Tours

Destination: Tehran – Kashan – Maranjab Desert – Isfahan – Mesr – Tabas Desert – Yazd – Kerman – Shahdad Desert – Mahan - Tehran

Duration: 13 Days

Type: Eco tour

DAY 1: ARRIVAL IN TEHRAN          Arrival in TEHRAN. Our tour guide will be waiting for us at the airport to greet and welcome us. Then, we will be transferred to the hotel.

DAY 2: TEHRAN          Today, we visit the heart of old TEHRAN and its splendid attractions. The Grand Bazaar of Tehran with its crowd and numerous shops is a great place to experience the local lifestyle. Golestan Palace, a world heritage site, mirroring last four-century history of Iran is our next stop. Then, we visit the Iran National Museum and its archeological section showcasing thousands of years of culture and civilization.

DAY 3: DRIVE TO KASHAN AND MARANJAB DESERT          In the morning, we leave Tehran towards Kashan. En route, we will have rewarding moments in the Maranjab Desert. There, we visit Abbasi Caravanserai, walk over the sands hills and watch a sea of salt polygons. Then, we drive on to Kashan.

DAY 4: HALF DAY CITY TOUR OF KASHAN. DRIVE TO ISFAHAN          Kashan is an old city on the edge of Iran Central Desert with prehistoric remains, old houses with elaborate architecture and paradisiac gardens. Here, we visit Fin Garden, a world heritage site, and 8-millennium prehistoric Sialk Tepe, then we drive to ISFAHAN. Having arrived in Isfahan in the evening we visit 17th-century Si-o-Se Pol Bridge, famous for its33 arches and unique architecture.

DAY 5: ISFAHAN           Today, we have a full day city tour of Isfahan to visit the most wondrous attractions of Isfahan, i.e. Naqsh-e Jahan Square with its marvelous mosques, palaces, and bazaar. Naqsh-e Jahan is a vast square surrounded by Abbasi and Sheikh Lotfolla mosques and Ali Qapu Palace Pavilion all chained together with a row of two-story arcade shops. Close to the square, there is ChehelSotoun Palace located inside an amazing Persian Garden, a world heritage site.

DAY 6: DESERT TREKKING IN MESR          Today, we head towards a beautiful exotic village at the heart of Central Desert. Walking over sandhills, enjoying spectacular pristine desert nature and staying the night in local houses and experiencing their unmatched hospitality makes the day so special.

DAY 7: TABAS DESERT           In the morning, we drive deeper into the desert towards TABAS to see Namak Lake (salt lake) and Salt Polygons and have a pleasant walk over the sands. Then, we get back to Mesr village and stay the night in a local house

DAY 8: DRIVE TO YAZD          YAZD is our next destination. It is called the bride of the desert, a city where abode abodes abound. Yazd is also famous for its underground aqueducts, wind catchers, labyrinthine lanes and delicious local sweets. On the way to Yazd, we visit the remains of a Sassanid castle (r. 224-651 CE) in Biazyeh Desert Village.

DAY 9: YAZD           Today, we explore the attractions in and around the Old City of Yazd. The 14th century Jame Mosque with its lofty minarets and high portal is the starting point. Then, we enter the old city where in addition to enjoying its amazing texture and atmosphere we will visit shrines of Seyyed Rokneddin and Davazdah Imam and Alexander Prison. Water Museum and Tekke Amir Chaqmaq, Dowlatabad Garden, a world heritage site, and Zoroastrian sites of Fire Temple and Towers of Silence are the other places we will visit.

DAY 10: KERMAN           In the morning we drive to KERMAN, the most important city in the southeast. It is rich in terms of heritage and history, believed to have been built in the Sassanid era. After some rest, we visit Ganj Ali Khan Complex including a museum, Hammam (bath) and bazaar.

DAY 11: SHADAD DESERT          Early in the morning, we drive towards SHAHDAD, the last town on the edge of expansive LUT desert with shifting sands and amazing yardangs. Desert here is replete with huge mysterious yardangscovering11000 km2. The landscape is unique and the experience unforgettable. Drive back to Kerman.

DAY 12: VISITING MAHAN AND RAYEN           In the morning we drive to the city of MAHAN. In Mahan, we visit Shazdeh Garden, a world heritage site, a true paradise in the middle of the desert. This garden dates back to the 19th century Qajar Period. Then, move towards RAYEN, another city in the Kerman Province, to visit its citadel. The adobe Arg-e Rayen (Rayen Citadel) with the background of Hezar Mountain enjoys all architectural components of a desert citadel.

DAY 13: FLY TO TEHRAN          Fly to Tehran and free time.