4 Days

Duration

Moderate

Activity Level

Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov

Best Months

Trekking & Hiking

Activities

Adventure Travel

Travel Styles

Short desert trekking through sand dunes, Salt Lake and oases of Dasht-e Kavir desert of Iran

TOUR CODE

061-STN-TRK

START

Esfahan

FINISH

Yazd

REGION(S)

Dashte Kavir (Iran Central Desert)

INCLUDED

MEALS: 3 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 3 Dinners
ACCOMMODATIONS: Camp: 2 Nights, Guesthouse: 1 Night
TRANSPORTATION: Private vehicle
All transportation according to the itinerary Accommodation as mentioned in the itinerary Meals as indicated in the itinerary English speaking tour guide Backpack handling by Mules/Horses (limited to 15kg per person)

NOT INCLUDED

Entry fee for the sites not mentioned in the itinerary
Travel insurance
International airfare
Excess baggage charges
Airport and departure taxes
Any extra hotel costs such as early check in or late checkout
Laundry
Mini bar used in the room
Meals not stipulated in the itinerary
Tips (optional)
Cost of medical immunizations
Bottled water
Phone calls
Any other service not mentioned in the itinerary

Two and a half day trekking around 70 km in the desert
An epic passage through Iran’s Central Desert following part of the historic Silk Road
Visit Anarak town
Explore elegant historic villages such as Kharanagh, Mesr, Farahzad and Garmeh
Passing many quintessential oases on the trek
Taste local cuisine

Alfons Gabriel (1894 – 1976) was an Austrian geographer and travel writer who made several trips to the deserts of Iran. Gabriel wrote five books about his trips and findings. His book Durch Persiens Wüsten (1935) is translated into Persian. On his second trip to Iran in 1933 he crossed Dasht-e Kavir (central desert of Iran) and discovered the flagstones road belonged to the times of Shah Abbas, the Safavid King. He made the third trip to Iran in 1937 and crossed the southern part of Dasht-e Lut. There is not many pictures left from Gabriel but it is said that one of them taken with his wife in front of their tent belongs to the Aroosan village (can be found on our website) in the Central Desert. Gabriel has said lots of beautiful things about this village in his books. The trekking route in this trip is the same that was taken by the frontier Alfons Gabriel.

As Iran has vast deserts we have varietal of desert tours for different travelers. This tour has been designed for people who would like to have a couple of days trekking and camping in the remote areas of Iran Central Desert. This tour has been performing by Adventure Iran from 2013 during desert season. The journey starts from Esfahan and ends in Yazd.
In this package we visit some oases and beautiful landscapes enabling trekkers to escape modern life for a few days and disconnect with civilization. The first day you will have a non-trekking day with driving from Esfahan to an oasis taking 5-6 hours. You will have a couple of stops for a short visit in Nain and Anarak. During these 4 days you will stay one night in a guest house and two nights in the camp. There will be walks from 40 km up to 70 km on sand dunes and flat desert. The trekking length will vary depending on the month/season you are traveling, weather conditions and group’s fitness level (long days during spring and very short days during fall/winter).
Desert has a variety of terrains such as mountain slopes, heavily weathered rock formations, sand dunes, salt dunes and other large scale crystalline formations. This combination of desert trekking, local cuisine and open air camps create an epic and unforgettable atmosphere that will help one imagine ancient travelers with their caravans of merchandise crossing the desert on the Silk Road.

Day 1: Drive to the oasis

Desert journey will start from Esfahan at 8 AM driving around 450 km taking around 5-6 hours. Our driver will pick you up from your hotel. You will have stops in Naiin and Anarak. In Naiin you will visit its historic mosque which is one of the oldest mosques in Iran going back to 9th century. Anarak is located at the starting point of Iran Central Desert. In Anarak there is a special viewpoint from a tower to see the whole town. We will hike up to the tower for photography and watching the town. Proceeding after Anarak towards the desert we will arrive to our guest house in the afternoon. We will check-in, have lunch and take some rest. You are free to walk around the village and see the beautiful sunset of the oasis. In the evening you have a locally made dinner. The night time would be a great opportunity to watch the stars of the desert. Overnight stay in the guest house. (L, D)

Day 2: Sand dunes & Mountain Formations - {Camp}

Early morning rise up. After breakfast we will start trekking. The first trekking day will involve 20-30 km about 6-8 hours. You will start walking with your day pack from the village towards the 1st camp. On the trekking route we will stop every now and then to rest and take photographs from spectacular and amazing sand dunes. We will continue walking until late afternoon. We will set up our camp at a suitable place and after a short rest; we would go to watch the sunset. Then we will make fire spending some time around it. We will have dinner in our camp enjoying the beauty of the desert sky. Overnight stay in tent. (B, L, D).

Day 3: Trekking in the desert - {Camp}

We will wake up at the crack of dawn (optional), walking for a while to watch the sunrise view of desert and will walk back to our camp for breakfast. After breakfast, you will start second hiking day for 20-40 km. Today you will go deeper inside the desert and there is a chance to see the free semi-wild camels wandering in the desert. We will pass beautiful different landscapes exploring more spots. We will be back to the camp area in the late afternoon. Overnight stay in camp. (B, L, D)

Day 4: Continue trekking towards the oasis- Drive to Yazd

After breakfast there will be a half day walking around 10-15 km for 3-5 hours. After finishing the trek we will go back to the guest house, having lunch there we will drive to Yazd. Around late afternoon we will be in Yazd in your hotel. (B, L)