The Geo-Archaeo Face of Iran

in Dezful

After arrival at Dezful by flight in the morning, we start having a full day sightseeing in Khuzestan province. Visiting 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites in a single day makes your first day a memorable day. One of the oldest civilizations and a huge ziggurat, as well as Shushtar hydraulic system, would be a big surprise for everyone who is interested in historical wonders.

You will see:
Susa ancient hill and museum, Choqa-Zanbil ziggurat, Shushtar hydraulic system, Dezful ancient bridge

You will Experience:
Walking around a ziggurat from 2000 BC and some very old heritage in Susa. Being amazed at how the hydraulic system works for 2000 years in Shushtar.

You will know:
How the ancient watermills are working.
More about the first civilization area in Iran.

Distances:
The duration of the flight from Tehran is 1 hour.

Accommodation:
A 3-star hotel in Dezful.

You will see:
National museum of Iran, Golestan palace (UNESCO world heritage), the crown jewels museum and grand Bazaar

You will Experience:
being amazed by the decorations of Golestan palace and the size of jewels in the museum. Experiencing the first live performance and be excited at the power of Iranian national music.

Accommodation:
A 4star hotel in Tehran.

in Hamedan

After leaving Dezful, drive-through Zagros mountains with spectacular sceneries and beautiful landscapes await you. We will pass by the longest anticline of Zagros mountains with 200km length as well as the huge landslide from 11 thousand years ago. Also, we visit Khazineh gorge and Afrineh waterfall. In the evening in Hamedan, the second day would finish with having a look at the ancient inscriptions and waterfall of Ganjnameh.

You will see:
Kabir-kooh anticline

You will Experience:
Visiting the spectacular landscape of the Zagros mountains.

Distances:
Dezful to Hamedan is 450km (about 6 hours)

Accommodation:
A 4-star hotel in Hamedan

You will see:
Master Shokri’s workshop

You will Experience:
Playing ancient harps of Persia

Distances:
Tehran to Rasht is 320km (about 4 hours)

Accommodation:
A 4star hotel in Rasht

in Zanjan

A wonderful day starts with visiting the Alisadr limestone cave, which is a candidate as the longest water cave on the earth. At this cave, we will ride boats and walk 1km inside the cave with amazing limestone-made structures. The day continues by visiting the biggest brick-made dome in the world with amazing turquoise color and huge structure, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

You will see:
Alisadr cave, Soltanyieh dome

You will Experience:
Boat riding in the cave and marveling at the features of Alisadr cave and the peaceful space of the cave with its mysterious paths.

You will know:
The Mongols capital in Iran and their art

Distances:
Hamedan to Zanjan is 250km (about 3 hours)

Accommodation:
A 4star hotel in Zanjan

You will see:
Masouleh village, Hyrcanian Forest (UNESCO World Heritage) and Caspian Sea.

You will Experience:
different cultures and different sceneries in the north.

Accommodation:
A 4star hotel in Rasht

in Zanjan

This day starts with a drive to Takht-Soleyman, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Iran, the remnants of a huge shrine of the Zoroastrians with a huge travertine spring next to its ancient site. Also, on the other side of the site is a dried travertine spring mount and a couple of hot water springs. On the way back, we will visit Behestan castle, which is a mesa with human-made caves inside. Finally, we will pass by a huge zinc mine en-route.

You will see:
Takht-Soleyman, Behestan castle

You will Experience:
Discovering the mysterious area of Takht-Soleyman and the fantastic sceneries.

You will know:
More about the temples of Zoroastrians and the culture of primary habitats.

Distances:
The entire day drive takes about 6 hours.

Accommodation:
A 4star hotel in Zanjan

You will see:
Soltaniyeh Dome (a UNESCO World Heritage)

You will Experience:
Visiting the largest brick-made dome in the world. Being stunned at the magical melody of Iranian national music.

Distances:
Rasht to Zanjan is 200km (about 4 hours)

Accommodation:
A 4star hotel in Zanjan

in Qeshm

We will leave Zanjan to Mehr-Abad airport in Tehran. At the airport, we will visit the Geology Museum of Tehran and then we fly to Qeshm Island, the lonely geo-park of Iran.

You will see:
The geology museum of Tehran

Distances:
Zanjan to Mehr-Abad airport is 320km (about 3 hours)

Accommodation:
A 4star hotel in Qeshm

You will see:
Alisadr water-cave, Ganjnameh inscriptions and waterfall

You will Experience:
Boat riding in the longest water cave on the earth

Distances:
Zanjan to Hamedan is 250km (about 4 hours)

Accommodation:
A 4star hotel in Hamedan

in Qeshm

Hormuz Island, a geological wonderland. To get there, we will take a ferry from Qeshm. Hormuz is located in the east of Qeshm and closer to Bandar-Abbas seaport. The island is covered by sedimentary rocks and layers of volcanic material on its surface. Due to a lack of precipitation, the soil and water are salty. In Hormuz, we discover the rainbow valley with various shapes of the sediments and the colorful soil. Also, we visit the salt dome, which is called by local people the salt-goddess. The red-soil beach will amaze you with its red and silver sand. Also, there is a historical background about this island and our day would be complete by looking at the Portuguese castle and the old town.

You will see:
The rainbow valley, the salt-dome, red beach, and Portuguese castle

You will Experience:
Being amazed at the variety of colors of the soil on the island; feeling the local lifestyle of Southern Iranian people.
Riding a ferry in parts of the Persian Gulf.

You will know:
More about the history and the cultural background of the island.

Accommodation:
A 4-star hotel in Qeshm

You will see:
Baba-Taher and Avicenna mausoleums, Bisotun ancient site

You will Experience:
The melody of “Tanbur”, a folk and mystic instrument in Iran

Distances:
Hamedan to Kermanshah is 200km (about 3 hours)

Accommodation:
A 4star hotel in Kermanshah

You will see:
Jame mosque of Semnan, Arg gate, Garmsar’s cistern, Dayr-e Gachin Caravansary, Jame mosque of Varamin

You will Experience:
Visiting an old Caravansary in desert

Distances:
Semnan to Tehran via Dayr-e Gachin Caravansary is 300km (about 4 hours)

Accommodation:
A 4star hotel in Tehran

in Shiraz

We will have a full day of sightseeing in Qeshm island, the great Geopark of Iran including Chah-Kooh Gorge, shaped by erosion due to heavy rains and stormwater. However, erosion is the secondary factor in forming this beautiful valley. In fact, it has primarily been affected by the Salt Dome and related anticline. The next geo-site is Stars valley, which is at present the most visited among all Geo sites on the island. The Star Valley is a unique example among all Geo-sites to study erosion. The local name for this area is “Estalah-kaftah” which means “the Fallen Star”. The reason for naming this area as such is that the locals believe that once upon a time a star (commit or meteor) hit the earth at this site. As a result of this collision, the stones and soil have been thrown in the air and been frozen, forming these geological structures. Hara forest (Mangrove trees), a unique wetland ecosystem, will be our next plan. In the evening, we leave Qeshm to Shiraz by a domestic flight.

You will see:
Chah-Kooh gorge, Stars Valley, Hara forest

You will experience:
Walking amongst the beautiful and strange naturally shaped structure and hearing local beliefs and stories about these phenomena

Distances:
flight from Qeshm to Shiraz: 45 minutes.

Accommodation:
A 4-star hotel in Shiraz

You will see:
Taq-Bistan bas-reliefs, Falak-Al-Aflak fortress and castle

You will experience:
Lurish folk music, telling us their story through history

Distances:
Kermanshah to Khorram-Abad is 200km (about 3 hours)

Accommodation:
A 4star hotel in Khorram-Abad

in Bavanat

Leaving Shiraz in the morning to visit three ancient archaeology sites, surviving from the Persian Empire in 500BC is our first plan: Persepolis, the most glorious royal complex in the Persian Empire history with amazing structure and detailed bas-reliefs and inscriptions. We will then visit Naqsh-e Rostam, the magnificent tombs of Achaemenids kings and Sassanid bas-reliefs and after one hour on the road, we arrive at Pasargadae to visit Cyrus the Great’s tomb.

You will see:
Persepolis, Naqsh-Rostam bas-reliefs, Pasargadae

You will Experience:
Witnessing the first outstanding embodiment of the Achaemenes, and the tomb of Cyrus the Great

You will know:
More about the Persian Empire in 500BC.

Distances:
Shiraz to Bavanat is 230km (about 3 hours)

Accommodation:
A traditional guest house in Bavanat

You will see:
Susa, Choqa-Zanbil ziggurat and the hydraulic system (three UNESCO World Heritage sites)

You will experience:
being amazed by the structure of the ziggurat and the complex engineering of the hydraulic system of Shushter.

Accommodation:
A boutique hotel in Shushtar

in Rafsanjan

We will drive to Kerman province and before arriving at Rafsanjan, we will have a stop in the Meymand Village, It is a UNESCO World Heritage site for its unique cultural landscape, it is also a troglodyte village with hand-digged rooms and spaces under the sedimentary ground. An excursion to Rageh gorge in the afternoon is what we experience next. This gorge was unknown until a few years ago. Some features of the valley are sharp conical peaks, blades and strip wise walls. Rageh valley is about 20 km in length containing beautiful shapes being made by several thousand years of erosion.

You will see:
Meymand village, Rageh gorge

You will Experience:
Meeting people in one of the oldest villages of Iran; exploring Rage Valley, a recently discovered natural structure

Distances:
Bavanat to Rafsanjan is 300km (about 4 hours)

Accommodation:
A traditional guest house in Rafsanjan

You will see:
Kul-Farah bas-reliefs

You will experience:
The culture of nomad people in Zagros.

Distances:
Shushtar to Izeh is 150km (about 3 hours)

Accommodation:
An eco-lodge in Izeh

in Kerman

Rayen, the second biggest adobe citadel in the world from the Sassanid era, is our first visit. Then we drive to Mahan to have a Mahan Garden, a UNESCO World Heritage Persian Garden and after a drive through central mountains with spectacular sceneries, we reach the Lut desert, a natural UNESCO World Heritage site. There, we visit Kaluts (the Iranian name for Yardang). Sands transported by wind and washed in by intermittent streams have accumulated in the south and east, where huge sand-seas have formed across 40% of the property. These areas consist of active dunes some reaching heights of 475 m and are amongst the largest dunes in the world. The Lut Desert displays a wide variety of forms, including linear-, compound crescentic-, star-, and funnel-shaped dunes.

You will see:
Rayen Citadel, Mahan garden, Lut desert

You will Experience:
Watching the amazing sunset in the Lut desert and The spectacular sceneries of central mountains in Kerman; Visiting Kaluts of Shahdad, famously called the little Grand Canyon

You will know:
The style of huge adobe-made citadels in the Sassanid era.

Distances:
The entire driving takes about 5 hours.

Accommodation:
4-star hotel in Kerman

You will see:
Si-o-se-pol and Khaju bridges

You will experience:
Spectacular sceneries of Zagros mounts

Distances:
Izeh to Isfahan is 330km (about 5 hours)

Accommodation:
A 4star hotel in Isfahan

in Esfahak

We leave Kerman to the north to reach the central desert (Dasht-Kavir). We have a couple of stops on the way to visit a hot sulfur spring, which is located on one of the longest faults of Iran in the name of Nayband with hundreds km length from Lut desert to the central desert. Then we visit Nayband village, an old village with a unique landscape and culture. In the end, we arrive at Esfahak village, a very old one with adobe houses, where we stay for one night.

You will see:
Dig-Rostam hot spring, Nayband, and Esfahak villages

You will Experience:
Watching the amazing landscape of villages at this part of the country, staying in a local house in the heart of the desert and feeling local Iranians’ lifestyle

Distances:
Kerman to Esfahak is 450km (about 5 hours)

Accommodation:
A traditional guest house in Esfahak village

You will see:
Naqsh-e Jahan square (UNESCO world heritage), Shah-Abbasi and Sheikh-Lotf-Allah mosques, Ali-Qapu and Chehelsotoun palaces and Bazaar, music museum

You will experience:
Being amazed at the cultural sites of Isfahan

Accommodation:
A 4star hotel in Isfahan

in Mesr

A full day in the central part of Iran, a mixture of desert and central mounts. At first, we visit the oldest arch dam in the world. The arch‐gravity dam is especially remarkable for its extraordinary height of 60 m. This dam was to remain a world record for any type of dam from 1350 until the early twentieth century. Then we drive to Tabas to visit Morteza-Ali Gorge, another erosion-made gorge with a unique phenomenon: inside the gorge, there are two springs next to each other with cold and hot water at the same time. In the afternoon, we derive to the most beautiful desert of the central desert of Iran with amazing sand dunes.

You will see:
Kurit dam, Morteza-Ali gorge, Mesr desert

You will Experience:
Walking in a cool gorge with amazing springs of simultaneous hot and cold water;
Relaxing in the Mesr desert and watching the magnificent sunset

Distances:
Esfahak to Mesr village is 300km (about 4 hours)

Accommodation:
A traditional guest house in Mesr village

You will see:
Pasargadae (UNESCO world heritage), Naqsh-Rostam (Necropolis), Persepolis (UNESCO world heritage)

You will experience:
The impressive structures of Persian Empire

Distances:
Isfahan to Shiraz is 460km (about 5 hours)

Accommodation:
A 4star hotel in Shiraz

in Damqan

Leaving the Mesr village to head north, we will pass by the northern part of the central desert through the basin of Semnan’s salt domes. In Damqan, the border of the desert and Alborz mountains, we visit the second oldest mosque in Iran and spend one night in Damqan to be fresh for the next two days, which are very different from the other parts of the tour.

You will see:
The salt domes of Semnan, Tarikhaneh mosque

You will know:
Accommodation:
A 3star hotel in Damqan

About the primary mosques of Iran

Distances:
Mesr village to Damqan is 300km (about 4 hours)

You will see:
The pink mosque, Narenjestan and Eram gardens (UNESCO world heritage), Karmikhani citadel, Bazaar, Hafez and Saadi mausoleums

You will experience:
Walking in beautiful gardens of Shiraz

Accommodation:
A 4star hotel in Shiraz

in Sari

The northern part of Alborz mountains is different from the other parts of the country. Because of the humidity from the Caspian sea and being blocked by the Alborz high mounts, the climate and sceneries are completely different: the land is home to the Hyrcanian forest, one of the oldest forests on the earth and a natural UNESCO World Heritage. Our route is through Alborz mountains and we have a stop to visit the extraordinary travertine terraces made by a travertine spring. The road continues through the Hyrcanian forest to Sari.

You will see:
Badab-Soort travertine spring, Hyrcanian forest

You will Experience:
Being exposed to different sceneries and landscape in the north in the very same trip; discovering extraordinary travertine terraces called Badab-Soort

You will know:
The geographical face of the north and Alborz mountains

Distances:
Damqan to Sari is 200km (about 3 hours)

Accommodation:
A 4star hotel in Sari

You will see:
Omar-Khayyam and Attar mausoleums, Imam-Reza holy shrine

You will experience:
The difference in the melody of Khorasan and “Dotar”
Being amazed at the size and decoration of the holy shrine

Distances:
Duration of the flight is 1 hour and half.
Mashahd to Neyshabur is 120km (about 1 hour and half)

Accommodation:
A 4star hotel in Mashhad

The last day of the tour belongs to the north and the Caspian seashore: walking in the coast; driving through the Alborz mountains; having a look at mount Damavand- the highest peak in the middle east and the highest volcano in Asia with 5670m elevation from sea level and full of sulfur hot springs. The journey would finish in Tehran and according to your departure flight, you would be transferred to the airport.

You will see:
Caspian sea, Damavand mount

You will Experience:
Walking in the seashores of Caspian sea; driving through the Alborz mountains; having a look at mount Damavand

You will know:
More about the culture of living in the north

Distances:
Sari to Tehran via Caspian sea is 250km (about 5 hours)

You will see:
The Music Museum, Darband gorge

You will experience:
The last amazing concert of the tour

Distances:
Duration of the flight is 1 hour and half.