Quest of the Shah’s
Luxury Tour to Iran
Follow in the footsteps of Iran’s great Shahs and explore some of its most opulent cities while staying in former palaces, lavish caravanserais and old mansions on this luxury tour to Iran. Discover the Zoroastrian city of Yazd with a visit to the enigmatic ‘Towers of Silence’ and fire temple, traverse the streets of the ‘half of the world’ and visit the Armenian quarter of Isfahan, and wander through the old mansions of Iran’s most wealthy in Kashan. Gaze in wonder at the ancient city of Persepolis, pay your respects at the tombs of Persia’s ‘Great Kings’ at Tall e-Takht and see a genuine Persian Ziggurat at the Sialk archaeological hills.
Catch a ferry to the island of Qeshm to safari through the ‘Valley of the Stars’ and then onto Kish Island to visit the Kariz underground city. Leave the cities behind and stop over in the ‘Red Village’ of Abyaneh and the village of Varzaneh to gain an insight into village life in this fascinating part of the world.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
- Explore the archaeological site of Persepolis, Iran’s most famous ancient wonder, see the shipyards of Qeshm and explore the underground city on the island of Kish
- Wander the streets of Yazd, whose inhabitants still practice the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism, visit the fire temple and marvel at the strange ‘Towers of Silence’ on the outskirts of the city
- Visit the grand mansions of Kashan and take a walk through the spectacular Finn garden
- Journey to the ‘Red Village’ of Abyaneh for an introduction to village life in Iran and meet the locals that live in this unique part of the world
- Stay in locally-run upmarket hotels, former palaces and grand caravanserais and eat in some of Iran’s finest and most unique restaurants.
20 Days
TEHRAN – TEHRAN
$12 617 AUD*
Departure date: *currently on pause*
OR CONTACT US for more information
Trip code: QSTT *from
ITINERARY

Details
Duration: 20 Days
Trip style: Luxe
Group size: Minimum 6 / Maximum 15
Trip code: QSTT
Cost: $12 617.00 AUD twin share
Single supplement: $3325.00 AUD
Inclusions
- 19-nights in minimum 4-star locally owned and operated hotels, former caravanserais and historic houses
- Domestic flight from Kish to Tehran in economy class
- All other transport as specified in the itinerary
- Ferries between mainland Iran, Qeshm and Kish
- Meals as specified in itinerary (B = Breakfast / L = Lunch / D = Dinner)
- Services of your Inverted Atlas trip leader and local guides
- Arrival and departure transfers
- Visa assistance for Iran
Trip price does not include
- International airfares
- Visa for Iran
- Any expenses associated with COVID-19
- Meals not included as per trip itinerary including drinks and mini bar
- Additional accommodation before or after the tour
- Items of a personal nature including but not limited to laundry, souvenirs, porterage etc.
- Travel insurance – please note comprehensive travel insurance is a condition of travel with Inverted Atlas
This is a luxury tour of Iran, a country not used to travellers, but whose inhabitants are welcoming and accommodating, however, some places on this trip are remote and may have very little in the way of tourist infrastructure. There are a few very long travel days where we will be getting up early and arriving at our accommodation quite late, but, never fear – the accommodation is always of a luxury standard. We will mostly travel by a small local coach, with one short train trip thrown in for you to experience local transport in Iran. This trip involves a strict dress code for women, who should come prepared with either floor length dresses with long sleeves or long trousers with kaftans that reach the knees, along with head scarves. The dress code is not optional, and it is illegal for women to keep their hair uncovered while in Iran. Men are advised to wear long trousers.
Good quality hospitals, pharmacies and other public amenities will be limited to large cities like Tehran, Shiraz, Yazd and Isfahan, and you should be prepared for eastern style squat toilets in public places.
We recommend that travellers on gluten free, vegetarian and vegan diets bring some supplemental snack food from home as it might be difficult to meet these dietary requirements while in remote parts of Iran.
A note about fitness
This luxury tour of Iran requires a moderate level of physical fitness. You should be able to walk up to 2km over, at times uneven surfaces during sightseeing. In addition, you should be able to use an eastern style squat toilet if necessary (beware if you have knee issues).
You will need to be able to carry your own luggage to and from the coach and on and off the trains and ferries. (Due to OH&S regulations our trip leaders are not able to assist with luggage.)
In addition, you should be in good health, with no major chronic conditions requiring frequent medical attention. This trip often travels through remote locations where the availability of a hospital or even phone reception to call an ambulance is limited. While all our trip leaders are required to have a valid first aid certificate, they are far from doctors and any assistance they are able to provide will be limited to basic first aid. For more information please see our booking conditions.
Single supplement
Traveling by yourself? No problem, we love single travellers and don’t believe in penalising them by charging half the trip price again for our single supplement. With us you are only paying the actual cost to have a room all to yourself. If you’re up for making a new friend, you can elect to share with another single traveller of the same sex and only pay the twin-share price. The choice is yours on this luxury tour of Iran!
Trip leader description
Accompanying you on your luxury tour of Iran, will be your Inverted Atlas trip leader. Your trip leader is a logistics extraordinaire, keeps the trip running smoothly and ensures you have the best time possible on your trip. It is important to know that while your trip leader has the best job in the world, they aren’t actually on holidays, but rather they are there to make sure you have the best time while you are on your holiday! Your trip leader may at times need some time out so that they can complete back of house tasks that ensure everyone continues to enjoy the trip. It is also your trip leaders’ job to handle any issues (heaven forbid!) that come up while you’re on your trip like:
- If you lose your passport or other travel documents
- If there is a problem with your room at the booked accommodation – seriously please tell your trip leader don’t wait until you leave
- If you become unwell and need to find a pharmacy
- Assisting with restaurant recommendations or additional sightseeing during free time
- Questions regarding the itinerary
Your trip leader will have some good local knowledge about the destination in which you are traveling, however they are not a ‘local guide’. You’re welcome to ask your trip leader anything about the trip and if they don’t know they will find out and get back to you. Other people you will meet along the way are ‘local guides’ who are generally available to the group in specific towns or at specific sites like national parks, temples or archaeological sites. These people are the local experts and will be able to answer any questions you may have about the history and culture of a specific site.
Itinerary disclaimer
This itinerary, for this luxury tour of Iran is correct at the time of upload to our website and we have composed it in good faith. From time to time we may elect to make changes before departure, if we are making a big change we will of course notify you, however if it is a small change this will be reflected in the final trip notes. So, make sure you download these prior to departure. Small changes prior to departure are usually made with the groups best interests in mind and come about due to liaising with our best resources – our past travelers and of course our trip leaders! The ability to change and evolve depending on what our travelers enjoy is what makes us such a great trip operator.
While we strive to operate our trips exactly to the letter of the itinerary, sometimes we may need to make changes on the ground while the group is on the road. This is all part of the adventure of traveling and we would ask that you come on your trip with an open mind and a good sense of humour because as much as we want it to, everything doesn’t always go to plan. In fact, these impromptu situations often make the best stories that you can have a laugh with your friends about later.
Age requirements
Minimum Age: 18 years
Due to the nature of this trip and the region in which it travels children are not permitted for their own safety.
There is no upper age limit for this trip, but you should consider the above fitness requirements prior to booking. If you are 65 years or over, you will be asked to complete our Health Check Form and have your medical practitioner sign it to confirm you are in good health and able to participate safely on this trip.
Travel insurance
Please note that comprehensive travel insurance is a condition of travel with Inverted Atlas. Insurance must include provision for medical situations, emergency medical repatriation to your home country and personal liability at a minimum. Proof of valid travel insurance will be requested by your trip leader on arrival at the pre-departure meeting. Please have this paperwork available for them. If you are unable to provide proof of comprehensive travel insurance, you may not be allowed to join the trip and no refund will be payable.