BIRD WATCHING HIKING AND CULTURE

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Details

1° day: ITALY – TEHRAN

Departure, arrival, airport (IKA) in Tehran, meet & assist services at airport and transfer to hotel, overnight Tehran. Tehran is a living and growing capital city and as in the recent two centuries, the most important events in the history of the whole country take place here. Tehran with its numerous museums has the most important collection of recent and remote Persian art and culture. overnight Tehran.

2° day: TEHRAN – QAZVIN

After breakfast, visit to the National Museum of Iran, including prehistoric, historic and Islamic sections. This museum has a marvellous collection including ceramics, potteries, stone figures and carvings dating from around the 5th millennium BC. A visit to Golestan palace, is classified as a national monument according to the law for protection of national heritage, the oldest of the historic monuments in Tehran belongs to a group of royal buildings that were once enclosed within the mud-thatched walls of Tehran’s Historic Arg (citadel). . Drive to Qazvin, Qazvin was an ancient capital in the Persian Empire and nowadays is known as calligraphy capital of Iran, located in 150 km (93 mi) northwest of Tehran . Overnight Qazvin.

3° day: QAZVIN – ALAMUT – EVAN LAKE - QAZVIN

After breakfast drive to Alamut, located near Qazvin in the Alborz mountains, the fortress of Alamut is famous for being the one time stronghold of the mysterious Islamic sect, also known in the west as the Assassins. Legend has it that the strategic location of the castel was revealed to a Daylami king by an eagle hence the name Alamut which means either “Eagle Nest” or “Revealed by an Eagle”. The Alamut valley is a well-known for its excellent hiking, attraction on the hikes include visiting caves, castles of the Assassins (Alamut castle in Gazorkhan), canyons, and summits higher than 4100 meters. After lunch, return to Qazvin. Overnight Qazvin.

4° day: QAZVIN – ANZALI LAGOON - MASULEH

After breakfast drive to Bandar-e Anzali (Anzali Port) is a harbour town on the Caspian Sea, close to Rasht. Bandar-e Anzali is one of the most important seaports in the north of Iran. After lunch We have visit of Anzali lagoon by boat, it is known as a good place for bird watching. The lagoon's water ranges from fresh near the tributary streams to brackish near the mouth into the harbor and the sea. Drive to Masuleh, Masuleh architecture is unique. The buildings have been built into the mountain and are interconnected. Courtyards and roofs both serve as pedestrian areas similar to streets. Masuleh does not allow any motor vehicles to enter, due to its unique layout. It is the only city in Iran with such a prohibition. Overnight Masuleh.

5° day: MASULEH - QOM

After breakfast drive to Qom, is one of the holiest cities in Iran and the middle East and is entrenched in centuries of history. The famous thing about Qom is the Fatima È Massummeh Shrine which is a highly respected shrine and a very clean place, visit of Fatima Shrine. Overnight Qom.

6° day:QOM – KASHAN - ISFAHAN

Breakfast and then drive to Isfahan, stop in Kashan that is the first of the large oases along the Qom-Kerman road which runs along the edge of the central deserts of Iran. Its charm is thus mainly due to the contrast between the parched immensities of the deserts and the greenery of the well-tended oasis. Kashan is also home to some of the best traditional houses such as Brujerdi House (a Samovar merchant), as well as beautiful gardens such as Fin Garden. Overnight Isfahan.

7° day: ISFAHAN - ISFAHAN

Isfahan is Iran’s masterpiece, the jewel of ancient Persia and one of the finest cities in the Islamic world. The exquisite blue mosaic tiles of Isfahan’s Islamic buildings, its expansive bazaar and the city’s gorgeous bridges demand as much of your time as you can spare. The history of the city dates back to 2700 years ago. It was the capital of Iran in a number of the post-Islamic periods, but its golden age was during the Safavid dynasty in 17th century. Isfahan with numerous monuments for which it is world-famous has the greatest attractions for tourists. It is really a museum in the open air.
Full day tour of Isfahan magnificent buildings; some of the greatest examples of Islamic architecture including the Royal (Naqsh-e-Jahan) square (UNESCO World Heritage Site), the Imam & Sheikh Lotfullah mosques, Ali-Qapu Palace & free time for Bazaar spanning 5 km. A visit to the Armenian quarter to visit Vank Cathedral, built between 1606 and 1655. ChehelSotun Palace (forty column) with its beautiful frescos located in a pretty garden is our next stop. Shah Abbas II originally built it as a pleasure pavilion and reception hall. Evening panoramic tour of Isfahan including Si-o-Se &Khaju bridges. Overnight Isfahan.

8° day: ISFAHAN – NAIN - YAZD

Breakfast and then drive to Yazd stop stop for sightseeing in Nain including Jame Mosque, one of the first four mosques built in Iran after the Arab invasion. Yazd is still home to Iran’s largest community of Zoroastrians, and the best place to visit an Atashkadeh (House of Eternal Fire) and the Towers of Silence, the Zoroastrian burial grounds. Although the temple is modern (built in the 1940s), the sacred fire has been burning since 470 AD. Yazd is also an ancient city with its unique desert architecture and its “Badgirs”, the wind towers designed to catch and circulate the merest breath of wind. The mosques of Yazd are like no others and the magnificent Jame Mosque dominates the old city. Its remarkably high, tiled entrance, flanked with two magnificent minarets and adorned with an inscription from the 15th century, is simply superb. This city has always been a great weaving canter, known for its silks and other fabrics even before Marco Polo passed through along one of the Silk Routes in the late 13th century. This day, group will visit Jame Mosque of Yazd, Fire Temple, Towers of Silence, Mir-Chakhmaq Complex, old district of city and wind towers. Overnight Yazd.

9° day: YAZD – PASARGADAE - PERSEPOLIS – NECROPOLIS – SHIRAZ

Drive to Shiraz stop for sightseeing in Marvdasht ; Persepolis (Takht-e Jamshid) UNESCO World Heritage site, Necropolis (Naghsh-e-Rostam), Pasargad. A visit to the ruins of the ancient city of Persepolis is one of the highlights of any trip to Iran. Persepolis is the best preserved of Persia’s ruined cities and the finest legacy of the great Achaemenid Empire which ruled Persia between 559 and 330 BC. The most impressive features of the ruins are the splendid bas-reliefs, which adorn many of the staircases and palaces on the site and provide a rich treasure house of ancient history. At Necropolis you will find the tomb of the three powerful Achaemenian Kings carved into huge rocks overlooking one of the oldest Zoroastrian fire temples. A visit of the Pasargad, The Tomb of Cyrus is the burial place of Cyrus the great of Persia. Overnight Shiraz.

10° day: SHIRAZ – SHIRAZ

City tour of Shiraz including a visit to Narenjestan or Orange Garden built in 1879 - 1886 as a reception hall for visitors and was used as the governor’s residence during the late Qajar period. On to Nasir-ol-Molk Mosque. The mausoleum of the famous Iranian poet Hafez, Eram Garden and Arg of Karim khan are among the other visits. Overnight Shiraz.

11° day:SHIRAZ - ITALY

Transfer to airport for departure.