Why do I recommend you should have a guide for your Alamut Valley tour?
Of course, most of the touristic highlights in the world are accessible via public transportation.
But here are some reasons why I suggest you have a guide or driver/guide for Alamut Valley:
- Alamut valley is about 1.5 hrs drive from Qazvin and Alamut Castle is at least 2.5 hrs. Alamut is located in a mountainous region in Iran. The location is the southern shoulder of the Alborz mountain ranges in the north of Iran.
To feel safe and relaxed in such a long drive, you need to have a professional driver.
A Professional driver (unfortunately) has a different definition in Iran. Since we have a bad traffic culture, being a good driver means if you can exceed the speed limit, or over overtake from the wrong side, or overtake at the corners that you don’t have full sight.
You can add speaking on the phone without a hands-free tool and even smoking to this list.
So, driving with European standards is not very acceptable in Iran and you should be looking for someone who can give a safe, relaxed drive on such a snake road.
2. The taxi drivers in total in Iran do not speak English and do not have university educations. Apparently, they do not have the needed culture to give services to foreign tourists. In long distances in Iran, having a driver with no English, may get you bored.
3. For most of the taxi drivers in Iran, a foreign tourist means a potential target with a pocket full of bills. Breaching the agreement on the price, charging more than negotiations, making the distance longer than normal, requiring compensation of damage if by any chance an accident happens, pushing to receive tips and such non-professional behaviors are among those you will see from the majority of taxi drivers in Iran.
4. According to Lonely Planet, for the Alamut Valley tour, having an English-speaking guide can give soul to the walls of Alamut Castle. Yes, the same professional driver who can talk with you during the trip, will give you a lot of information about the history of the Castles, the Assassins, and the unique nature of Alamut Valley.
5. You will save money! Yes! Alamut Valley tours that are sold by large companies are sometimes 5 times more expensive than what you can get in Qazvin. The local professional guides always have an interest in their job and the money is not their only reason to perform tours. Having the tour with taxi drivers will not be of big save up for you.
6. For most of the guides in Alamut Valley, guiding is their professional full-time or part-time job. They may have families and their lives may be only based on tourism. They normally are always try to promote themselves about their job by studying books, taking courses, researching and etc. Most of them are connected with other local village guides in the valley to perform a better high quality tour for you.
By taking tours with Alamut Valley tour guides, you will help the promoting of tourism in the whole country.
