Dasht-e Kavir, South Khorasan and lut Desert

Duration

12 Days

Activity Level

Easy

Best Months

Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec

Activities

Cultural & Heritage

Travel Styles

Off the Beaten Track

An off the beaten path desert trip to Iran to South Khorasan and explore cultural-historical sites of Iran Plateau

TOUR CODE

070-STN-XPL

START

Tehran

FINISH

Tehran

REGION(S)

Iran Deserts

INCLUDED

MEALS: 10 Breakfasts, 10 Lunches, 10 Dinners
ACCOMMODATIONS: Hotel: 4 Nights, Guesthouse: 4 Nights, Local House: 2 Nights
TRANSPORTATION: Support vehicle, Night Train
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

An attractive journey through ancient Persia, exploring its old civilization
A trip to the historical places of Persia
Visit special Castles, Caravanserais and special spots in Iran Central Desert related to the Silk road
An opportunity to taste the cuisine of people living in deserts
Visiting cities of Kashan and smaller towns of Naiin, Anarak
Meeting the locals people in non-touristic area of Iran
See how the saffron flower is grown and harvested
Visit Kashan historic city & Fin Garden (UNESCO world heritage site)
Qanats’ of Gasabeh in Gonabad (UNESSCO world heritage site)
Golestan Palace (UNESCO world heritage site)
Shazdeh Garden (Persian garden)- (UNESCO world heritage site)
Lut desert (UNESSCO world heritage site)

One of the main highlights of Iran, which most of travelers will miss it is Iran travelling via OFF THE BEATEAN TRACK. There are a lot of destinations which you cannot find them in any guidebooks or internet. The aim of this tour is covering these destinations via Iran central desert (Dasht-e Kavir), south of Khorasan and the vast desert of Lut. This journey is provided for who would like to being in touch with locals in the remote areas and seeing their life style. Also, most of travelers who will visit Iran for the second time will love this trip as there is not much urban touristic destination on this trip and they will experience something different with other trips Since Iran was part of the Silk Road, there are many historic monuments and sites left from that era worth paying a visit to. There are many different types of flora and fauna living in this hot region and many caravanserais are still accepting guests and tourists. This tour has been designed to take you away from major touristic cities into NON touristic areas to visit the real life of locals.
In this trip, you will have an adventure journey on the road through oases, villages and small towns and you will experience local Culture, history and cuisine. The greater part of this region is untraveled routes and it even the most adventurous travelers never get the opportunity to explore these numerous wonders. The type and number of vehicles provided would fit the terrain be according to the number of travels with the tour. As well as visiting historical monuments, castles, caravanserais, historical Qanat and world heritage garden you will visit and stay with locals and experience their real way of life. We are always on the road on this trip and we will have many stops and exploring during the day. Every night, we will stay in different locations. In total the length of the whole trip we have been 3653 km which is 2553 km is driving on the road and 1105 km is on the train.
The journey will start from the capital city of Tehran and will finish in Kerman, which is in the south east of Iran. From there we leave our vehicle and take a night train to back to Tehran again and finish this adventure with a tour of Tehran.

Day 1: Arrival to Tehran IKA airport

Arrival to IKA international airport and check in to the hotel.

Day 2: Drive to Kashan - city tour (200 Km)

After breakfast, we will have a meeting for a friendly chat and a discussion of your travel details. We will give you sufficient information, maps, tips, etc. in order to make your journey enjoyable and hassle free. Afterward drive to historical city of Kashan. (200 km). Kashan city tour consists of visiting the city’s historical houses such as Khaneye Borujerdiha, Khaneye Tabatabai, paying a visit to the Old Great Bazaar, Soltan Mir Ahmad historic Bathhouse, Agha Bozorg Mosque and also we will visit a traditional cloak weaving workshop. Then we will return to our place of residence to have a local lunch and some rest. In the afternoon, we will begin the second part of our Kashan city tour which is exploring the significant ancient site of Sialk dating back to 3000 – 4000 BC, along with Fin historical garden which was built for Shah Abbas. The number of the sites we can visit for this date is related to the arrival time of the flight and it could be related to the times which we start the day. Overnight stay in a traditional guesthouse. (B, L, D)

Day 3: Naiin, Anarak, Iraj, Bayazeh (470 km)

We will wake up early morning and have breakfast. We will continue our road trip with a 223 km drive to the historical city of Na’in. Afterwards, we start a short exploring of the town. We visit a historic mosque, the anthropology museum and Narin Castle. Also, we will see the traditional style of loom workshops for weaving cloaks and rugs “Aba Bafi”. Weaving cloaks by hand is one of the most valuable handicrafts and historical arts of Na’in. Some of the workshops are 700 years old. Naein’s winter textiles are very famous and are woven from two types of sheep and camel wools. Clothing styles have changed, but the cloaks are still quite famous in some Arab countries. Then we drive to Anarak town which is located in the Central Desert of Iran. (Dasht-e Kavir). We will spend an hour for a walking tour in the small and quaint alleys of the town. Also, we will have a short visit to the museum and the Anarak towers which have wonderful views of the town from the top and is a perfect time for photography. Having the lunch in the traditional restaurant in Anarak. Continue the road towards Iraj historical village. Iraj is a village keeping its old style architecture and characteristic. It’s a little hard to believe that in a village in the heart of the desert one can farm and there is enough water for this purpose. Depending on the month and the season you are visiting, there are different kinds of fruit grown; such as Pistachio, Almond, Hazelnut, Pomegranate, Fig, Date, Apple, Potato, Orange, Cherry, Sunflower, Plums, Peaches, Turnip and so on. Another attraction of this village is the ruins of an old castle on top of the village and an 800 years old Cypress tree in the center of the village. After visiting this village we will continue driving towards the Baiyazeh historical village which is the place of tonight. In Bayazeh there is a huge castle it’s from about 1000 years ago. Overnight stay in a traditional hotel of Bayazeh. (B, L, D)

Day 4: Desert trekking – Aroosan Koreh gaz (113 km)

After breakfast, we will have a short walk around the town before desert tour. Then we will drive to an oasis which takes 113 km. we will have a full day desert trekking in the sand dunes and hills. 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. Afterward we will go to the view point for watch the amazing sunset in heart of Dashte- Kavir desert. Overnight we will stay in the local house in an oasis in heart of the desert. (B, L, D)

Day 5: Tabas, Kharv and Esfahak (250 km)

After breakfast, we will continue our journey towards Tabas. We will drive through a desert road which is going via the eastern part of Dashteh Kavir. On the way we will stop somewhere for a short walk on the dry Salk Lake with beautiful terrain formation. In Tabas we will visit Golshan garden which is one of the famous Persian Gardens. Then we will have lunch in a traditional restaurant. After lunch we will drive to Kharv village visiting a canyon, a river and valley of Morteza Ali towards the source of spring water. We have two hours walking through the river and canyon as well. We will also visit a historic dam dating back to the Safavi period. Then we will drive to Esfahak village to stay overnight at a Guesthouse. (B, L, D)

Day 6: Boshruyeh, Ferdows and Riyab (300 km)

After breakfast in early morning, we spend a couple of hours to explore amazing architecture of the Esfahak village and its old houses. It’s a unique village in the middle of desert, which boasts invaluable monuments including a mosque, a public bath, and a beautiful palm grove, which was registered on the National Heritage List in 2015. The villagers are involved in farming, animal husbandry and weaving carpets. Depending of the season you can see the saffron flower in a different part of the village. Afterwards we will hit the road to the amazing Jen valley (ghost land). It’s one the most beautiful canyons in Iran’s desert. We spend some time walking and exploring the valley and will then continue the journey to Boshruyeh to visit its historic windmills and houses. There is also another castle which is built on the top of a mountain it’s a nice place for photography. Afterwards we will drive towards the small village of Riab near Gonabad town. Depending on the daylight of the season you come and how much time we have, it might to have a short stop in Ferdows town. In the late evening we will arrive in the small village of Riyab to stay in a traditional guest house. (B, L, D)

Day 7: Gonabad, Beydokht and Birjand (360 km)

After having an early breakfast we will drive to Gonabad. This takes half an hour. In Gonabad we will visit the main underground water channel of Iran. The Qanats’ of Gonabad called Gasabeh are the oldest and deepest Qanats in Iran dating back 2500 years (Achaemenian era). These Qanats are in the UNESCO‘S list of 11 Qanats. Next we will visit Beydokht, the center of Sufism in Iran which is 10 km way. We will walk around the town and visit the mausoleum of Sufisem in Persian we call Khanaghah. In Gonabad we will also see Jameh mosque and mystic lodge of Beydokht. Afterward we will drive 2 hours to Forg village. In this village we will visit one of the most massive castles in Iran which is still not completely destroyed. After walking through the castle and photography, we will walk inside of the village and then we will drive to Birjand. Overnight stay hotel. (B, L, D)

Day 8: Shafi Abad & Lut vast desert– UNESCO world heritage site (500 km)

After breakfast in the hotel we will drive to Shahdad through amazing road. (500 km). Frit we will drive to Nehbandan close to Afghanistan border and from there we continue driving to Dehsalm village which is the unknown village inside of the road in lut desert. After short visit of the village we will continue towards Shahdad village. We have a couple of stop in a few interesting areas which is nice for photography with a wide view of the desert. After walking in the sand dune and rest we will arrive to another village called Shafi Abad village. We will stay in a guest house in the village and we have warm hospitality of local people in the desert. (B, L, D)

Day 9: Shahdad & Keshit (190 km)

After breakfast in the traditional guest house we will drive to Shahdad village and we will visit underground water storage, an old fortress and date palms and continue through some small villages such as Pashooei, Jahar, Kahnuj and Andoohjerd. We will visit some of these villages depends on the time and socialize with rural people to get know their culture. The natural formation and the rural landscape of these villages are the attractions which you can’s skip that; a scenic valley in Pashooei, mountain forms in Jahar like a serrated saw are the examples you should visit. Then we will continue to the last village called Keshit. Overnight stay in the local house. (B, L, D)

Day 10: Shazdeh Garden and Kerman (170 km) – Night train to Tehran (1105 km)

After early breakfast in the local house, we will drive to Kerman to catch the night train to the capital. On the way, we will have a stop on Mahan. In Mahan, we will visit Shazdeh Garden (Persian Garden) which is one the most beautiful gardens in Iran and it is a UNESCO world heritage site. Then drive to Kerman to have a short visit of the town. In Kerman, time allowing we will have a short sightseeing tour of the city visiting the Ganjalikhan Ensemble & traditional Bazaar. In late afternoon, we will transfer you to the train station and from there we will have a comfortable night train to the Capital. The length of the road is 1105 km takes 13 hours. Overnight stay in a comfortable train. (B, L, D)

Day 11: Tehran city tour

We will arrive Tehran early morning and after breakfast, will have Tehran sightseeing and city tour. We will spend all day visiting the capital’s attractions. Before noon, we will visit the National Museum of Iran and the Golestan Royal Palace (UNESCO world heritage site). In the afternoon, we will go to the Grand Bazaar and walk around downtown. Afterwards, we drive to Artists’ Park (Park-e Honarmandan) in the late afternoon. You will be able to spend some time walking around the park and visiting its attractions depending on your interest. We will spend a couple of hours there. Most of the times, there is painting and photography show/exhibition in the park as well as performances in its theatre and cinema hall. There are also a few good coffee shops for refreshment. In the evening we will return to the hotel. Overnight stay in Tehran. (B, L, D)