Iran Woman Only Tour

Welcome to Iran. You will be met on arrival at Shiraz International Airport and transferred to your hotel. Rest of the day is at your own to walk around the many parks in a green city of Shiraz, meet with locals and enjoy your first day. Accommodation: 4 star at Royal hotel

Drive to Persepolis (approximately 1 hour) .Once the centre of the Persian Empire and one of the great cities of the ancient world. On the way back to the hotel we will make a special stop to visit the Shahcheragh shrine, housing the tomb of the brothers Ahmad and Muhammad. Enter the female only section of the Mosque and have a talk with a female specialist guide. Afterwards, enjoy a sample of some popular local street food. Accommodation: 4 star at Royal hotel

Travel by local VIP bus to one of Iran’s highlights, Esfahan (500 km; approximately 6–7 hours). We’ll arrive in the late afternoon. Esfahan is simply one of the finest places in the Islamic world. This evening, take a stroll down to the Zayandeh River and have a look at its historic bridges, which appear to have been lifted straight out of a fairytale. At several of the bridges local people gather to talk, drink tea and sing beautiful folk songs. It’s a magical place to while away some time, and one of the most atmospheric places in all of Iran. Accommodation: 4 star at Piroozy hotel

Start the day with a half-day tour of the city, visiting the UNESCO heritage-listed Naqsh-e Jahan Square and the exquisite Sheik Lotfollah Mosque. The tour starts at the immense Imam Square (formerly Naqsh-e Jahan Square), the second-largest square in the world. Surrounding the square are several grand buildings, such as the Ali Qapu Palace, Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Qeysarieh Portal and the majestic Imam Mosque. Located in the west of Imam Square, the Ali Qapu Palace covers six floors and was originally built as the main palace of Shah Abbas. In the afternoon, explore the atmospheric bazaar with its wonderful scents and spices, musical merchants’ cries and, of course, thousands of locals bargaining for their most desired items. Walk the covered lanes of this sprawling marketplace, where shafts of light filter through celling and lattice, and browse for fabrics, spices, jewelries and other treasures. Along the way, we’ll stop for a cup of tea in an old teahouse. Accommodation: 4 star at Piroozi hotel

Today we take a VIP bus for about 4 hours to travel to Yazd to One of Iran’s most alluring city, Yazd is the heart of the Zoroastrian religion. Arrive in mid day and free the rest of the day at your own leisure. Accommodation: 4 star at Daad hotel

Today we will have an excursion outside of Yazd, which includes the impressive Kharanagh mud brick village, Chak Chak fire temple, and the Meybod citadel. The impressive town of Kharanak is believed to be 1,000 years old and you can explore the abandoned structures of this hillside settlement, peering into the houses of wealthy merchants and hammans (bathhouses). You will also explore the valley and nearby mountains and get great pictures of the aqueducts that formed part of the underground water system. The system is still used to irrigate the fields here – great shocks of green that sit against the brown desert. Chak Chak is one of the most important Zoroastrian pilgrimage sites in Iran, and you’ll climb up the mountainside to reach the fire temple – your efforts rewarded with wonderful views. Chak Chak means ‘drip, drip’, named for a trickle of holy water that drips inside the temple. After lunch, check out Narin Castle, thought to be the oldest mudbrick structure in Iran, and explore the still growing town of Meybod before returning to Yazd. If you’re after a more relaxing day, then you can simply stay at the hotel – a traditional 19th-century traditional mansion – puff on a qalyan or try the local favourite, camel fesenjun, in the shady courtyard. Accommodation: 4 star at Daad hotel

In the morning, set out on a walking tour visiting the Jameh Mosque, notable for its fine mosaics and beautiful exterior. From here you are ideally placed to explore the older parts of the city, which are some of the oldest on Earth according to UNESCO. Walk the narrow lanes, past simple courtyards and the ornate doors of the mud brick buildings. One of the most distinctive features of Yazd are the wind towers (‘badgirs’) that capture even the softest of breezes and send them to the buildings below; it’s a kind of forerunner to modern air-con. The water museum shows how the quants (underground water channels) brought water to the city from the mountains for thousands of years. You will also visit the Fire Temple and Towers of Silence, both vestiges of the city’s Zoroastrian heritage. In the Zoroastrian religion, fire and water are agents of ritual purity, and the fire in the Atashkadeh Fire Temple is said to have been burning continuously since 470 AD. Accommodation: 4 star at Daad hotel

Today we drive outside the city to visit Zoroastrian tower of silent, locally known as the Dakhmeye Zartoshtioon, this place is dedicated to Zoroastrian people to which leave the dead bodies on top of the tower to which he vultures could pick the flesh, Zoroastrian believes dead bodies should not be buries in the soil. However, this tradition is already forgotten since 5 decades ago, after visit, drive back to the town to visit lovely dowlat abad garden from late 18thcentury, the wind tower in the garden believes to be the tallest in the world. Later tonight we take a night train on the woman only berth to Tehran.

Embark on a full day tour to visit historic and interesting part of Tehran, away from its crown and chaos. Start from a full day visit to Golestan palace, visit different edifice and palaces, then head to bazaar of Tehran from where a walking takes you deep into the various parts. After lunch [on your own in Bazaar], we will head to north of Tehran to visit Saad abad palace, the visit including white and green palace later we head to Tajrish market to get you familiar with the daily life of Tehranis. Accommodation: 4 star at Enghelab hotel