Iran Desert Tour : Tehran, Semnan, Mesr, Esfahak, Mahan, Bam, Kalut desert, Kerman, Kashan

Day 1 Arrival Tehran

You arrive in the capital of Iran and will be met on the airport by our representative, who will escort you to the hotel

Day 2 Tehran - Semnam

Today after breakfast you drive toward east of the country to Semnan city, the capital of Semnan province. When you leave Tehran after Khavarshahr on your left you see a small white church, there is Tehran Armenian Cemetery or Borastan cemetery belongs to Armenian Apostolic church in Tehran. Borastan Monastery is the only Armenian cemetery in Tehran and has a chapel called the "Holy Stepanos".

You will pass some few cities and some industrial sites and then you reach Sar Darre Mountains, very interesting colorful rocky mountains also known as Martian Hills,  on the edge of Dasht-e Kavir, Iran’s largest desert. Inside these mountains there are many salt mines and they also serve many tourists, especially domestic tourists during the year. After these mountains you have the city of Garmsar on your way. This area embodies ancient history. In Garmsar, there is a castle called Stonavand, which is estimated to be more than 3500 years old. And the paved road from Garmsar to the heart of the desert and to Qasr Bahram Caravanserai is one of the most prominent ways of the Safavid period, the traces of which still remain today. The vast and beautiful desert plain of Garmsar, which is the front of the central desert of Iran, has many natural attractions, which is also known as the first habitat of the Iranian cheetah. There are many historical villages around Garmsar such as Padeh, where you can visit historical water reservoir and an old hammam (bathhouse). Garmsar is known all over Iran for its yellow melons, very crispy and sweet, better known as the ‘Honey of Garmsar’. The city is also famous for the dish “Tahchin” very much different from other Tahchin which is known in other cities of Iran and fig trees. If you like we can organize to have lunch in a local home and try the best Tahchin and then back to the road.

Semnan; city of daffodils, Shirmal pastry (a saffron-flavored traditional flatbread) and Kilim Rug, may not be very well-known among foreign tourists. But historically this is one of the fourteen civil foundations in ancient era and also an important city during Achaemenid Empire. Semnan was also very famous city during Parthian and Sassanid era. And when Muslim came to Persia, Islam was established in Semnan. During Qajar Period Semnan raised economically and politically. Important sites to visit in Semnan are the Semnan Jame Mosque with over 1000 years of history, Imam Mosque ( known also as Soltani Mosque) designed by expert Iranian architects of Qajar time, the Shrine of Sheikh Ala'ed-dowleh Semnani built during Safavid dynasty, the Gate of the Semnan Fortress, Semnan Bazaar and Pehne Bazaar, Taddayon House …

Day 3 Semnan - Mesr

Today you drive to the heart of Dasht-e kavir. Dasht-e Kavir or Kavir-e Namak (Great Salt Desert) is a large desert in Iran and partitioned among Khorasan, Tehran, Semnan, Isfahan and Yazd provinces.  There is hypothesis that states Dasht-e Kavir is formed due to the evaporation of water and drying up a vast sea, and the existence of the salt lake, which is one of the thermal poles on the earth, can be considered as the evidence to this. There are protected areas in this vast desert hat host rare and precious animal species, such as Persian gazelles and leopards. In the past, one of the strategic trade routes passed through the Dasht-e Kavir and it was one of the important roads of the Silk Road. The most important road that link north of Dasht-e Kavir to south is the road from Damghan to Jandagh. Today you drive via this road to Jandagh and further to your destination to Mesr village. Though this road is desolated, you find the landscape enchanting and constantly changing.

Mesr is a desert of sand dunes. You can walk endlessly on the top of big dunes and enjoy the silence of the desert. Watching sunset from the top of sand dunes is a picture that remains lifetime on your mind.

You spend the night in one of the ecolodges in Mesr, runs by local families. It is very atmospheric and cozy and you will have your homemade dinner included, it is very tasty!

Day 4 Mesr

You will leave after breakfast and go through the Dasht-e Kavir desert on the way. An adventurous jeep ride over the bumpy sand dunes. Along the way you make enough photo stops and you can walk over the dunes. At the end of the afternoon you will return to your accommodation, located on the edge of the desert.

Day 5 Mesr - Esfahak via Tabas

You will enjoy a full day in Dasht-e Kavir. You may like to spend some more hours in the morning in Mesr village. If you are an early morning person do not miss the sunrise over the desert.

Today will drive you from one desert village to another, and you will get acquainted more with desert life.

Leaving Mesr you pass some small villages. You continue driving in splendid desert landscape and your first stop will be in Tabas. No doubt, Tabas is one of the most beautiful desert cities in Iran with history dates back to  pre-Islamic time, which has many natural, historical and cultural attractions. Unfortunately, this beautiful desert city and the surrounding villages have remained unknown to tourists and nature lovers. No one would believe to face large and refreshing orange orchards, magnificent date trees and numerous springs in the heart of the desert. Tabas is a quiet and clean city with kind and welcoming people. In the heart of the city, there is a beautiful garden and a museum of old trees (300 years old tree) and colorful shrubs with many streams filled with water. This garden is called Golshan, a heaven in the heart of the desert. If you could extend your trip and stay in Tabas, we would suggest you to visit Kal-e Jeni Canyon. Or if you start your day early you may still have time to go for a quick visit. Kal-e Jeni is one of the most beautiful natural wonders shaped by water movement and erosion throughout centuries. Kal-e Jeni means the valley of Jinn and is known as a mysterious place among the locals of the area. You will understand why it is called Kal-e Jeni when you visit it. Back to your road you will pass Korit village and then your destination: Esfahak. This village is one of the old villages of Tabas city. Esfahak is close to the mountains and compared to Tabas it has milder weather and this village enjoys huge source of underground water. Because of this milder climate growing any crops in Esfahak is possible but the main product of the village is date and saffron.

 The old village was destroyed due to an earthquake in September 1978.  Villagers built a new village and some years ago the destroyed old village was renovated and revived and turned to cultural tourism center.

Now the old texture, which until a few years ago was only a few ruins, has become a living and dynamic collection. The old bath has been renovated and functioned, and you can use it with making an appointment. Some of the old houses have been renovated and turned into eco-lodges, and you spend night in one of these houses.

Day 6 Esfahak - Mahan

After breakfast, your driver will be waiting for you and you will travel in the direction of Mahan. On the way you will visit the isolated village of Nayband. Nayband is arguably the most beautiful village in the desert, and certainly one of the most beautiful villages in Iran. Nayband towers over the desert like an impregnable fortress. This village is built on a steep hill. The houses on the edge form a fortification wall, on the edge of the village there are round watchtowers. At the foot of Nayband you will find beautiful gardens: rice fields, date palms, pomegranate trees and orange trees. Walking through the village you will imagine yourself in the old kasbahs of Morocco, but without tourists; hotels, souvenir shops or carpet dealers.

After wandering through Nayband, travel on to Mahan. Mahan is a nice little town to visit. In the center you will find a beautiful mausoleum. Tonight you will stay in style: in an invigorating palace garden, Mahan's Prince's Garden, Shazdeh Garden. A relief after the dryness of the desert! Rippling water, fountains, trees, flowers, birds ... Also be sure to ask if you can have breakfast in the Shah's garden arbor in the morning. From behind stained-glass windows you look out over a green oasis of tranquility.

Day 7 Mahan - Bam via Rayen

Today you travel to the city of Bam, famous for its ancient citadel. On the way you will visit the citadel of Rayan. This is a smaller version of Bam but has largely remained intact. In the afternoon you will arrive in Bam. This was once one of the largest mud buildings in the world and one of the most important sights in Iran. However, in 2003 Bam was largely destroyed by an earthquake. In the meantime, Bam has been partly rebuilt, just like the town itself and it is certainly worth a visit again. You can see how the citadel is rebuilt in its original state in a traditional way. The town of Bam itself is also a nice town to visit and hang out in a tea house.

Day 8 Bam - Kalut desert

You still have time in the morning to visit the citadel or the town. Then you drive on a scenic road through the mountains to Shahdad, the last town before the Dasht-e Lut desert begins. The Dasht-e Lut is called the hottest place on earth. NASA measurements once showed temperatures above 70 degrees Celsius. At sunset you will visit the 'kaluts', immense rocks protruding from the desert. A very impressive sight, a kind of Grand Canyon in the desert. It is also somewhat reminiscent of, for example, the Acacus Mountains in the Sahara in Libya or the south of Algeria. You will be taken to a viewpoint, where you have a beautiful view of the kaluts, which turn a beautiful red at sunset. There is an option to walk a long way into the desert. You spend the night in a simple 'desert camp' where you sleep under a beautiful starry sky in the open air.

Day 9 Kalut desert

You have the whole morning to further explore the Kalut desert. This means in particular that you will explore the desert early in the morning. You drive to the kaluts before sunrise to see the sunrise. Then you can walk through the village of Dey Seyf. This mud village is surrounded by some gardens with date palms and you will find a large caravanserai.

Day 10 Kalut - Kerman

After waking up for the last time in the desert you travel on to Kerman in eastern Iran. Kerman is a pleasant city to stay with plenty of attractions in the city and the surrounding area. Kerman is located at an altitude of 1750 meters and therefore has a pleasantly cool climate. The city is surrounded by desert and mountains. It is a pleasant city with a central square, some beautiful mosques and a nice bathhouse that you can visit. This bathhouse is a 17th-century hammam, and now used as a museum. Be sure to visit the bazaar, one of the nicest in the country.

Day 11 Kerman - Yazd

From Kerman you travel on to the desert city of Yazd, one of the most beautiful cities in Iran and one of the nicest to stay, with its beautifully preserved old town. Here are now many restaurants, tea houses, hotels and shops. Yazd is definitely a special city. You will find many mud houses and narrow streets, especially around the central bazaar area of the city. The houses are characterized by typical badgirs, the wind towers that circulate down every breath of wind. An age-old form of air conditioning. Also special are the many subterranean 'qanats' with which melt water from the mountains is expertly guided through the city and provides dry parts with water.

Day 12 Yazd

Today you can wander around the streets of Yazd. Hidden between the streets are some beautiful mosques, including the Friday Mosque and the Masjad-e Mir Chakhmaq. In the square you will find one of the most beautiful 'takieh' in the country. This is a place where, during the mourning period of Moharram (the first month of the Muslim calendar), traditional passion plays are held in memory of Imam Hussein who was martyred at Kerbala (Iraq). The city is also known as the center of Zoroastrianism. You can visit another fire temple here, the 'atashkade' (the house of fire) and the Towers of Silence surround Yazd. These are the traditional cemeteries where the Parsis (Zoroastrians) laid their dead.

In the evening, visit Zoorkhaneh, "House of Strength" to watch a traditional Iranian sport, dancing to the beating of drums.

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Day 13 Yazd - Kashan

After breakfast you will be picked up by your driver and taken to the train station in Yazd. Here you board a comfortable train that takes you to Kashan in a few hours. You will arrive here in the afternoon. Kashan is a nice oasis town with a lively bazaar, some beautiful trading houses and one of the country's most famous gardens: the Fin garden. Iran is a dry desert country, so the Iranian population likes to visit the beautifully maintained gardens, which form green oases on the edge of the often hot city. Here you will also meet many Iranian visitors.

The rest of the day is at your leisure. Today you have all day to visit this pleasant oasis town. The most beautiful houses of wealthy traders are close together in the west of the town. For example, you can visit the Khan-e Tabatabei, with no less than 4 inner gardens, beautifully decorated rooms with murals and beautifully colored stained-glass windows. Close by is the beautiful Khan-e Abbassi. Another house not to be missed is Bujerdi house, owned by a merchant in Samovars. This house has a beautiful courtyard and a number of beautiful frescoes by Kamal al-Molk, one of Iran's most famous artists. Close by is one of the most beautiful Hammams (bath houses) in Iran: Hammam-e Sultan Mir Ahmed, with beautifully colored tiles in various areas. Walk in here at sunset and enjoy the beautiful view over Kashan from the roof. The bazaar of Kashan is not too big and reasonably clear. Don't miss the lovely caravanserai and tea house here.