8-day road trip through northern Iran: the Alborz Mountains, the Caspian Sea, Ardabil, Tabriz and Kandovan, ending in Tehran, led by Ajarn Pond.
Trip highlights
- A road trip through the mountains and sea of northern Iran
- Historic sites of Iran along the route
Led by historiansEvery trip travels with an expert history lecturer who brings each site to life in plain language.
Off the beaten pathCentral Asia, the Middle East, the Himalayas — places most tour companies never go.
Private groups, no rushingRight-sized groups and unhurried time at the places that matter most.
Beyond ordinary travelEvery tour is designed by writers and professional travellers to create experiences that reflect who you are — for travellers who want more than an ordinary holiday.
About this tour
The Wild Chronicles' Iranian Road Trip, themed 'The Mountains and the Sea', drives through northern Iran: the Alborz range, the Zagros foothills and the shore of the Caspian Sea. Along the way you see rainbow-coloured mountains, the cone-shaped rock village of Kandovan, rice fields and the lotus lagoon at Anzali, a sturgeon farm and sites on the Silk Road.
Highlights include the Chalus Road, the Heyran Pass, Ramsar Palace Museum, Masouleh village, Qaleh Roudkhan Castle, the Sheikh Safi al-Din shrine in Ardabil, Tabriz Grand Bazaar, and Golestan Palace in Tehran. Three of these, the shrine, the bazaar and the palace, are UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The tour is led by Ajarn Pond Weerapat Kamrat, known as 'Ajarn Thong Lok', a specialist in history and travel. Accommodation is a mix of boutique hotels and 4-5 star hotels, and the tour price includes the Iran visa and flights, including a domestic flight.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1Bangkok – Tehran
Meet at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 19:00, with company staff assisting. Fly to Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran at 22:20 on Mahan Air flight W5050, about 6 hours 45 minutes.
Day 2Tehran – Chalus Road – Ramsar
Land at 02:10 (3 hours 30 minutes behind Thailand) and rest at the airport hotel (Rexan Airport Hotel). In the morning drive north to Chalus along the Chalus Road (Road 59), a major route to northern Iran through mountain valleys. The route crosses the Alborz Mountains, which curve along the southern shore of the Caspian Sea.
- Ramsar Museum Palace, one of the finest Pahlavi-era monuments, a white marble building with five mansions
Day 3Fuman – Masouleh – Roudkhan Castle – Bandar Anzali
Travel to Fuman and visit the ancient village of Masouleh, once a thriving trading centre on the Silk Road. Its houses are built in tiers up the mountainside, so the roof of one house becomes the courtyard and walkway of the one above.
- Karaj Dam, a reservoir in a mountain valley, as listed in the program
- Qaleh Roudkhan Castle, an ancient hilltop fortress in green forest, believed to date from the Sassanid period and listed as a national historic monument
Then continue to Bandar Anzali for the night.
Day 4Caspian Sea – Heyran Pass – Ardabil
Visit the Caspian Sea, an enclosed sea between Asia and Europe bordering Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Then drive the Heyran Pass, one of Iran's most beautiful routes; 'heyran' means 'amazing' in Persian.
- Sheikh Safi al-Din Ardabili's Shrine, burial place of the founder of the Safawiyya order, begun in 1334, a pilgrimage site and UNESCO World Heritage Site
Overnight in Ardabil.
Day 5Aladagh Lar rainbow mountains – Tabriz – Kandovan
Stop at the Aladagh Lar Mountains, the rainbow-coloured mountains near Tabriz formed by millions of years of layered minerals. Then travel via Tabriz, the main city of East Azerbaijan, to the ancient village of Kandovan, a village of cone-shaped rocks hollowed into homes and lived in for hundreds of years.
Day 6Tabriz – Tehran
Browse Tabriz Grand Bazaar, an old Silk Road market and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Azerbaijan Museum, with artefacts from the West and the East showing Iran's role on the Silk Road
- Blue Mosque, built in 1465 and once covered in blue tiles
Then go to Tabriz airport and fly to Tehran. Stop at Azadi Tower, a landmark of Tehran built from over 8,000 marble blocks.
Day 7Tehran – departure
- Golestan Palace (the 'Rose Garden Palace'), residence of kings from several dynasties, blending Persian and neoclassical architecture, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Tehran's Grand Bazaar, a historic market with walkways totalling over 10 km
- Sardare Bagh Meli, a large brick gateway decorated with colourful tiles
- Mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, as listed in the program
Then prepare for the return flight from Imam Khomeini Airport, departing at 21:40 on W5051.
Day 8Arrival in Bangkok
Arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 08:20.
Included
- All international and domestic flights as specified
- All accommodation as specified
- All meals as specified
- Entrance fees as specified
- Transport as specified
- Guide and tour leader
- Travel insurance
- Iran visa fees
Not included
- Personal expenses
- Business Class seat supplement
- Baggage over 30 kg on international flights and over 20 kg on domestic flights
- Plastic wrapping of luggage before loading, such as boxes, cartons and foam crates
- Airport porter fees if you use the service yourself
- Tips for guide, driver and Thai tour leader (54 USD for the whole trip)
- 7% VAT, 3% withholding tax and all other taxes
About this tour
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Iranian Road Trip: The Mountains and the Sea
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