Necropolis at Persepolis
	Shah Abbas Mosque, Esfahan
	Kandovan
	3000 BC clay vessel, Azerbaijan Museum, Tabriz
	women outside Friday Mosque, Tabriz
	Carpet Bazaar, Tabriz
	Pink Mosque, Shiraz
	Narenjestan Palace mirrored hall, Shiraz
	Persepolis
	Darius Palace, Persepolis
	Rayen Citadel
	Mountains between Rayen and Bam
	Old City, Yazd
	Don and new friends, Yazd
	Vank Cathedral, Esfahan
	Imam Square, Esfahan
	Dates and coconuts, Esfahan bazaar

Day 1

• Depart from the USA for Europe and on to Tehran

Day 2

• Arrive in Tehran in the evening
• Met by guide for transfer to hotel
• Overnight at the Espinas Palace Hotel

Day 3

• Day of sightseeing in Tehran, including the magnificent Golestan Palace, Carpet Museum, the National Museum, the Argo Factory (a gallery for young Iranian artists), the stunning Treasury of National Jewels, and the former U.S. embassy (now the Espionage Museum)
• Overnight at the Espinas Palace Hotel

Day 4

• Fly to Tabriz in the morning
• Sightseeing in Tabriz
• Check in to hotel
• Overnight at the Kaya Laleh Hotel

Day 5

• Sightseeing in Tabriz, including the Kabud Mosque, known as the Blue Mosque for its brilliant blue tiles, the Azerbaijan Museum, the vibrant Tabriz Bazaar (the only bazaar on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites), and the Shah Golu, a beautiful park surrounding a lake
• Overnight at the Kaya Laleh Hotel

Day 6

• Day trip to Kandovan, a cave village in the volcanic highlands of Mt. Sahand, where people have lived in caves carved into the mountain for 700 years
• Lunch in Kandovan
• Return to Tabriz with late afternoon free to wander through the luxury shopping mall adjacent to the hotel
• Overnight at the Kaya Laleh Hotel

Day 7

• Fly to Shiraz
• Transfer to Zandiyeh Hotel
• Evening visit to the Hafez Shrine, tomb of one of Iran's most renowned poets, with its lovely garden
• Overnight at the Zandiyeh Hotel

Day 8

• Day of sightseeing in Shiraz, including the Nasr al Mulk Mosque (better know as the Pink Mosque) to see its beautiful morning light inside the prayer room, tiled rooms and courtyards, Karim Khan Citadel, the busy Vakil Bazaar and its pretty courtyards, hammams and caravanserai, and the stunning Narenjestan Palace and garden, with its intricate woodwork and hall of mirrors
• Overnight at the Zandiyeh Hotel

Day 9

• Day trip to Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire, built by Darius I 2500 years ago. Nearby is the Necropolis, with the beautifully frescoed tombs of Cyrus the Great and Darius
• Late afternoon free to relax or visit the nearby bazaar
• Overnight at the Zandiyeh Hotel

Day 10

• All day drive across the Iranian desert and starkly beautiful mountain ranges to Mahan, seeing mudbrick villages enroute.
• Check in to the Evvan Khane Hotel
• Overnight at the Evvan Khane Hotel

Day 11

• Drive to Bam, stopping to visit the Shahzadeh Garden, one of the most famous Persian gardens and the Rayen Citadel on the way
• Late afternoon visit to the enormous Bam Citadel (the largest mud-brick structure in the world), heavily damaged in the 2003 earthquake that leveled the city, but still magnificent, particularly in the late afternoon light
• Overnight at the Parsian Azadi hotel

Day 12

• Drive to Yazd
• Late afternoon visit to the bustling bazaar
• Overnight at the Dad Hotel

Day 13

• Day of sightseeing in Yazd, including the fascinating Water Museum which explains the intricate qanat, the irrigation and water system of this desert city, the Zoroastrian Towers of Silence, the impressive Amir Chakhmaq Square, the beautiful Dowlat Abad Garden and its wind tower, which cooled the summer palace, and the ancient mud-brick historic center of Yazd.
• Overnight at the Dad Hotel

Day 14

• Drive to Esfahan
• Stop in Meybod on the way to see the Ice house and the mud-brick caravanserai that once provided shelter to caravans and today houses artisans' workshops
• Check in to our hotel before walking across one of the beautiful bridges crossing the [dry] Zayandeh River
• Overnight at the Abbasi Hotel

Day 15

• Day of sightseeing in Esfahan, focusing on the enormous Imam Square, second only to Beijing's Tiananmen Square in size. We will visit the gorgeously tiled Shah Mosque and Women's Mosque (built for the Shah's harem), one of the loveliest mosques in Iran, the Ali Qapu Palace, the huge bazaar that surrounds Imam Square and radiates out in alleyways way beyond the Square, and Chehel Sotun, the park, reflecting pool and pavilion known for its frescoes and hall of mirrors.
• Overnight at the Abbasi Hotel

Day 16

• Day of sightseeing in Esfahan, visiting the Friday Mosque and the Vank Cathedral (the Armenian Orthodox Cathedral), and the Armenian Genocide Museum the Hasht Behesht Palace and Garden
• Overnight at the Abbasi Hotel

Day 17

• Drive to Tehran via Kashan
• Visit one of the beautiful old Kashan houses and peaceful Fin Garden
• Continue to Tehran
• Check into Novotel at the airport to rest and relax until our late night flights home

Day 18

• Early morning departure for flights to Europe and on to USA

Services End

Included are all meals, all tips (except for any special service you request), internal flights, all admissions to museums, cultural, and historical sites, best available hotels, ground transportation, guides (our English-speaking national guide will be with us the entire trip), airport transfers.

Not included are: international flights to and from Tehran, incidentals (such as laundry), visa and passport fees, travel insurance and trip evacuation insurance if it's not included in your travel insurance.

Some notes about cost (see pricing below):

We travel with small groups, usually 6 to 10 clients. Others, even luxury travel companies, have groups of 18 to 26 or more people. Group size has the largest impact on trip cost. We offer several price points depending on group size.

We take care of all the tipping during the trip. You don't have to worry about when, whom or how much to tip.

We personally lead each trip, so you can count on us to take care of the daily details and solve any problems that may arise.

The cost of this trip to Iran (note-hotel rates are expected to rise in 2019, so the cost of the 2019 trip may be higher):

10 guests, not including us	$11,600/person
Up to 9 guests, not including us	$12,000/person
Single supplement	$1,500

We need to pay half our hotel costs to confirm our hotel reservations, so we need a higher-than-usual deposit. We will send our deposit to Iran immediately as it can take weeks to actually get the money into our travel agent's bank account. We will need a $4000 deposit per person, made out to eGlobalEducation, and mailed to 11855 E. Daley Cir., Parker, CO 80134.

Final payment will be due April 1, 2018 to ensure that our travel agent receives the funds. Their refund policy will enable us to get refunds until June 20, 2018.

Visas and passports: Your passport must expire no earlier than 6 months after our return from Iran. All Americans must get visas before we depart for Iran, a somewhat complicated and expensive, 2-step process. We will apply as a group for our visas, so it is important to make sure your passports have an expiration date at least 6 months after November 6, 2018 for our 2018 trip and 6 months after about May 6 for our 2019 trip. Very important: If you have an Israeli stamp in your passport, Iran will not grant you a visa. You will need to get a second passport, which is possible under these circumstances, or a new passport. If you are traveling to Israel and want to get an Iranian visa, ask for your immigration stamp on a separate piece of paper. Visa and passport fees are not included.

Policies

Itinerary changes:

Please note that we may change the itinerary based on changes in airline schedules, natural disaster, or other circumstances requiring such changes.

Refund Policy:

Our refund policy is: for cancellations received before April 1, 2018, we will refund your deposit less a $500 administrative fee charged by our travel agency. After June 20, 2018, we cannot refund any of our money (which is why we strongly encourage you to buy travel insurance) unless we can resell your reservations. In that case, we will charge a $1000 administrative fee.

We strongly recommend that you buy trip cancellation and interruption insurance and, if the insurance doesn't include it (most policies do), medical evacuation insurance. If you do not have a preferred insurance company, you can read and compare policy details and costs on www.insuremytrip.com. We have found this site to be very useful, with good customer service.

Cancellation Policy:

We reserve the right to cancel the trip if we do not have at least 8 people, including the 2 of us, or if circumstances beyond our control (i.e., war, quarantine, denial of visas, etc.) require it. In the case of cancellation by us, we will refund your entire payment. Please note the policy above in the "refund" section regarding cancellation by you.

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