Iran Tour

We met hamid once we arrived during the night in Tabriz. We spent 10 days together from north west until teheran Our total travel in Iran, was of one month but we had already organised the other part of the trip We enjoyed very much the time spent with him. The car is in very good shape and Hamid is a good and secure driver He has a high educaton, and speaks extremely good english and his knowledge in the country, history, is of great help Also we enjoyed the pic nics ( Iranian style) and his flexiblity to adapt to our way of travelling ( ie we wanted some days to be on our own) His advices were always very good. We had opportunities to meet local people I recommend Hamid as an experienced guide if you want you can contact me for further information We organised meeting him again for a drink in Ispahan as he was travelling with a group of americans

Email: catherineleducq@gmail.com

Let me begin by saying that Iran is a marvellous place, an absolute MUST for any serious traveller. Its generous, hospitable, industrious, cultured people - are the key to having a wonderful experience in Iran. Iran’s long rich diverse history, has left behind a plethora of archaeological, architectural sites. Its cities are beautifully endowed with -breathtaking palaces, shrines, mosques, museums, bazaars, artisans and gardens. There is a wonderfully diverse scenery throughout this large country. Every kind of terrain awaits you – undulating hills, forests, mountains, deserts, waterfalls, caves, river valleys, verdant farm lands, sea coasts. All of which are accessed by a good road system. For the shopaholic and food buff, there is plenty here also in Iran, to satisfy you. The best way, the ONLY way to see Iran - is to do it with it with the indigenous company – Iran4travelling. This is essential in visiting and seriously understanding Iran – a country unfortunately, so misunderstood and misrepresented at times in the World. I have been a serious traveller for over 40 years. On average I traveller overseas 3 or 4 times a year. I don’t do guided tours, but sole travel. Often on long trips I opt for an extensive private guided tour. Iran4travelling is the consummate professional travel organisation. They were exemplary in the consultative process in planning my trip. Always prompt in their communication, Iran4travelling used their vast wealth of Knowledge of Iran in helping to design the perfect individual itinerary for me. They were incredibly receptive to my needs and interests and showed great flexibility when things had to be changed. The itinerary Iran4travelling came up for me was excellent. It was comprehensive and varied. What I liked in particular, was the opportunity at times, to engage Iran’s people by staying in - villages, in caves, on farms, in very small hotels/guest houses along with the more salubrious accommodation { 5 star hotels and ex-palaces }. The Execution of my travel plan by Iran4travelling was flawless.My private tour with Iran4travelling in 2018 covered over 10,000 KMs and most regions of Iran. From being met initially at the airport in Tehran to my send off at Mashhad - everything worked perfectly. My trip involved several internal flights and airport pickups, all of which happened without a hitch. As previously mentioned, the accommodation was just what I wanted. The suggested restaurants to me provided good value, interesting tasteful local cuisines. My transport was a modern, comfortable, airconditioned vehicle, driven expertly by the ever obliging Aydin { whom I will speak of latter } The mix of sites was very well balanced, the famous and less so, the grand and the local key, the accessible and the remote, the extensive and the simple, the clustered and the isolated, the scenic and the urbane All of these were shown/explained to me by the highly professional-articulate guides provided by Iran4travelling - Iran, Dezful and Mashhad. I was never rushed and could explore at my convenience. In particular I must comment on my guide- Aydin, who was nothing short of perfect. Aydin made my trip all the more memorable through his commendable - diligence, polite good nature, flexibility (thanks Aydin for the side trips looking for each town’s coffee cafes), patience, problem solving, historical and cultural Knowledge, local insights and skilful driving. His English was completely fluent, which facilitated excellent conversations, explanations and informative questioning. Apart from being an outstanding guide, Aydin was a wonderful travel companion. His enthusiasm for his work and his country never waned. He truly is a credit to Iran4travelling and to Iran itself ! In summation let me say – go to Iran, for this purpose engage Iran4travelling and use Aydin or a clone of his. I would be happy to field any questions about Iran through email : dabarnett21@hotmail.com Happy and satisfying travels, Derek

Aydin Nezafat was our guide and driver for three trips to Iran of a month each and we can say as a fact that he is the best guide ever. He speaks natively Persian (Farsi) and Azeri, and is also proficient in English and Anatolian Turkish. He was there with us when we had breakfast in the morning, ordered us lunch and dinner and went to bed when we did unless the car needed some emergency repair. We always stayed in tourist class hotels and, where there were none, he found us a home stay, which is a nice experience by itself. The food in Iran is amazing, and Aydin knows where the best restaurants are in the most unlikely places—downstairs in an old caravansary, the garden or rooftop of a grand old mansion. Care for camel milk ice cream flavored with fresh saffron? How about chicken or lamb or even kebab in pomegranate walnut sauce or the famous Tabriz meatballs? And to go with, one of the malt fruit drinks like blueberry or cherry. Aydin was always good tempered and never a grouch we never had any reason to be cross with him. We like to get a lot done in a day, and that can include some very long drives. He never complained, and kept us safe—we never had an accident, not even a fender bender. He has been just about everywhere any tourist would wish to see, and could easily make suggestions for archaeological sites, a four-thousand year old Ziggurat, Elamite, Achaemenid, Parthian or Sassanian rock reliefs, the elaborate carved plaster and inlaid tile of medieval buildings, grand mosques, fascinating and sometimes spectacular old mansions in a variety of styles, amazing vertical windmills, colorful ethnographic museums, and amazing bath houses. Also something you might not expect—some really interesting modern architecture. Have something specific in mind? No worries, he will be open to whatever you suggest, including trekking. We like to see things that are literally off-the-beaten track, like rock reliefs half way up a mountain, and castles that are off the map in the midst of trackless desert, and we came, we saw, and we photographed. There were also any number of locked doors that he managed to open for us. Our most treasured experience was on our most recent trip, when we participated (as spectators) in the annual festival of the Ashura, which features deeply moving religious ceremonies enlivened by a carnival battle re-enactment with real horses and camels and men in medieval armor plus series of parades with floats that kept us riveted for hours. We arranged our trip to Iran with iran4travelling. Aydin himself is one of the managers and guides of iran4travelling. Any questions? If you want to know more, you can find our contact from Iran4travelling. Richard Beal and JoAnn Scurlock, Chicago, Illinois, USA