Bandar Abbas

Shahid Bahonar port lies 8 km west of Bandar Abbas.

Bandar Abbas is the capital of Hormozgan province and a harbour city on Iran's southern Persian Gulf coast, occupying a strategic point beside the narrow Strait of Hormuz. The city sits on level ground with an average elevation of 29 feet. Mount Geno, 17km north, and Mount Pooladi, 16km north-west, are the nearest high ground. River Shoor, the closest river, rises on Mount Geno and enters the Persian Gulf 10km east of town.

As a provincial capital, Bandar Abbas houses local offices for numerous central-government bodies. Air, railway and road links connect it with Tehran and the wider country. This modern city has few public visitor sites, although shoppers favour its bazaar. Across the Strait of Hormuz, Qeshm island contains old mosques, burial grounds and shrines.

Join the ship's excursion even if it does not appeal. Women MUST cover themselves fully and wear a headscarf; breaching this rule is a SERIOUS offence in Iran.

From Bandar Abbas beach, Hormoz is clearly visible to the left and Qeshm to the right. Motorboats offer return journeys to both islands.

Iran's low fuel prices make inter-city taxi travel particularly good value.

Traffic in Iran is dreadful. Drivers combine aggression with poor skill and behave as if road rules do not exist, while loose regulations are rarely observed. Cross roads with care and exercise even more caution when driving: motorists may overtake on pavements or use any available part of the road.

Outside the rich regional museum, the area's most appealing natural sights are in the surroundings: the material water in Genau, the new Kuh-e Genau Wildlife Park and the major agricultural town of Minab.

Every year, thousands of people visit Bandar Abbas and neighbouring islands such as Hormuz and Qeshm.

Iran's official currency is the rial, but high inflation means prices are sometimes expressed in toman to save time. One toman equals ten rials. Written prices are generally in rials, while spoken amounts use tomans. Shopkeepers may further omit the denomination on large figures: coffee described as 2 tomans means 2,000 tomans or IR 20,000, while a fine rug priced at 3 tomans means 3,000,000 tomans or IR 30,000,000. In speech, 1 Chomejni represents IR 10,000.

Importing and drinking alcohol is strictly prohibited, with severe penalties potentially including corporal punishment. Religious minorities may make and consume alcohol but cannot import or sell it. Pork and pork products are forbidden, and bringing them into Iran is also illegal.

The currency is the Iranian Rial (IRR).

The language breakdown is other 2%, Turkish 1%, Arabic 1%, Balochi 1%, Luri 2%, Kurdish 9%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, and Persian and Persian dialects 58%.

Mobile phones can reach the international 112 emergency number.