Gurbulak (Turkey)/Bazargan (iran) border crossing
 

I am driving overland through Turkey later this year and planned to enter Iran at the Gurbulak/Bazargan border crossing. I have just received this email from a contact in Iran, however, and I'm hoping someone can help me validate (or otherwise) his comments. He is trying to persuade me to go through Armenia but I'm not convinced his advice is totally objective. What do you think....

"By all the meanings coming via Armenia is the best option, there was a few attacks around the border town in the last few months, you better keep driving through Northern Turkey and enter to Georgia and then into Armenia then Iran, and the process at the Armenian border will be easier and quicker compare to Turkish border and the cost of my service will be cheaper too. you know the Bazargan border is very bad border crossing pint and people will try to get money from you in different ways and you can do nothing."

Thanks for your advice.

The Gurbulak border is famous for being the one to avoid. So your fixer is correct in saying this. There have also been some troubles I believe in Turkey around this border area, though I am not sure of specifics.

Going through Armenia is a rather long diversion however, and for a car at least, it is quite expensive to enter and cross Armenia. It is however a great country to visit (as is Georgia).

There are two other Turkey-Iran borders which you could use however, and from all accounts they are much calmer and easier though I have not crossed either of these.

You could also get a visa for Azerbaijan and cross from SE of Igdir (passing the most easterly point of Turkey) into Nakhchivan, then cross into Iran at Jolfa. However, the Jolfa border was the worst in terms of chaos (of many) Iranian borders that I have crossed over the years.

The Iran - Armenia border is calm and easy to cross.

A final option would be to go into Iraq at Silopi, then into Iran at Piranshahr or Beshmaq. However, in my experience, the Iraqi borders are also a little chaotic and you need to pay a little to take vehicle in.