BeyondTravel Iran 2016

IRAN2016

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IRAN – A COUNTRY OF CONTRASTS & CHANGES

5. 5. – 20. 5. 2016

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↑ Kharanaq: The deserted and crumbling mud-brick village of Kharanaq is located in a picturesque valley north of Yazd and is believed to be more than 1000 years old.

(Front page) Old man of Howraman-At-Takht: This Kurdish man is living in the remote valley of Howraman. He is wearing the traditional clothing.

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The bustling capital Tehran; deserted cara-vanserais once used by traders along the silk road as recovery places; impressive mosques appearing in mythic colors at dawn; atmos-pheric tea houses along narrow side alleys of colourful bazaars; splendid oases in oth-erwise vast deserts; shepherds taking care of their sheep in rugged mountain ranges with snow covered mountain peaks – these are only a few of the fantastic highlights that can be encountered in contrast-rich Iran. Yet, stunning sights and wonderful nature are only one part of what makes this country so unique. Much of visiting Iran is about en-countering the welcoming hospitality of the people and their endless curiosity towards foreigners.

Iran is situated in the heart of the middle east bordering Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pa-kistan. The huge country – which is almost five times the size of Germany – has a very diverse nature with snow-covered mountains

around Tehran, green forests along the coast of the Caspian sea and a huge desert region going all the way from the north east to the south. Iran is also home to diverse cultures: The Iranians are a nation made up of numer-ous ethnic groups and influenced over thou-sands of years by Greek, Arab, Turkic and Mongol occupiers.

The written history of the region now known as Iran dates back to 3200 BC and ever since the region was of political and cultural im-portance. Many different dynasties were reigning. In 641 Arabs conquered Iran and launched a new era. Persians, who were the followers of Zoroaster, the first monothe-istic religion, gradually turned to Islam and eventually, Shiite Islam became the official religion of Iran. During World Wars I and II Russian, British, and Ottoman forces had ma-jor influences on the fate of the country. And when Iran moved towards more democracy and independency, a CIA-backed coup in 1953 reinstated the unpopular Shah. Known

INTRODUCTION

A country of contrasts and changes

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→ Ornament in a Iranian Mosque: Iran is famouse for its mosques with rich orna-ments.

as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the Shah was forced into exile and conservative religious forces started to dominate the country. Ever since, they effectively prevented the country from opening to the west. However, the conserv-ative views stand in big contrast to the pres-ence of a liberal-seeking young generation of Iranians who strive for openness – without

losing their national identity. This is evident all over the country.

Throughout Iran's long history, in spite of dif-ferent devastating invasions and occupations by Arabs, Turks, Mongols, British, Russians, and others, the country has always maintained its national identity and has developed as a distinct political and cultural entity.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE TRIP

A country of contrasts and changes

This 16 day trip will bring us to various re-gions of the country. We will visit some of the must-see places and also places which are less travelled to. Our encounters will help us to better understand the country and its people and reveal the complex and long history of this area. We will gain insight into ancient cultures and traditional life and link it to the modern lifestyle that takes place on the streets of Tehran and Esfahan. On this trip, we will feel the hospitality of the people and their welcoming attitude. This will not be without uncovering their endless curiosity towards westerners and their interest in learning how we think about Iran and its people. Last but not least, we can see different landscapes and understand how the inhabitants used basic technology and natural elements to master their life in the often harsh environment they are living in.

Our trip starts in Tehran, the capital of the country. We will then continue to see some of the country's highlights by visiting the desert town of Yazd and the beautiful city of Esfa-han with its impressive palaces and mosques. Escaping to the desert for a few days brings tranquility while staying in an oasis and gaz-ing at stars during the crystal clear nights.

Iran is home to different cultures. After the desert, we visit the Kurdish part of the coun-try. While staying in a scenic village in a re-mote valley, we will learn about the Kurdish culture. During the last part of our trip, we visit the mountainous North of the country where the mountain tops are still covered in snow. A three day hike will bring us past the mountains to remote villages until we arrive at the Caspian sea.

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HIGHLIGHTS

× Enjoy different landscapes when travel-ling through dry deserts, over mountain passes and while relaxing at the Caspian sea

× Experience the Iranian’s unique and welcoming hospitality

× Indulge in a saffron flavoured ice cream on Meidān-e Emām square while watching people (and being watched) in Esfahan

× Stargazing in the desert after a spend-ing a day walking around the dunes

× Being invited for a glass of tea in a side alley of a bustling bazaar

× Feel like being part of fairy tale while wandering around the impressive mosques in Yazd and Esfahan

× Discover a traditional culture in Iran’s Kurdish region

× Watch Zurkhaneh training, a traditional sport used to train warriors. Maybe you get invited to participate …

↑ Mountains around Garmarud: Even in summer, the mountain tops in the Elbruz region are covered in snow.

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ITINERARY

DAY 1 – TEHRANWe start our trip with a tour around the bus-tling capital Tehran. By visiting the Bazaar and other sights, we have the opportunity to immerse ourselves into the city life and feel its vibes and contrasts between modernity and tradition as well as between liberal vi-sions and conservative rules.

DAY 2 – TEHRAN TO YAZDIn the afternoon we will board the train from Tehran to Yazd. During this comfortable six hour train ride we get a first glimpse of the vast desert landscape which seems to stay the same for hours and hours. In the evening we will arrive in Yazd.

DAY 3 – YAZDWe explore the city of Yazd. This oasis city is one of the oldest in Iran. Because of its remote desert location and the difficulty of access, Yazd remained largely immune to large battles and the destruction and ravages of war. Yazd is also an architecturally unique city. The Bādgirs (wind towers) give a dis-tinction to Yazd’s cityscape. The towers are a masterpiece of ancient engineering as they serve as ventilation systems to cool down

houses without the need for electricity. We will have a full day to explore the city and its surroundings. In the evening, we will attend a Zurkhaneh training, a traditional sport used to train warriors that is still being practiced.

DAY 4 – FARAHZAD OASISOur desert trip starts. We leave Yazd and drive north towards the city of Mesr. On the way we will visit Chack Chack, an an impor-tant pilgrimage place for Zoroastrians situat-ed in a spectacular scenery. We will also visit Kharanaq, an abandoned caravanserai, which was previously used by silk road traders to stay overnight and feed their camels.

DAY 5 – EXPLORING THE DESERTWe venture further into the desert. This time by 4WD and on foot. On our hike, we will learn a lot about the desert itself and how the locals made use of the geological characteris-tics of the area in order to be able to survive in this hostile place. We will stay overnight in the desert and sleep under the sky – a unique experience to enjoy a magnificent view on the stars in the absence of any light pollution.

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DAY 6 – TOWARD ESFAHANWe are leaving the desert in the morning and drive towards Esfahan. On the way we will stop at the cultural sights of Jandagh, an ar-chaic desert city and Choupanan oasis situat-ed in a sandy landscape coloured in rose gold.

DAY 7 – ESFAHANEsfahan is a unique city with its impressive mosques, palaces and bazaars. Esfahan is also an upcoming economical city with a lot of culture and young, curious students that are eager to bring change to the country. We will spend the day visiting the famous highlights like the Maidan square and Masjed-e Shah mosque and and immerse into the city life. In the evening we can relax along the city’s river as many locals do.

DAY 8 – ESFAHAN TO HAMADANWe leave Esfahan in the morning and drive towards Hamadan with many archeological sights on the way.

DAY 9 – HAMADAN TO KERMANSHAHThe next few days we will spend in the Kurd-ish region of Iran. The Kurds have a distinct culture, which differs from the rest of the country. The people, however, are as friendly as everywhere else in Iran and eager to ex-plain their history and culture. After a city tour around Hamadan, we continue towards Kermanshah.

DAY 10 – KERMANSHAH TO HOWRAMAN-AT-TAKHTToday we start our tour to the spectacu-lar Howraman valley. The route goes into the mountain region and follows the Iraq/Iran border for some segments of the trip. In the late afternoon we will arrive in How-raman-at-Takht, a small village situated im-pressively on the hill side of the valley. A homestay will be our accommodation for the night.

→ Overview of the tour

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DAY 11 – HOWRAMAN-AT-TAKHT TO SANANDAJWe leave Howraman-at-Takht in the morn-ing and continue our trip through the How-raman valley. By lunchtime, we will arrive in Merivan where we have the chance to have lunch next to the lake. This also marks the end of our trip to the Howraman valley. On our onward journey towards Sanandaj we will stop at Negel to visit the local mosque. While inconspicuous, this mosques exhibits of the oldest Korans in the world. We continue to Sanandaj where we stay for the night.

DAY 12 – SANANDAJ TO QAZVINToday we will drive from Sanandaj to Qazvin, a busy city in the north, close to Tehran. On the way we will stop at various sites includ-ing Soltaniyeh, an impressive mauseoleum in Zanjan.

DAY 13 – QAZVIN VIA ALAMUT TO GARMAROUDWe leave Qazvin in the early morning and start our trip to Garmaroud. A drive through the mountains over a pass will bring us to this remote place. On the way we will stop and climb to the ruins of Alamut castle, a castle of strategic importance to the Assasines, one of the worst terror groups of the region in the middle ages. We will reach Garmaroud in the late afternoon where we will have time to ex-plore the mountainous surroundings, which are very different from the previous places.

DAY 14 – DAY 16 HIKING During the next three days we will be hik-ing around the Alamut Mountains. We start in Garmaroud, pass the mountain chain and reach the Caspian sea two days later. The scenery is stunning. The landscape dramat-ically changed from the previous days: The deserts switched to green meadows and al-pine rock formations. Snow covered moun-tain tops become visible. We will stay for two nights in basic accommodations in small set-tlements.

There is no need to carry all of our luggage as our driver is waiting for us at the end of our hike on the other side. On day 16, we will have time to enjoy and relax around the Cas-pian sea. This part of Iran is also considered as ‘The Jungle’ as the evergreen forests form a big contrast to the desert-like and mountain-ous regions covering the rest of the country.

DAY 17 – BACK TO TEHRANWe say goodbye to the sea but not yet to the mountains. We drive back to Tehran through the Alamut mountains and arrive in Tehran in the evening where our trip ends.

→ A side alley in the old part of Yazd

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Nature

Culture, history & politics

Eating & drinking

Hiking & Trekking

Transport

Relaxing & recovering

Adventure

CHARACTER OF THE TOUR

The rating below should give an indication about the character of this tour. If you have further questions, please contact us.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

PRICEThe rate for the whole trip is CHF 4370 in dou-ble rooms. Single room supplement is CHF 350 (where possible).

The price includes: × Duration of the trip: 16 days / 17 nights

(Accommodation is also included the day before the tour and on the last day.)

× Accommodation in 3- and 2-star hotels and private guesthouses in double rooms

× Minibus with english speaking tour guide and public transportation

× All entrances according to the program × Halfboard (breakfast, dinner) × Tea, coffee, mineral water, typical

snacks and fruits on long trips × Support to get your visa

The price does not include: × Tips for local guides (recommendation

EUR 3 per day) and hotel service × Individual expenses (food, additional

drinks, etc) & souvenirs × Return flight from your destination to/

from Tehran × Visa fee × Travel insurance

SIZE OF THE GROUPThe size of the group excluding the guides is limited to 10 participants. The minimal size of the group is 7 participants.

GUIDANCEThe tour will be guided by a Swiss guide of Beyond Travel. A knowledgeable, local, Eng-lish speaking guide and a driver will assist us during the trip.

PREPARATION & PHYSICAL CONDITION OF PARTICIPANTSSome activities require specific clothes and a good physical condition. We will provide a detailed packing list so that customers can prepare accordingly. A solid fitness is re-quired for the hikes. The professionals who accompany the participants will apply all their skills to lead the group towards the real-ization of their objectives in the best possible conditions of safety.

POLITICAL SITUATION & CHANGE OF PROGRAMParticipation is at your own risk. Due to changing political situations, a modification of the program might be necessary even on

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short notice. At the time of writing this doc-ument, the Swiss Federal Department of For-eign Affairs did not issue a warning for most of the regions which will be visited during this trip. A visit to the Iran-Iraq border re-gion is not recommended by the FDFA. Our trip to Howraman valley will pass along a short segment of the border. We will con-stantly evaluate the situation.

Meteorological conditions, the conditions of the ground, the physical shape of the par-ticipants and their capacities are crucial ele-ments which can lead to any modification or reevaluation of the excursions.

The passage from Garmarud to the Caspian sea might still be covered in snow. Under these circumstances, an alterantive route will be chosen.

VISASwiss citizen and many other nationalities re-quire a visa to enter Iran. Please inform your-self in advance how to obtain a visa. Beyond Travel can provide support.

INDIVIDUAL ARRIVAL & DEPARTUREOur tour starts and ends in Tehran. Partici-pants are asked to book the flights by them-selves. Beyond Travel will provide recom-mendations on connections. Usually, Pegasus Air (www.flypgs.com) from Zurich via Istan-bul and Iran Air (iranair.com) from Frankfurt have good connections. Our tour is scheduled to meet Iran Air’s flight schedule. Please con-tact Beyond Travel for further information.

RESERVATION & BOOKINGPlease contact us directly by sending an email to [email protected] or call us on +41 79 637 76 55.

→ Dizi: A stew with lamb, potato, chickpeas, tomato, garlic and turmeric. The trick to eating dizi is to eat the meat out of the container first and then mush the rest of the ingredients into a paste so it’s almost pate-like then spoon a small amount onto a bit of bread.

Beyond Travel GmbHSchöneggstrasse 15

8004 Zürich

[email protected]+41 (0) 79 637 76 55

For more information visit:

www.beyondtravel.ch