A Bespoke Iran Tour
Follow the hallowed trails of the Silk Road on this enchanting tailor-made Iran tour.
A land of incredible diversity and phenomenal beauty, Iran was once the thriving heart of the mighty Persian empire.
On this enthralling, culture-rich journey we’ll take you away from the usual paths and into the historic, rarely visited Caspian Sea region. You’ll get up close and personal with Mount Damavand, stroll through the tea gardens of the Caspian coast (possibly even helping with the harvest if timings allow), watch fishermen as they haul in their catches and sample delicious seafood.
Heading south, this Iran tour will take you to the bazaars of Tehran. In this region of the country, you will cook classic Iranian dishes, visit remote mountain villages, bargain with carpet sellers in Kashan and star-gaze at a pioneering new eco-camp in the desert.
You’ll end your trip with time to explore the historic and magnificent city of Isfahan, arguably the most beautiful city on earth. This will be a immersive Iran tour which allows you to see a part of the world that few westerners get to experience.
As with all of our tailor-made itineraries, this is a sample tour and can be altered to suit your tastes.
| DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION | Arrive: Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport Depart: Isfahan International Airport |
| DEPARTURE TIME | Please arrive on the date that this trip is scheduled to depart.
See Itinerary for details |
| INCLUDED | - Accommodation
- All meals
- All transfers and transport
- Professional guide
- Entrance fees
- Coffee, tea, filtered water and fresh fruit throughout
|
| NOT INCLUDED | - Visa for Iran
- Guide gratuity
- Souvenirs
|
Visit Tehran
This bespoke Iran tour will set-off from Iran’s capital, Tehran. You’ll spend two days here exploring its Persian wonders. With palaces, bazaars and mosques to explore, Tehran will take you back in time to the golden days of the Silk Road.
This is an incredible opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with some areas of Iran that are little-visited, to meet the people and break bread with them. Wonderful.
Flexible Departure : April – November
Where will we be staying?
We’ll be staying in a variety of accommodation – from larger hotels in Tehran and Isfahan, to local hotels in Rasht and Zanjan and even an eco-camp at Matinabad. The accommodation has been chosen to help give you a real glimpse of life in Iran.
What will the weather be like?
In spring you can expect pleasantly warm days of around 16-20 degrees, and cool nights, especially in the desert. In summer the heat is ramping-up and can reach 40 degrees, so bring a good sun hat and cool clothes! In autumn the fierce heat gives way to balmy evenings and a lovely – though busier – time of year. But have no fear, we will supply you with a detailed packing list after you’ve signed up.
What kit do I need to bring?
We will provide you with an information pack after signing up to this trip, and this will detail any particular equipment we think either necessary or useful.
How much are flights?
This is a moving feast! It depends on where you are travelling from and how you want to get there. From London, it’s around £500 return (outbound to Tehran and return from Isfahan) with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul. We can also offer ATOL-protected flight inclusive packages.
What will the food be like?
Very, very good. The food in Iran is justly famed and you’ll enjoy a dazzling array of dishes. Vegetarians are well catered-for and you’ll also have meat and fish. This isn’t the country to come to if you’re on a diet! The North of Iran has some food specialties that are particular to the region, and even some towns are famous for one dish or another. Fish is a staple along the Caspian Sea coast and here is a selection of other dishes, noted with enthusiasm by a Guardian newspaper article.
- Berenj o kareh: Light, airy butter rice.
- Torshi sir: garlic cloves pickled in vinegar, and pomegranate syrup
- Zeytoon parvardeh – crushed walnuts, pomegranate seeds and green olives marinated in pomegranate molasses
- Mirza ghassemi – charcoal roasted eggplants with tomato, garlic and eggs. Although mirza ghassemi might sound like a simple eggplant omelette, to achieve the precise silky combination of smokiness, garlic and juicy tomato takes a master.
Do you perform proper risk management on your expeditions?
Yes. We are members of TRIP – the Travel Risk and Incident Prevention Group – and perform detailed country risk assessments prior to departure, in line with the ISO 31000 international standard for risk assessment. We also maintain close contact with the relevant Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice for countries we plan to visit, in addition to making use of the Australian Smart Traveller assessment tool, and the US State Department’s OSAC service. Beyond this, we have a full set of risk management and disaster contingency plans for each expedition and are expedition first aid trained by Crux Medical. For final back up we also use the services of Remote Medical Support that allows us to have a UK expedition doctor on the end of a telephone line wherever we may be. And we always carry a satellite phone. We really don’t mess around when it comes to safety.
Is this really for me?
If you love adventure, new places, friendly people, wild landscapes, history and culture then yes! However, if you’re the sort of person who is going to be worried about the lack of flush loos in a desert camp, might complain that the road to Persepolis is too bumpy (it isn’t!) or frets about Wi-Fi availability, then this probably isn’t your bag.
