On the second day, we will drive to Aligodarz and from there we will get to the Poshtkooh Mogouie. Bakhtiari Nomads use the scenic landscape here as their summer pastures. We have plenty of time to get soaked in the beauty of these untouched and unharmed regions. You can explore the area throughout the evening. Then we will go deeper in the area to get to the nomads living here. We will have our first experience of the nomadic lifestyle by sleeping in their black tents.

The day’s journey will take us to a lush green village in the heart of the mountains, called Khouye. The streets of the villages together with its fruit gardens are open for us to walk through and enjoy our time. Here, we can experience the half nomadic lifestyle of the villagers too. We can watch women who bake bread, weave carpets or black tents, milk the goats, and make unique handicrafts. After the day’s explorations, we will return to the local house. We will stay there for the night and prepare ourselves for the trekking tour that starts the next day.

The start point for our hiking will be the green peach gardens of Khouye Village. From here, we will follow through the dusty roads which will go up on a mountain. Here we will arrive somewhere close to the salt mines of the Sar Agha Seyed Village. This is a stepped historical village in the skirts of Zagros Mountains. Then we will continue trekking in the village for about 3 hours. After exploring the village, we will have lunch at one of the local houses and then drive to Isfahan. Dinner will be served on the way, at a traditional and cultural restaurant in Shahr-e Kord. We will have a hotel reservation for staying in Isfahan at night.

The fifth day is for exploring Isfahan. After having breakfast in the hotel, we will visit some of the famous landmarks of Isfahan. These include: Naqsh-e Jahan Square which is surrounded by Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Shah Mosque, and Ali Qapu Palace. You can take some rest in the afternoon. Then we will visit Chehel Sotoun Palace, Si-o-se Pol Bridge, and Khaju Bridge. After this, it is time to call it a day and take a rest in the hotel.

On the next morning, we will continue exploring Isfahan in the Atiq Mosque, All Savior Cathedral, and Jolfa Neighborhood of Isfahan. Lunch will be served in a traditional restaurant. Then we will drive for 2 hours to get to Varzaneh. If you have never seen the sunset over the desert’s sandhills, here is your chance. We will take a rest in a local guest house where you can also try making Persian dishes (the guesthouse arranges Persian cooking classes for those who like to try it). Special preparations can be made for you to spend the night in the desert and watch the dawn on the next morning too.

After breakfast, we will leave for Yazd. Our way will pass through the desert and will give us the chance to see the Gav-Khuni Pond wetland. Zayanderud River pours into this pond, hence considered the end of the river. You will find the area around the river covered by reeds, with the drakes and Famingos all over the place. Then we will continue our trip and arrive in Yazd for lunch.
Arriving in Yazd, we will check in Nartitiee Ecolodge in Taft District. We will see the Jameh Mosque of Yazd in the evening. Here you will find some of the famous types of Iranian arts gathered in one place: masterpieces of calligraphy, delicate mosaics on the dome and mihrab, together with one of the highest tiled entrances in Iran. In Yazd, you can see examples of unique Iranian traditional architecture. That is why we will visit the luxurious Lariha House, dating back to 150 years ago. Then we will watch the sunset over the mudbrick city, in a rooftop café. The cultural highlight of the day will come next, when we will see one of the ancient Iranian sports. This was usually used to train warriors in the past. We can sleep on the roof of the ecolodge and enjoy the starlit night of the desert.

The eighth day will be for exploring Yazd. First, we will see a vast and impressive historical square called Amir Chakhmaq Complex. Then we will head for the Dowlat Abad Garden, a UNESCO inscribed site with the world’s tallest wind tower. Then we will visit the Zoroastrian Tower of Silence, called Dakhme. This is an open-air burial pit where Zoroastrians held their burial rituals. Our peaceful tour will take us to the Zein-o-Din Caravanserai at night. This caravanserai was popular back in the day because of its position on the Silk Road.

In the morning, we will hit the road to Kerman after breakfast. Our first destination in Kerman is going to be the Ganjali Khan Complex. This Complex is one of the fascinating examples of the Persian architecture from the Safavid period. Then we will visit the Jabalieh Dome and learn more about the city’s history and architecture. The tour will continue at the 600-year-old bazaar of Kerman. Here we will have an interesting experience of a slice of Kerman’s history, which is woven in the daily lives of the people today.
Then, we will drive a little further away and get to the Mahan District in 15 minutes. Shah Nematollah Vali Shrine and Mahan Garden await us here. The garden belonged to the Prince Mahan. It stands out from its surroundings because it feels like an oasis in the heart of the desert. After exploring the garden, we will drive to Rafsanjan, an hour and a half away. We will visit one of the authentic villages of Iran. Here we will also have lunch.

The beautiful village of Maymand has been registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other than the village, we are supposed to see another group of Iranian nomads here. Here, we will spend our time with semi-nomadic, agro-pastoralist villagers. You might not be used to these kinds of houses, as they have been carved straight into the rocks. They are quite similar to the earliest houses of human beings in the caves. As these people are semi-nomads, they neither permanently stay there, nor do they travel a long distance from their houses. They semi-migrate to the nearby pastures together with their livestock. We will spend a peaceful night at the caves of Maymand’s Moon Ecolodge.

On the morning of 11th day, we will leave Maymand for Shiraz. It is the capital city of Iranian poetry and arts. We will arrive around noon. After lunch, we will visit Karim Khan-e Zand Complex. Karim Khan, one of the rulers of Iran in 18th century, invited the artists and architects of his time to build his citadel. Two of the most famous Iranian poets have been buried in Shiraz, Hafez and Saadi. Verses and entire poems by them are recited by people today. Also, they believe Hafez’s poems have the ability to foretell the future to some extent. We can try it on our own, once we visit his tomb.

The day 12 will take us a step deeper into the Iranian history and the nomadic culture. We will visit the one of a kind Pink Mosque. In fact, this is only the nickname of Nasir-al Mulk Mosque. From the outside, it is hard to tell why people call it the Pink or Rainbow Mosque. But an explosion of colors is waiting for us inside.
The name of Shiraz is almost synonymous with its impressive green gardens and orange orchards. After the mosque, we will go to the Narenjestan Qavam Museum House, a beautiful remnant from the Qajar era. Once we finish our visit, we will leave the city to an area resided by the Qashqai Nomads. They are the last Qashqai families living as nomads. Once again, we will travel in time to simpler times, and experience the life of ethnic tribes of Iran. We will spend the night with them.

On the last day, we will trace the footprints of the Achaemenid Empire, one of the oldest empires in the world. We will visit Naqsh-e Rostam and Persepolis. The archaeological significance of these sites is not only limited to Iran, but the world.