Iran Saffron Tour

Arrive at Shahid Hasheminejad International Airport in Mashhad. Transfer to the hotel and rest. The early arrival includes a hotel booking for the night. O/N in Mashhad

After breakfast, drive toward Neyshabur, the city of poetry. Visit the Tomb of Khayyam, a marble monument designed by the architect Hooshang Seyhoun, one of the great architects of modern Iran. Read Khayyam poems translated by Edward FitzGerald in 1859 to get to the philosophy of Carper Diem. Walk toward Attar Neyshaburi Tomb, a Persian poet, theoretician of Sufism, and hagiographer who had a huge influence on Persian poetry and Sufism. Next to that, visit the Tomb of Kamal-ol-molk, the greatest Persian painter in the 17th century, whose paintings will be seen later at Golestan Palace in Tehran. After lunch, drive back to Mashhad to visit Imam Reza Holy Shrine, the 8th Shiite Imam. Next, visit Goharshad Jameh Mosque, one of the most glamorous mosques in Iran, built in the early 15th century by the wife of Shah Rukh of the Timurid dynasty. Astan Quds Razavi Museums is the next visited place, filled with numerous valuable objects. After lunch, visit the Anthropology Museum of Mashhad to get to know the lifestyle of ethnic Khorasan people. Next, visit the tomb of Nader Shah (1688–1747), the last great King of Persia, to see his statue and to get to know his victory over his enemies and his effort to unify Persia once more after the fall of the Safavid Dynasty. Transfer to the hotel and rest.

O/N in Mashhad

Drive north to Radkan village to visit Radkan Tower, a conical spired astronomical brick tower built by Khajeh Nasir Al-Tusi, one of the greatest Persian scholars of the Islamic Golden Age. Drive toward Tous, the birthplace of Abul-Qasem Ferdowsi Tusi, the author of Shahnameh (The Kings Book), in which he narrates the history and mythology of Ancient Iran in epic verse. Visit the epic statue inside the Tomb of Ferdowsi to get to know Iran’s history and literature. Next to that, visit the tomb of Mehdi Akhavan Sales, the Iranian modern poet and a passionate follower of Persian history and Ferdowsi. Then visit the Tous Museum to see the vessels, potteries, bows, arrows, etc. used in the 4th and 5th centuries in Khorasan. Close to the tombs, visit Haroniyeh Mansion, a huge monument which rumor has it was built by order of Harun al-Rashid, the great Caliph of Baghdad, for keeping prisoners. The Bread Museum of Mashhad is the next place where you can see and touch the process and art of making bread. Transfer to Shandiz to have a Persian dinner at a traditional restaurant. Transfer to the hotel and rest.

O/N in Mashhad

Drive toward the southeast of Mashahd, to Torbat-e Jam. Visit the Column of Ayaz, a former fire-temple which was turned into a Seljuk mausoleum. Continue your trip to Torbat-e Jam to visit a Persian Sufi, a Sufi writer, mystic, and poet, Sheikh Ahmad-e Jami’s mausoleum complex, including religious buildings, mosques, houses, and tombstones. After lunch, drive toward Nashtifan. Visit Karaat Tower, en route to Nashtifan, the city of windmills. Visit the unique Nashtifan Windmills, the vertical-axis windmills dating back to ancient Persia, grinding flour with green energy. Enjoy an exclusive mini-concert and Khorasani Dance Performance (Choub Bazi) at night. Spend the night in a cozy traditional house in Nashtifan. O/N in the Traditional House in Nashtifan

In the morning, head toward Zuzan to visit Zuzan Mosque, a huge two-Iwan mosque built before the Mongol Invasion in 1219. Visit a special hidden gem in Zuzan, the seven-colored Mihrab, or semicircular niche. Then head toward Torbat Heydariyeh. Visit Khargerd Ghiasieh School, one of the most influential madrasas in the Islamic period, belonging to the Timurids. After lunch, visit the Qutb ad-Dn Haydar Complex, a Turkic prince who fled to Persia and became one of the Persian Sufis in the Islamic periods. Then drive to Gonabad, where the oldest qanat lies. Visit Kal Shour (Salt River), a unique phenomenon in the dry land of Khorasan. Make sure to carry your camera to take beautiful landscape photos in Kal Shour. The next stopping point is Omrani Castle, a large mud-village ruins in the middle of nowhere. Drive to Gonabad and rest. O/N in Gonabad Eco-lodge/Traditional House.

Visit Qasabeh Qanat, the world’s oldest and largest network of qanats (underground aqueducts) built between 700 and 500 BCE by the Achaemenid Empire. Enjoy a local dish in an ecolodge in Gonabad after visiting Saffron farm. Head toward Ghayen, the city of saffron and barberry in Iran. Visit Barberry Farm in Ghayen in the evening. Get to know the barberry farm and the benefits of barberry for health. Drink barberry drinks and learn how to use barberry in food to make it more delicious. Visit Ghayen Saffron Bazaar to distinguish between genuine and fake saffron.Transfer to the hotel and rest. O/N in Ghayen Eco-lodge/Traditional House.

Visit Saffron farm in the early morning. Pick up saffron flowers on your own after being taught how to pick the flower. Lay out saffron flowers on a piece of fabric to dry. Try a saffron drink next to the farm while interacting with local farmers. Enjoy Tahchin, a cooked chicken hidden inside the saffron-flavored cooked rice. Drive toward Birjand. Visit Akbariyeh Garden & Museum, one of the Persian Gardens on Iran’s World Heritage Sites. Head toward Deyhuk and spend the night in a desert village. O/N in Deyhuk Eco-lodge/Traditional House.

Drive toward Kerman in the morning. It is rather a long drive, about five hours. Then Head to Shahdad to visit Kalouts, a geomorphological phenomenon formed by wind erosion over thousands of years. Take your camera to take landscape photos in the Iranian desert. Enjoy the sunset in the Lut Desert and watch the stars at night. Spend the night in a fully-equipped ecolodge in Shahdad.

O/N in a fully-equipped ecolodge in Shahdad

After breakfast, explore the area and drive to Kerman. Visit Ganjali Khan Complex, composed of a school, a square, a caravanserai, a bathhouse, an Ab Anbar (water reservoir), a mint, a mosque, and a bazaar. Head to Kerman Airport. Fly to Tehran in the evening. Transfer to IKA. The end of the tour