During my brief visa run to the island of Kish in Iran, I managed to find a stall that rents out bicycles for a day for only 5 AED. The bike path in the Kish allows one to circumnavigate the entire island. This is the story of that circumnavigation, or attempt thereof.

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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE MAY 2015 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
TRAVEL + ADVENTURE
Words + Photos By: Keith Pereña
This may not be true for everyone of
course. Touted as a resort island, the island
of Kish is proudly known as the “Pearl of the
Persian Gulf”. But I will not be giving out a
history lesson.
I started out as an expat that needed
to go to Kish for the visa run. A lot of my
friends and colleagues here in Dubai dis-
suaded me from going there as they nar-
rated harrowing stories of how life is in Kish.
The stories ranged from the use of danger-
ous substances to the much larger problem
of desperation especially among those
who want to secure an entry permit back
to Dubai by any means necessary. I admit
that it got me pretty scared as I booked and
boarded my flight to that island but with no
Of Kish and Bicycles
Hearing the mention of Kish Is-
land does not exactly give a positive
note. The Iranian vacation island
is famous in the expat community
as a place to go for the occasional
visa run.
choice left and the option to explore un-
charted territories, I faced that fear hoping
to debunk whatever sob stories I heard from
Dubai - time to leave prejudices behind.
Skipping the entire landing and staying
in the hotel part. The island is suffice to say,
a huge anathema to what everyone has
told me about it. No, it’s not a ragtag place
where it’s dangerous to go out; no there
are no bad persons and no, it’s not a place
where people bore themselves to death. It’s
in fact a tranquil island surrounded by the
ocean breeze where the silence is a home
away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
With two days in my hands, it was time to
go up and about. Most of the people I met
in Kish had all manners of aversion to let the
time pass. There were the crossword solvers,
the chess players, the movie watchers. I’m
not about to fall into that same spiral and
mope in my hotel room. The hotel was near
the coast line and the afternoon wind beck-
ons – I went out to the beach.
A short walk towards the coast and the
breeze from the waters immediately took me
in. There was even a rock platform where
one could stand and let the waves crash
trying to reach you. The sea was of a blue
that sounded of lyres as it pressed to and fro
along the shore. I walked onward.
An interesting thing to take note of in Kish
is that the prices are very reasonable. A five
or ten dirham bill goes a long way in this
island. And I was about to discover that as
I saw a bike rental kiosk that lent customers
their bikes for an hour.
Bikes are a great way to circumnavigate
the island within the span of a day and I say
this because you only get to pay 5 AED or
so and they don’t mind if you go past the
one hour mark. The path stretches around
the island and has its fair share or swirls and
uphills something similar to the likes of Je-
bel Hafeet and there are a lot of interesting
sights along the path. Abandoned buildings
sit along the coast, some of which are open
for exploration. There are sand tracks where
you can take your bike on the road less
travelled, plus the path is filled with other
riders. I also had the opportunity to see
some locals enjoying the traditional way of
life – people who have not yet been subject
to the surge of consumerism and glitz that
the city proper exuded. As they lighted their
campfire and prepared to cook dinner, I
knew in myself that the notorious island that
my friends and family in Dubai told me was
gone.
It was about 7:00 p.m. when I got back to
the rental kiosk – three hours after I rented
the bike and cruised my way to disprove
whatever fears I had when I came to Kish. It’s
not a bad place after all. In fact, I can truly
say that if you want a quiet ride to muse
about life, or listen to the voice of the ocean
serenading you to calm, there is no better
place than Kish Island. Contrary to majority
of expats that bore themselves there wait-
ing for their visas, a lot can be done only if
they would drop whatever they have in their
hands and head outdoors to debunk the
nightmares that surround this majestic and
serene island.
The road to freedom It only takes 5 AED to have so much fun
Inside one of the coastal buildings in Kish
Along the route are places of elegant
decay. Such as this building