Iran: Northern Silk Route

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 size of group will it be?

Our group sizes are always small, allowing for an intimate experience of the cultures we meet along our path. On this trip we won’t have more than ten guests, plus our local guides and drivers. We usually find groups are made of like-minded people, both male and female, from a wide age range.

How is this different to other ‘Silk Road’ expeditions I’ve seen?

We have been living, breathing, reading, researching and travelling the Silk Road for the past five years and  – with this trip – are in the unique position that one of our directors, Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent, was the producer on Joanna Lumley’s ITV Silk Road series. Very few others venture up to this part of Iran but they are missing-out. There are some undiscovered gems to be enjoyed here and we think you are going to love this route.

What will the weather be like?

In spring you can expect pleasantly warm days around 16-20 degrees and cool nights – down to around 5 degrees  – 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.

I’m a solo traveller – is this for me?

Yes. More than 85% of our expedition clients travel alone as part of our group. We don’t charge single supplements to solo travellers – see below.

Do you charge single supplements – I can’t see them in your information?

We try not to. We don’t believe that solo travellers should be penalised with extra charges.  It goes against our ethos, so unless totally unavoidable or astronomically expensive,  all costs are included in the expedition price. in the case of this Iran trip, we will get single rooms in some places but in others the accommodation is based on two sharing a twin room. If you’d like to book single accommodation throughout then there is a supplemental payment of £330 that we must charge, sorry!

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.

What vehicles will we be travelling in?

We’ll be travelling by small ‘midi’ bus in comfort to most locations on this trip. 4×4’s are not necessary.

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 offer flight inclusive packages also though. Again, we’ll send you an information pack containing all the information you need when you book your place.

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 specialities 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.

Will I have to share a room?

Yes, at times. There will be hotels and guest houses where we will have separate rooms and wherever possible we will arrange this, but there will also be times where we are staying there is scant option but to share rooms. This is all part of the adventure, and a reason we love to travel here. It makes sense for light sleepers to bring earplugs, in case of snorers.

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.

I can’t do your dates but love the sound of your expedition – can you be flexible?

Yes. We offer set group dates for many of our expeditions, but we can organise and deliver bespoke expeditions to groups and individuals to suit your itinerary and budget. More information is available on our Tailor Made tours page.

Is it a guaranteed departure?

As with any new, pioneering itinerary we need to reach a minimum number of guests to make this viable. For this trip, we need a minimum of 2 guests. When you express interest in this expedition, we will send you a deposit invoice to hold your place. This is refundable according to our terms and conditions if we do not reach the minimum numbers. We recommend that you do not book your flights or other arrangements until we have communicated that the expedition is definitely departing as planned and will aim to do this in order to give you at least 5 months prior to the scheduled departure in which to make your travel arrangements.

Is it good value for money?

We are very proud of the routes we design and the way in which we travel them. We don’t cut corners and we plan meticulously. We are a small company that treats every guest as our friend and you won’t find that kind of service in many places. 85% of our customers have re-booked to travel again with us and some of them come on a trip every year. Our partners and guides are carefully selected to work in the way we prescribe and our relationships are developed in the long-term. We also do annual expedition and remote medicine training and pay for 24/7 remote medical assistance cover. We employ professional military-grade risk assessments and plan for every possible negative scenario whilst hoping that none ever come to pass. We take our obligations to you and your safety very seriously and this all does cost money. We think the price represents great value for an experience you won’t find elsewhere.

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.