Iran holiday
| country: | Iran |
| trip type: | Click here to check Foreign & Commonwealth office advice |
| departures: | 2009: 9 May |
| price: | From £1750 (15 days) excluding flights. We can arrange flights from the UK. |
the amazing things you'll be doing
The Islamic Republic of Iran may not be the first place you’d think of for a holiday, certainly if sunbathing and beer are an essential part of your getaway requirements. But for the culturally inquisitive, Iran offers a feast of ancient sights, a rich culture, interesting and varied landscapes, splendid cuisine and very hospitable people.
Despite the uncertain political winds that regularly batter this great country, here you will find a fascinating place to visit, with old cities packed with exquisite mosques and spectacular madrassas, ruins from ancient Persia, nomadic tribes, hill walking, skiing and surreal Caspian Sea beach resorts.
Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling shah was forced into exile and Ayatolla Khomeni took control. It is bordered on the north by Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan and the Caspian Sea, on the east by Pakistan and Afghanistan, on the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and on the west by Turkey and Iraq. Politically it does have very conservative leanings, but life on the street will surprise you.
A trip to Iran will not be for everyone. But for those with a desire to explore one of the great ancient civilisations and to understand the modern world in greater depth, a journey here is sure to be an enlightening experience.
Despite the uncertain political winds that regularly batter this great country, here you will find a fascinating place to visit, with old cities packed with exquisite mosques and spectacular madrassas, ruins from ancient Persia, nomadic tribes, hill walking, skiing and surreal Caspian Sea beach resorts.
Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling shah was forced into exile and Ayatolla Khomeni took control. It is bordered on the north by Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan and the Caspian Sea, on the east by Pakistan and Afghanistan, on the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and on the west by Turkey and Iraq. Politically it does have very conservative leanings, but life on the street will surprise you.
A trip to Iran will not be for everyone. But for those with a desire to explore one of the great ancient civilisations and to understand the modern world in greater depth, a journey here is sure to be an enlightening experience.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Tehran. Arrive in Tehran where we will be met and transferred to our hotel. After freshening up and a rest we will visit the Sa`d Abad Palaces and the bank vaults to see the famous Persian crown jewels – including the glorious peacock throne. |
| Day 2: | Tehran – Zarabad. Leave for the village of Razmian from where we will trek up to Lambasar Castle, one of the great ‘Assassins’ castles’. After exploring the remains of this fascinating stronghold, drive on to Zarabad, from where we will trek to Lake Evan and the Evan village. |
| Day 3: | Alamut. Today we will visit Alamut, the most famous of all the Assassins Castles. After driving to the charming village of Gazorkhan, situated at the foot of the powerful base of Alamut, we will begin our 2-hour trek up to this intriguing castle. Here we can enjoy wandering around the castle’s ruins and take in the breathtaking views of the surrounding valley. |
| Day 4: | Alamut - Qazvin – Kashan - Abyaneh. Drive to Qazvin and Kashan. Visit the Royal Gardens of Fin, Sialk Mounds, and the 19th century Agha Bozorg Mosque. Continue on to Abyaneh, said to be one of the most fascinating villages in the country with some magnificent views across the valley. |
| Day 5: | Abyaneh – Yazd. We will head for Yazd where we’ll visit the Fire Temple and Bagh-e- Doulat Abad Garden. These gardens, which were once a residence of the former ruler Karim Khan Zand, consist of small pavilions set in peaceful gardens. |
| Day 6: | Yazd – Bazm. Today we will visit Nir-Aliabad-Marvast, Totak and Sarvestan before reaching Bazm. Here we will wander around the nomadic areas and meet with the nomads in their tents. |
| Day 7: | Bazm – Persepolis. Spend some more time with the nomads before leaving for Bavanat, passing through Safa Shahr and Pasargadae where we will visit the impressive six-tiered Tomb of Cyrus which stands on a windswept plain, and is still the best preserved of the Pasargadae ruins. Before arriving in Persepolis, we visit the tombs of Naqsh-e Rajab and Nagsh-e Rostam. |
| Day 8: | Persepolis – Shiraz. Leave for Shiraz, visiting the Arg-e Karim Khani. This imposing fortress, with 14m high circular towers dominates the city centre. We will also visit the Citadel, the Eram & Narenjestan Gardens and the Tombs of Sa`adi & Hafez. |
| Day 9: | Shiraz – Yasuj. Morning free in Shiraz to explore before driving on to Yasuj. Arrive in Yasuj. |
| Day 10: | Yasuj. Today we will drive to Sisakht. From here we will then trek to the Golkuh Lake region passing through a wonderful acorn-forested area, up to an altitude of 2200m, before trekking back to Sisakht (whole trip about 5-6hrs) and back to Yasuj. |
| Day 11: | Yasuj – Isfahan. Depart Yasuj for Isfahan for a relaxing day sightseeing. |
| Day 12: | Isfahan. A full day’s sightseeing today - visit the Nasqh Jahan Square, Imam Mosque, one of the world’s most beautiful mosques, and the magnificent Ali Qapu Palace. |
| Day 13: | Isfahan. Another day to explore this fascinating city. Visit Chehel Sotun Palace Museum, Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque and the Shahrestan Bridge. We will then go on to visit the beautiful Botanical Gardens and the Shaking Minaret. |
| Day 14: | Isfahan – Tehran. Depart Isfahan for Tehran, (6-7hrs drive). |
| Day 15: | Departure from Tehran. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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In Iran we use local ground handlers - this means that all the operational costs go directly into the local economy and helps to improve employment opportunities in remote regions. By incorporating home-stays, locally owned hotels, restaurants and the services of guides and drivers into our itineraries, we ensure that money you spend on your trip goes directly into the local economy and local communities benefit from tourism.
We have a strict environmental policy to make sure that the environments we visit are not damaged or spoilt in any way. All our guides are trained to uphold this policy and all clients are fully briefed on appropriate/responsible behaviour whilst in wilderness areas. Our “Leave No Trace” ethic is applied to all trips in all regions and, as tour operators, is something we are careful to promote. When you take one of our trips, we automatically make a contribution to “Climate Care” – an organisation devoted to ‘offsetting’ or ‘neutralising’ harmful greenhouse gas emissions caused by your flight. This is done by funding projects across the world that will reduce greenhouse gases on your behalf through sustainable energy or rainforest restoration. www.climatecare.org Our company also supports emergency relief efforts in the areas we travel to, such as the Pakistan Earthquake Fund set up in 2005 and a variety of other community benefiting NGOs around the world. We also support several other NGOs around the world such as the Hope Foundation, Tibetan schools trust and Adopt-A-Minefield, which are all carefully selected to improve the standard of living for the communities we visit. There are full details of these on the Responsible Tourism page on our website. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |