Istanbul to Tehran tour
| country: | Iran, Turkey |
| departures: | 2010: 25 Apr, 2 May, 16 May, 30 May, 6 Jun, 20 Jun, 4 Jul, 18 Jul, 1 Aug, 15 Aug 2011: 29 May, 12 Jun |
| price: | From £1460 (18 days) excluding flights. We can arrange flights from the UK. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Embark on a journey along roads less travelled, heading out into the rugged wilds of eastern Turkey, through mountain villages and medieval ruins en route to Iran. Get an insight into the complexities of eastern Turkish culture staying in villages caught between old and new and discover the beauty of lands shrouded in mystery in western Iran. Mid-journey, pique your curiosity during a sojourn in Azerbaijan and rub shoulders with the legendary Azaris, known as the most cultured and bravest race in Iran. From the Ottoman houses of Anatolia to the impressive displays of faith in Tehran, experience the exotic culture and make your own discoveries on this overland adventure of a lifetime.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Istanbul. Get off the beaten track and visit the city's historical and cultural sites, ending the day among the colours and aromas of the spice markets in the bazaar quarter. |
| Day 2: | Safranbolu. Leave the city bound for a village hidden in the mountains of the Anatolia region. Explore narrow cobbled laneways flanked by heritage-listed houses. Indulge in the local specialty - yaprak helvast - layers of helva interspersed with walnuts. |
| Days 3-4: | Amasya. Explore the picturesque views of half-timbered Ottoman houses overlooking a rocky ravine. Set in a confined valley, Amasya is easy to explore by foot. Why not check out the Pontic tombs or wander the backstreets and end the day at a local teahouse or hamam. |
| Days 5-6: | Sivas. Enter a land suspended in time, boasting beautiful Seljuk buildings decorated with geometric carvings and unique tile work. Perhaps take a day trip to the mountain village of Divrigi with its World Heritage-listed mosque-medrese complex. |
| Day 7: | Erzurum. Travel through wild and beautiful landscapes to reach a town torn between two ways of life. Get an insight into the complexities of eastern Turkish society by exploring the tree-lined boulevards - home to both staunch conservatives and outspoken university students. |
| Day 8: | Kars. Take the opportunity to visit the ruins of Ani, once the impressive Armenian capital. Back in Kars, stroll through the town and discover rich ethnic influences in the architecture and cuisine. |
| Day 9: | Dogubayazit. With free time, perhaps explore the Ishak Pasa Palace with its enchanting mix of Ottoman, Persian and Seljuk architecture. Below Mt Ararat, look out for the fossilised remains of Noah's Ark. |
| Days 10-13: | Tabriz. Cross the border to Iran. See the impressive Poet's Mausoleum or journey to the ancient village of Kandovan and wander among the dwellings carved into the mountains. Alternatively, travel to Jolfa to discover the unique culture of Armenian Christians. |
| Day 14: | Sara'eyn. Perhaps stop off at the Sheikh Safi od-Din Mausoleum in Ardabil. In Sara'eyn, soothe travel aches in hot springs reputed to contain a cure-all mineral mixture. |
| Days 15-16: | Masuleh. Enjoy a scenic drive past the Bandar-e Anzali lagoon to reach a car-free city boasting UNESCO Heritage-listed architecture - here, due to the steep location, rooftops and the village streets above them are one and the same. |
| Days 17-18: | Tehran. Ramble through the Tehran Bazaar, see the impressive display of faith at Imam Khomeini Mosque during prayer time or stop by the National Jewels Museum to see the world's largest uncut diamond. View the excesses of the Qajar rulers on show at the Golestan Palace, check out the political murals surrounding the former US Embassy and perhaps end the adventure with a relaxing puff of a qalyan. |
highly commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
small group adventure holiday
This is a 'small group adventure' - on our group trips you'll be with a maximum of 11 like minded travellers and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends it's good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting people from other parts of the world as well as seeing new places! (more) how this holiday makes a difference
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Environment
We believe strongly in low impact or rather positive impact tourism. Broadly speaking this means that we try to minimise the negative aspects of tourism on the local cultures and environments that we visit and highlight the positive aspects. Community Our focus on making a positive impact provides numerous opportunities for local interaction as we cover so much ground using all means of public transport. You’ll be surprised how much you can learn from a friendly local who strikes up a conversation during your journey. In Tabriz we will meet a local family and will see how they cook the Azeri local cuisine and we will taste it after that. We also chat with them about their daily life. Wherever possible, we work with local suppliers and assist them to improve the quality of their services. By booking this tour, you'll be helping us to support local service providers, artists and performers, small businesses, van owners and other poor people in communities throughout Iran. Your leader and local guides will be able to direct you to many local eateries throughout the trip, helping you discover real local fare, at real local prices (and probably helping you learn some local language at the same time). We also use local freelance guides with wide experience and knowledge of cultural traditions and an ability to interpret the cultural heritage of the people in the places visited. In Istanbul, you will have the opportunity to visit the Bakirkoy orphanage. We encourage our travellers to donate any unwanted items and we organise a small shopping trip prior to the visit to buy useful items such as notebooks, pencils and clothing. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |