14-Day Iran Highlights Tour from Ahvaz to Tehran with Nomad Odyssey

• Get picked up from Ahvaz airport and travel to Shushtar with your Iranian tour guide.

• Visit the Karoon River on the way. It is the longest river in Iran and the only one connected to international waters.

• Continue to Haft-Tapeh and Tchogha-Zanbil, the first Iranian site registered on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Apart from the historical monument, the mysterious footprint of a child dating back centuries is also worth seeing.

• After lunch and a short rest, go to Shushtar's historical watermills to see how local people channelled the water in ancient times.

• See Negin Bridge and Shimbar Waterfall. In spring, its plains are covered with a bright green carpet, while in autumn the golden foliage and morning mists are awe-inspiring.

• After lunch, take a 3-4 hour hike to reach the nomads' campsite in Mt. Zagros and set up your tent next to the nomads under the starry sky.

• Sit by the fire at night and have tea while the nomads go about their everyday routine.

• Tomorrow is the day of KUCH. Follow the nomads in their seasonal transhumance.

During these three days, you will complete a total of 42 km of hiking. Flexibility is the key word, since there is no fixed plan due to the nomads' adaptable lifestyle. Sometimes you may face unexpected adventures that require you to adjust. Magnificent mountain ranges, clear skies, fantastic scenery, nomads and their unique way of life, sheep and goats, and the sound of their bells are all part of the experience.

• Cross Mt. Zagros with the indigenous people of Iran and their livestock. Take in the breathtaking views of valleys and peaks as you accompany them on their epic migration through the Zagros mountain ranges for three days.

• Help the nomads with shepherding, collecting wood, and fetching water.

• Witness how nomadic women make bread and milk the goats.

• Enjoy the calm and the spectacular views in the afternoon as the nomads halt and set up the black tent.

At night, an incredible sleep under the starry sky in the cooler mountain temperatures will be especially enjoyable.

• Have breakfast with the nomadic family. Say goodbye and continue the expedition to an amazing mountainous village called Khouye. After three days of migration with the nomads, a comfortable, cosy village house will be a perfect lodge.

• Walk around the fruit gardens and old village houses, where women make Persian carpets, handicrafts, and black tents.

Stay in the village for the night.

• Relish a hearty breakfast in a village house facing the mountains.

• Explore the village.

• Travel to your next destination, the unique historical village of Sar Agha Seyyed.

• Here, appreciate the views of the old village houses, where the yard of one house is the roof of another. See women carrying oak fruits back to the village. The salt mines and the beautiful waterfall are also worth visiting.

• See the breathtaking Koohrang Spring. It is the biggest spring in Iran and is rarely visited by travellers because of the exposed nature of the place and the rough roads.

For the night, you will stay at the Koohrang hotel.

• Reach Isfahan at noon.

• Visit some must-see places in Isfahan.

• Admire its unique Persian architecture.

A Persian proverb says, 'Isfahan is half of the world', referring to its many palaces, mosques, gardens, bridges, and more.

• Visit some of Isfahan's most famous places, including Naqsh-e Jahan Square, home to Ali Qapu Palace, Imam Mosque, Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, and the Imperial Bazaar.

• Take the afternoon to rest.

• Explore Si-o-se-Pol Bridge, Khaju Bridge, or the other bridges at sunset.

• Try the amazing Isfahani Beryan and Khoresht-e Mast.

• In the morning, head to three more must-see places in Isfahan: Atiq Mosque, Vank Cathedral, and the Jolfa neighbourhood.

• After lunch in an old restaurant, reach Varzaneh after a two-hour drive.

• Watch the sunset over the desert sandhills.

For the night, you can either stay in the Negar guesthouse or camp under the starry sky. The next day, you can also try making Persian cuisine in a local house, as the guesthouse can arrange an optional Persian cooking class.

• After lunch, leave Varzaneh for Yazd.

• Cross the desert on the way and visit the well-known wetland of Gav-Khuni Pond. Reeds grow all along the Zayanderud, and drakes and flamingos can be seen around the river in some seasons. This is where the Zayanderud ends.

• Reach the noble city of Yazd by evening.

• Settle into Nartitee Ecolodge in the Taft district.

• In the evening, explore Taft village by bike. The town has beautiful fruit gardens, especially pomegranates.

• See the large and impressive Amir Chakhmaq Complex, a historical square in the centre of Yazd.

• Visit Dowlat Abad Garden. This garden has the tallest windmill globally and is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• After lunch, visit the Zoroastrian Towers of Silence (Dakhme), an open burial pit where Zoroastrians performed their last rites.

• Peak your experience of silence with an overnight stay in Zein-o-Din Caravanserai, situated on the ancient Silk Road. Enjoy the clear starry night sky, peace, and tranquillity.

• Explore must-see places in three groups: historical houses, mosques, and gardens.

• Reach the Puppet Museum House in the heart of Kashan, surrounded by well-known historical houses such as Tabatabaei House and Borujerdi House. Visit the houses and hear their stories.

• Go to Agha Bozorg Mosque in the evening. It is a symmetrical architectural masterpiece built in the 18th century. Then visit the Bazaar of Kashan, called Timche, to learn more about Persian carpets.

• Travel to the traditional bathhouse, Sultan Amir Ahmad Bathhouse.

• Go to one of the surrounding villages to enjoy its scenic natural beauty.

• Return to Tehran.

• Visit Golestan Palace, Melli Garden, the Jewellery Museum, and Tabi'at Bridge. Golestan Palace was once the royal abode of the Qajar dynasty. Its garden, architecture, throne rooms, and museums are all worth seeing, and the palace is registered with UNESCO.

• Wander through the Grand Bazaar of Tehran and admire its unique architecture.