5/5 James W. 4 months ago on Google • 4 reviews
My
partner
and
I
travelled
to
Iran
in
November
2023
for
12
days.
We
booked
our
trip
through
Iransafar,
who
were
excellent
throughout.
Mr
Farhad
Vali
was
our
primary
liaison
in
the
head
office,
who
compiled
a
personalised
and
affordable
itinerary
based
on
our
desires.
We
spoke
to
many
local
and
intentional
tour
operators.
Iransafar
differentiated
themselves
through
their
rapid
speed
of
response,
clear
English
language
communication,
honest
counsel
about
itinerary
elements
that
are
seasonal
(what
is
good
and
not
good
based
on
time
of
year)
and
willingness
to
customise
(rather
than
just
selling
us
a
"cookie
cutter"
trip
on
the
"classic
route").
On
the
tour,
we
were
served
by
two
exceptional
guides;
Mr
Hamid
Hasanpour
(Tabriz
and
Kandovan)
and
Mr
Mehdi
Hooshyari.(Tehran,
Kashan,
Maranjab,
Abyaneh,
Esfahan,
Yazd,
Persepolis
and
Shiraz).
Both
guides
had
exceptional
communication
skills
and
deep
bodies
of
knowledge
on
Iran
today
and
in
the
past.
They
provided
rich
context
that
deepened
our
understanding
and
enjoyment
of
all
we
saw.
They
were
also
adaptable,
altering
the
itinerary
to
respond
to
our
needs
on
the
fly
with
pleasure.
At
no
point
did
we
ever
feel
unsafe,
which
says
much
about
Iran's
undeserved
reputation
but
also
the
calbre
of
the
guides,
who
helped
us
interact
with
locals
throughout.
The
guides
were
very
attentive,
picking
up
on
small
cues
to
enhance
our
trip.
For
example,
Mehdi
used
his
network
to
secure
us
access
to
a
carpet
weaving
collective
to
witness
the
manufacturing
process
and
separately
organised
an
opportunity
for
me
to
try
sheep's
head
for
breakfast,
both
after
these
were
mentioned
casually
by
us
in
passing.
Both
guides
were
authentic,
displaying
their
own
enthusiastic
personalities
and
willing
to
discuss
any
topic.
They
handled
the
logistics
superbly,
ensuring
we
invested
time
in
the
most
important
sights
and
also
making
sure
we
saw
all
we'd
planned
(even
if
it
meant
they
missed
a
meal
or
had
an
abbreviated
nights
sleep).
They
made
Iran,
which
can
seem
intimidating
with
international
financial
sanctions
and
restricted
internet,
easy!
As
for
Iran
itself,
the
country
is
replete
with
stunning
landscapes,
historical
significance,
unique
and
surprising
culture,
beautiful
landmarks
and
more,
however
it
is
the
warmth
of
the
people
that
stands
out.
There
are
so
many
examples
of
this
but
this
is
perhaps
best
captured
in
a
single
anecdote.
We
were
enjoying
tea
and
cake
one
night
in
Esfahan,
and
upon
going
to
pay
it
became
apparent
that
another
patron,
who
had
left
unannounced
and
without
seeking
any
thanks,
had
paid
the
bill
for
the
three
of
us,
a
gesture
of
his
hospitality
and
appreciation
we
were
visiting
Iran.
Oh
so
humbling!
You
owe
it
to
yourself
to
visit
this
spectacular
country
and,
when
you
visit,
you
should
do
so
with
Iransafar.
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