, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 702, in 222 families. (source – Wikipedia Yaseh Chah)
With Rasool in Iranian countryside.
How to get to Yaseh Chah
No public transport exists in Yaseh Chah. It’s all people driving themselves in cars. Rasool drove us there so find a friend in Iran and ask them to take you out to Yaseh Chah if you’re up for something very random. The nearest big city is Shahr-e Kord.
Nonchalant spot of backpacking in Yaseh Chah with the locals.
So one morning in Shar-e Kord, Rasool decides to take us out for a drive through the mountains. The landscape is gorgeous and we make a few essential “photos stops” on the way. We end up in two really off the wall remote villages, either side of a river from each other. One of these villages is known as Yaseh Chah, so we toured the village.
Yaseh Chah, Iran.
It’s really hard to describe how cool these experiences are in life, but basically Panny and I were the only two foreigners walking around, possibly for the last 6 months – 1 year. Possibly longer. This means everyone in the village will want to talk to you, welcome you etc.
Walking through the walls and passages in Yaseh Chah.
Yaseh Chah is small and it’s old school Iran. It’s like a desert town built in the mountains. Houses made from mud, brick and wood make up the village. You can walk through some arches and into mud tunnels where people live their lives. It’s where old meets modern – every place has electric, most of them probably even wi-fi.
Walking through Yaseh Chah.
We walk through the narrow streets right through the village. We have the place to ourselves except for a few locals who come to chat.
The streets of Yaseh Chah.
Then we head down to the river, which separates Yaseh Chah from another village settlement called Sadegh Abad.
Sadegh Abad in Iran – opposite Yaseh Chah.
The river in Yaseh Chah.
Down by the river there is an exercise park which has a see saw and all sorts of exercise equipment which we made use of. It was all a bit crazy!
Exercising in Yaseh Chah!
On the see saw in Yaseh Chah, Iran.
On the see saw in Yaseh Chah, Iran.
Here are some videos from our remote and random day out at Yaseh Chah:
Nothing beats the feeling of being the only tourists in town — let alone the first tourists to arrive in over 6+ months. Something that I enjoyed just outside of Punta Gorda, Belize a few years ago. How much time did you actually spend wandering around this town? And what were your top highlights?
Ray recently posted…The Homecoming
Hi Ray – I think after about 90 minutes we were done with it, that’s all you need really. We also visited about 5/6 more places like this in Iran and I haven’t written about them yet, which worries me if I will ever find the time to cover all my stories. Chak Chak, Kharanaq, Mesr, Khoor and Zarad Band are a few of the other remote spots. Highlights were just seeing the gorgeous river, the housing structures that hadn’t change and meeting some locals on our walk, who all said hello and loved the fact that a Hong Kong girl and Northern Irish guy would actually take time in their life to visit a village like Yaseh Chah. Safe travels. Jonny
You welcome to my village. I’m local and good for hearing that you’ve been here
Hi Hadi thanks, we had fun in Yaseh Chah! Safe travels, Jonny