Varzaneh Camping in Dasht-e Kavir desert

3 Days

Duration

Easy

Activity Level

Mar, Apr, Sep, Oct, Nov

Best Months

Off the Beaten Track

Travel Styles

Short desert trip in Varzaneh by staying in the desert and amazing caravanserai of Kuhpa in the ancient Silk Road and explore desert villages in the Central desert of Iran

TOUR CODE

064-STN-4×4

START

Esfahan

FINISH

Yazd

REGION(S)

Kavir Varzaneh (Iran Central Desert)

INCLUDED

MEALS: 3 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches, 2 Dinners
ACCOMMODATIONS: Camp: 1 Night, Caravanserai: 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

Experience an amazing night in heart of Dashte Kavir desert
Camping inside of the sand dunes with millions of stars in the desert
One day and a half trekking in Iran Central Desert
Hiking in the flat dry salt lake
Visit a couple of villages, oases and local people
Taste of local cuisine
Visiting Qehi historic town & Ghurtan Citadel
Gav chah & Asiab shotor
Visit dry Salt lake
Walking in Kuhpayeh historical town

This tour is a combination of desert exploring and camping inside of Dasht-e Kavir desert. This trip is suite for who travel from Esfahan to Yazd and would like to have a desert trip between those cities. We covered a bunch of hidden attractions in central desert that is still not on the highway of tourist and there is not in your guide book. So this desert journey is a good opportunity for who would like to travel on off the beaten path in the remote area of Iran desert and experience real local people that not be in touch with tourist. In this desert detour you will have one day desert exploring with car with a local guide and you will visit interesting villages like Qehi and Varzaneh. Also you will have a camping in the desert and half a day desert hiking inside of desert. You will have an amazing sunset in the camp area with camp fire in the night. We have chosen a part of desert with different terrain to walk. There is sand dune, flat desert, dry salt lake and you will remain of Gavkhooni wet land region which is going to be fully dry these day. There are some seasonal birds in that area and sometimes we have chance to see them during early spring there. This desert trip will start from your hotel in Esfahan at noon and after two days you will finish your trip in Yazd. The region of the desert was the center of camel breeding industry many years ago. Trading on this route goes back to more than 2000 years as it was a part of the ancient Silk Road. The accommodation for the first night is a historical caravanserai and it renovated as a boutique hotel. In the night in the caravanserai you will have amazing night in the big courtyard of the caravanserai and you will have a traditional dinner in the restaurant.

Day 1: Drive to desert (Kuhpayeh) - walking tour

Today we will have breakfast at the local house and then you will get to desert region to experience different climate and terrain in your adventure trip. We will drive to Kuhpayeh which is in the east of Isfahan city takes 5.5 hours (400 km). You will pass through mountain road and you have spectacular view of the high peaks of mountains on the way. In the afternoon, we will check in to the historical Kuhpa carananserai around 14:00 and we will have a lunch in the restaurant of the caravanserai. After check in and short rest, you will have a walking tour around the town and you will visit the underground reservoir water and the old castle of the town back to the Sassanid period (1500 years ago) and the historical mosque of Kuhpayeh. 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 Kuhpa Caravanserai hotel. (B, L, D)

Day 2: Desert detour & camping in the desert

Today you will have a full day exploring till afternoon with car and desert camping for the night. We considered an exploring to visit the neighboring villages of Kuhpayeh as well as Qehi, the historical village, which will start at 8:00 after breakfast. In the village you will visit the remains of an old castle in a picturesque location ideal for taking photos. We will also spend some time for roaming in the village of Qehi. The houses, mosque and its underground water “Qanat“are the highlights of the village. You will be back to the caravanserai by lunch time. You will have traditional lunch in the restaurant of the caravanserai and serving local fresh meals. Afterwards you will have a short rest in your room and by the afternoon you will start your desert tour; will drive towards the desert. On the route, we will visit Ghurtan Citadel, dated back to 1100 years ago, Deylamian era, registered in National heritage. It contains 14 monitoring tower, 3 mosques, 1 local bath, 2 castles and a bazaar. We will continue to visit Gavchah, industrial irrigating system which it uses one or two cows to water the agricultural lands. Asiab Shotor with a background of 300 years is a mechanical system to grind the wheat, which is a must to see. Then we will drive to the sand dune in the desert and we will have camp before sunset. Then we will walk to a view point for the sun set time and back to the camp for making fire and dinner. Overnight stay in tent. (B, L, D).

Day 3: Desert walking - Drive to Yazd

Early wake up for sunrise and walk to a view point and photography from astonishing sunrise in the desert. Walk back to the camp for breakfast, collect the camp and we will walk for half of the day through sand dunes, salt lake and finally finished in wetland area of Gavkhoni. Our driver pick up us from there and we will drive back to Kuhpa caravanserai. We take shower there and after lunch in the caravanserai, we will transfer you to bus station and from there we will arrange you a bus ticket to Yazd city takes 2 hours and 40 minutes (235 km). (B, L)