Travel to Iran From Malaysia

Among the Southeast Asian countries, the Malaysians may be more familiar with Iranians. Many Iranian students study at Malaysian universities and choose this beautiful country for recreation and enjoyment.

The conversance of the Malaysians with Iranians has led them to show more interest in visiting the natural and historical attractions of Iran during the past few years.

You may travel to Iran as Malaysian citizens, individually or in groups, and visit every spot you wish without any limitation. However, traveling with a group guided by an experienced tour leader dominant the whole area and locals will give you a better insight to Iran, past and present; so, we advise you to travel in groups.

Travel Guide to Iran for the Malaysian Citizens

Visiting Iran as a Malaysian Citizen

Fortunately, the Iranian government has close diplomatic ties with the Malaysian government, and as a citizen of Malaysia, you don’t need to get Visa. The 15-day tourist Visas are issued at all international airports in Iran. These visas can be extended to 30 days.

Direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Tehran

Even though there’s a long distance between the two countries and the direct flight takes about 8 hours, thanks to the large amount of Iranian tourists visiting Malaysia, there is a direct flight Kuala Lumpur to Tehran almost every day of the week. The two airlines of Mahan and AirAsia X have direct flight to Iran, whose costs varies between 2000-2500 Malaysian Ringgit, depending on the season.

I, personally, suggest Mahan Airline. It uses Airbus A340 aircraft with more comfortable seats and the passengers will be served with a number of Iranian hot meals. On the other hand, the airplanes AirAsia uses are Airbus A330, in which the seats pitch is low and you may feel more exhausted on an 8-hour flight. Besides, its in-flight meal and service is of the low-cost one.

Malaysian tourists visiting Iran – Abgineh Museum of Tehran

Where to buy Iranian money?

The ‘Iranian Rial’ is the currency of Iran, which is abbreviated as IRR [code] in the marketplace, although the “Toman” (ten Rials) is the common currency among the Iranians and is used by them for money calculation and counting.

Due to the International sanctions against Iran, it has not connected to the International Credit (and/or Debit) Cards Network. Hence, MasterCard and Visa card are not applicable in Iran.

Malaysian tourists visiting Iran – Abgineh Museum of Tehran

You may purchase Iranian Rial from several currency exchanges both in Iran and Malaysia. Some of the official currency exchanges at ‘Bukit Bintang Street’ as well as ‘Mid Valley Megamall’ will change your Ringgit for Iranian Rial.

You may also bring your money to Iran in Ringgit, Dollar or Euro and convert it to IRR at the currency exchanges located on ‘Ferdowsi Street’ at central part of Tehran. All these currency exchanges operate under the supervision of the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran; so, there is no concern about the matter of exchange.

Using Malaysian Mobile Services in Iran

You most likely use either of Celcom or Maxis operators, as most of the Malaysians do. The SIM cards of both operate in Iran via roaming. However, if the cost of using your own SIMs matters to you, you may use the “Visitor SIM” that provided by Irancell operator during your visit here. Their prices vary depending on the talking and data amount which start at about 12 Ringgits. The best places to buy these SIM cards are the international airports in Iran.

Read more about Mobile Services in Iran

Where to visit as a Malaysian?

You are our guest from a hot and humid country; thus, visiting a country with a different climate can make your trip even more fascinating. As an Iranian who’s lived for nearly 7 years in Malaysia, I’m familiar with your culture and spirits to a certain extent. Therefore, below comes my recommendations for a more:

The best times of year for the visit would be the last days of winter and the beginning of spring, together with the last days of summer and the birth of autumn. Among them, traveling in spring will coincide with celebrating the national and traditional ‘Nowruz’ festival in Iran, which is simultaneous with school closures in Malaysia. As a result, everything will be ready for an enticing irresistible journey.

Dara’i-bafi in Yazd

I recommend you to consider 8-12 days Iran tour (according to your time) for traveling to Iran. The best course for you would be surfing Tehran, visiting Isfahan, Yazd, Shiraz, and the ancient cities of ‘Pasargadae’ and ‘Persepolis’.

Moreover, if you’re lucky, there will still be some snow on a number of mountains in Iran. Dizin ski resort located at north of Tehran, is the most important ski resort in Iran as well as the Middle East which will turn your day into a special and unforgettable one!

Chehel Sotoun (Esfahan, Iran)

Why choosing SURFIRAN to tour Iran as a Malaysian individual, company or group?

Dr. Banafsheh Farahani, the Managing Director, and I (Dr. Mahdi Eshraghi), the founder of company, are both graduated from Malaysian universities in tourism; I received my Ph.D. in Tourism from the National University of Malaysia while Dr. Farahani has the same degree from USM.

We are well familiar with the multicultural and multi-ethnic culture of Malaysia. We know the Malaysians’ needs, interests and concerns of the Malaysian people and no stranger to their official language. Above all, we love Malaysia and its soft-hearted kind people.

Malaysian tourists visiting Iran – Abgineh Museum of Tehran

Malaysia is the second home for us. We understand that experiencing a memorable travel which offers high quality service at fair price will encourage our visitors to introduce us to the others. Hence, we will try our best to arrange a safe and impressive trip for the kind Malaysian people, one that’s never to be forgotten!