Tuesday 22nd March – Tehran

• Arrive at your convenience into Tehran – the capital city of Iran which is well connected from many countries within Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.  Those coming from our Kuwait Tour arrive at 2:30pm where we are picked up and taken to our hotel.
• Pre-tour meeting will be held at the lobby of our hotel at 5:00pm to discuss tour itinerary and to meet your fellow travellers and YPT guide.
• Visit to the heart of Old Tehran to soak up the night time atmosphere, drink some local tea and people watch.
• Traditional Iranian dinner of kebabs at famous restaurant Ayaran restaurant, near Ferdosi square.
• Overnight at New Naderi Hotel.

Wednesday 23rd March – Tehran

Morning

• Breakfast at hotel
• Head out on our day tour of the main sights of Tehran with first stop being a visit the Mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini – the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
• Head on to the Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery, expect to see a lot of locals around paying their respects
• Visit the Azadi Tower – formally known as the Shahyad Tower or Shah’s Monument, standing 45 meters high, it is one of the most iconic landmarks of Tehran. The tower is located at the west entrance of the city and was built by the last Shah of Iran to mark the 2,500th year of the foundation of the Imperial State of Iran in 1971.
• We’ll drive through Tehran passing anti-US propaganda slogans and posters, as well as stopping by the former US embassy to visit in the inside.

Afternoon

• Lunch downtown to sample incredible local Iranian dishes
• Visit the Ebrat Museum which displays atrocities carried out by the Shah’s secret police during the 1970s within a former prison. Heavy doses of brutality and propaganda, not for the faint-hearted!
• Explore Tajrish Bazaar – this covered bazaar has ancient architecture and structure with some part of it being built more than 200 years ago back during the Qajar dynasty.
• Visit a nearby mosque in the old district.
• Dinner at the Armenian Club. Armenians are the main ethnic Christian minority in Iran.
• Overnight in New Naderi Hotel

Thursday 24th April – Tehran – Esfahan

Morning

• Breakfast at hotel and begin our drive to Esfahan located in central Iran, mostly known for its Persian architecture. We’ll arrange plenty of stops for breaks and photos on the way (4-5 hours).
• Lunch in a restaurant in one of the rural towns on the way.

Afternoon

• Visit the famous old Khaju Bridge – the bridge was built around 1650, under the reign of Abbas II. One would think the primary function of a bridge would be to cross it, for this unique structure it was to hold public meetings in the past.
• Visit one of the oldest carpet shops. Explanation on a variety of Persian carpets and opportunity for a purchase. The presentation involves a show how carpets are made and explanation of 30 different styles of carpets.
• Dinner at a popular restaurant that prepares the best Chelow kabab – the national dish of Iran.
• Evening visit to the 300 year old Abbasi Hotel for traditional Iranian tea.
• Overnight at the centrally located Esfahan Tourist Hotel.

Friday 25th March – Esfahan

Morning

• Breakfast at hotel and head straight to the majestic Ali Qapu Royal Palace – this palace served as the official residence of Persian Emperors of the Safavid dynasty dating back to 1597 CE.
• Visit the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque – this is considered one of the masterpieces of Iranian architecture that was built during the Safavid Empire in 1619.
• Explore Naqsh-e Jahan Square which translates into “Image of the World Square” –  it is the largest square in Iran of a total area of 89,600 square metres. The square is depicted on the reverse of the Iranian 20,000 rials banknote.

Afternoon

• Lunch at a traditional restaurant by the square.
• Visit the Imam Mosque – famed for its traditional architecture which includes seven-colour mosaic tiles and calligraphic inscriptions. The mosque was previously called the Shah Mosque before the revolution.
• We’ll visit an official money exchange place located by the square that will give you the best chance to receive crisp rials for money collectors.
• Visit a Zurkhaneh Gym to watch an ancient Persian sport workout – a strength building exercises done with traditional drum and bell music.
• Dinner in town
• Overnight at the Tourist Hotel.

Saturday 26th March– Esfahan – Yazd

Morning

• Breakfast and check out of hotel
• Begin our 4 hour drive to Yazd, formerly also known as Yezd – a 5000 year old city located southeast of Esfahan. It is the centre of Zoroastrian culture and in 2017 the city was granted World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Afternoon

• Lunch on arrival in town
• Visit the must-see Amir Chakhmaq complex and nearby mosque – during the Iran-Iraq War and the Iraq War with the US and Afghanistan, many Iraqis and Afghanis fled here.
• Explore the old city, the Jame Mosque and we’ll then head to Rafieian’s Old House – over 250 years old and a great example of traditional architecture in the region
• Dinner at the local kebab house in one of the old-fashioned Persian restaurants in the city
• Overnight in Yazd

Sunday 27th March – Yazd-Shiraz

Morning

• Breakfast at hotel and head to the beautiful Dolat Abad Garden – built in 1747, this walled complex includes the country’s tallest wind catcher, orchards & fountains.
• Visit the Zoroastrian Fire Temple – a place of worship for the followers of Zoroastrianism, the ancient religion of Iran.
• Explore the Yazd Tower of Silence – The Zoroastrian tradition is that once someone has passed away, their body is immediately contaminated by demons and made impure. So to prevent this, the Zoroastrians purified the dead body by exposing it to the elements on top of these towers called dakhmas in the desert.

Afternoon

• Lunch in Yazd and then we hit the road for a 5 hour drive to Shiraz located south central of Iran.
• On arrival we’ll visit the citadel within the centre of the city to mingle with locals.
• Have free time to walk around or relax with tea and shisha at a tea house.
• Dinner in Saray E Mehr restaurant in the middle of bazaar for traditional Di Zi dish
• Overnight in Parsian hotel.

Monday 28th March – Persepolis – Shiraz

Morning

• Wake up bright and early to visit the colour stained mosque when the morning light shines through spectacularly.
• Drive to Persepolis, the ancient capital of the Persian Empire during the Achemaenian era and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, burned to the ground by Alexander the Great but the ruins are one of the top sights in the whole of Iran.
• Lunch at traditional restaurant called “Paradise” on the way to Necropolis tombs – a collection of ancient Iranian rocks cut into the face of the mountain which contains the final resting place of four Achaemenid kings.

Afternoon

• Persepolis covers a vast area and we will explore the palaces, forts and treasury along the way.
• We’ll head back to Shiraz where we will visit the botanic gardens of Shiraz.
• Stop for traditional Shiraz ice cream at a famous local shop.
• Visit a famous Hafeizieh Iranian poet’s park and tomb. Great opportunity to mingle with locals and take photos.
• Dinner at hotel or out to a fast food joint for burgers, falafel, and sambusas.
• Overnight in Parsian hotel.

Tuesday 29th March – Shiraz – Tehran – Agarak

Morning

• Breakfast at hotel and board an early morning flight back to Tehran
• Begin our cross-country drive to the Armenian border with a stop in Tabriz – the capital city of East Azerbaijan Province, located in north-western Iran. Tabriz Bazaar, once a major Silk Road market, is now a sprawling brick-vaulted complex selling carpets, spices and jewellery.

Afternoon

• Mid-afternoon we will cross the border into Armenia – formerly one of the tensest points of the Cold War era.
• Transfer to Agarak and to our hotel for rest.
• Head out for a local dinner and our first beer after a week in the Islamic Republic of Iran!
• Overnight in Agarak.

Wednesday 30th March – Goris 

Morning

• Breakfast at hotel and being our drive to the city of Goris going via the scenic route crossing stunning Caucasus mountains.

Afternoon

• Lunch at an Armenian Borat styled house for home brewed coffee, roast chicken, and for those brave enough…vodka.
• Arrive at the Mirha hotel.
• Visit the “old village” cave city on the outskirts of Goris, Capadocia of Armenia.
• Dinner in an all-Soviet collectors house for traditional Armenian dishes and wine with a chance to buy Soviet memorabilia
• Overnight in Goris.

Thursday 31st March– Goris – Stepanakert

Morning

• Breakfast in the hotel.
• Head out to take the longest cable car in the world to visit the Tatev Monastery, the cable car is 5,700 metres long!

Afternoon

• Traditional Armenian lunch in Goris.
• Met by our trusty fleet of vans for the highlight of this trip, the transfer to Nagorno-Karabakh, one of 4 unrecognised breakaway frozen conflict zones in the former Soviet Union.
• On arrival we will check into the Jazz Club Hotel
• Visit the foreign affairs department and get our Nagorno-Karabakh visas. This is optional to get it in your passport, as this stamp means you cannot enter Azerbaijan.
• Leisurely walk into town for a walking tour of Stepanakert, one of the smallest and slightly quirkier capital cities of the region.
• We also take the time to visit the fabulous Soviet-era amusement park and drive the dodgems!
• Visit to the national stadium for a look around where the Republic of Artsakh play their home matches
• In the evening we’ll go for a local dinner and drinks in town
• Overnight in hotel.

Friday 1st April – Stepanakert surroundings

Morning

• Breakfast at hotel
• Visit the extremely disturbing museum to the fallen soldiers during the war with Azerbaijan. This museum contains a variety of objects and photographs and tells horror stories about the war.
• Next we head for a private tour of the brand new but never properly used Stepanakert airport
• Drive by a military base with the chance to see tanks on a training course
• We then go to the Tank monument, the first captured tank of the war, which is a fantastic photo opportunity
• Trip highlight – we’ll be picked up by our Lada fleet to visit the “DMZ” abandoned town, Agdam, also known as “The Hiroshima of the Caucuses”, situated at the front line of this frozen conflict zone – very off the beaten track. Please note: Technically it is not permitted to visit here, so the situation will be judged when we arrive. We ask our pioneers to strictly follow instructions given to you.

Afternoon

• Lunch stop along the way to Gandzasar.
• Visit the Gandzasar monastery, one of the oldest monasteries in the world, tracing its roots to 600 CE, it survived multiple bombing attempts by Azerbaijan during the conflict.
• Explore the ancient cemetery around the monastery.
• Drive to the wacky village of Vank to see the Titanic and Seastone hotels, strange places built by a local eccentric billionaire, and a real weird treat of the trip.
• Return to Stepanakert to have dinner at Ureni – a traditional Karabakhi restaurant.
• Overnight in Stepanakert.

Saturday 2nd April – Stepanakert – Yerevan

Morning

• After breakfast we bid farewell to the first unrecognised country of our trip and make our way to the capital of Armenia, Yerevan.
• During our drive we’ll visit the Papik and Tatik monuments and stop at the Armenian Stonehenge, which is twice as old as the English one!

Afternoon

• Roadside lunch on way to Yerevan.
• Visit Khor Virap – an ancient monastery overlooking Mount Ararat.
• On arrival into Yerevan we will check into Envoy Hostel where there will be a chance for some R&R in the hostel.
• Dinner in a traditional Armenian Restaurant.
• Night on the town in Yerevan. Yerevan is a very young party town and will provide for a great night out!
• Overnight at the hostel.

Sunday 3rd April – Yerevan

Morning

• After a longer lie-in than usual we’ll head out this morning to the Vernissage flea market which should be bustling on a Sunday to pick up some Soviet memorabilia!
• We set off on more of a walking tour of Yerevan with a visit to the Republic Square and the alleys of Abovian Street

Afternoon

• Next stop is Freedom Square complete with cascades waterfall art installations and the opera house, as well as parks where we can grab a coffee and people watch, lazing on a Sunday afternoon!
• Visit the cascades waterfall art installation as well as the opera house and parliament
• Dinner in a famous traditional Armenian restaurant in downtown Yerevan.
• Overnight in Yerevan.

Monday 4th April – Yerevan

Morning

• This morning we head out of the city to visit the Geghard monastery, one of the oldest churches in Armenia, carved entirely out of the mountain!
• We then head to the town of Garni and site of a 2000-year-old pagan temple
• Lunch at one of the outdoor restaurants in the hills of Yerevan.

Afternoon

• This afternoon we will visit the Armenian Genocide monument and museum on a hilltop overlooking the city
• Dinner in Yerevan before a few hours where you’re free to go for a wander or grab a coffee or stock up on supplies for tomorrow’s road trip.
• Overnight in Yerevan.

Tuesday 5h April – Tbilisi

Morning

• Group A members: tour concludes
• Group B members: Early morning departure as we take our car to go to Tbilisi.
• After going through customs and driving some more, arrival in Tbilisi and we go for lunch at a traditional Georgian restaurant
• Check into Envoy Tbilisi Hostel and free time/rest time until lunch

Afternoon

• Lunch in a most hard to find local gem, a place called Sofia Melnikova café, for a variety of Georgian specialties, like the best hand-made khinkali in the city – a type of Georgian dumplings
• In the afternoon we go on a walking tour of Tbilisi; first stop Independence Square! We then head on to the parliament and the ‘dry bridge’ market, an all-Soviet memorabilia market with the chance to buy military hats, medals, pins, stamps, and caucuses-style swords and knives!
• Next we get on another cable car and go to visit Narikala Fortress overlooking Tbilisi. We’ll also see the Kartlis Deda (Mother Georgia) monument above Tbilisi
• Dinner in a local restaurant in the Old Town before we go for a relaxing time in traditional Georgian/Turkish sulfur baths with local beer (extra charge)
• Overnight in Tbilisi.

Wednesday 6th April – Gori – Tbilisi

Morning

• After breakfast we depart for Gori – the hometown of the infamous Joseph Stalin! The journey takes only a few hours, and you’ll find that Stalin is still very heavily regarded here, which makes for some interesting conversations with the locals.
• Visit THE Stalin Museum and Stalin Statue. The museum tour includes his former train and the house he was born in.

Afternoon

• Head to the Akhaltsihe cave city, a 3000-year-old settlement overlooking the Potshovi river.
• Transfer back to Tbilisi where we’ll grab dinner and then visit one of the first Irish pubs in the Soviet Union called The Hangar and then on to a local hangout called Dive Bar
• Overnight in Tbilisi

Thursday 7th April– Stepansminda – Tbilisi

Morning

• Up early to drive towards Stepansminda, near the Russian border
• Stop at Ananuri fortress overlooking Zhinvali reservoir
• Visit a massive Soviet “Georgia–Russia Friendship” monument overlooking Jvari pass
• Walk around the beautiful Trinity monastery with views of Mount Kazbegi (5035m)
• Lunch at the house of eccentric “Mother Georgia” local grandma for variety of traditional dishes including handmade (by you) Khinkali

Afternoon

• Transfer back to Tbilisi before we get dinner in Tbilisi and stock up on supplies for the…
• Overnight train to Zugdidi in Western Georgia.

Friday 8th April – Zugdidi-Sukhum

Morning

• Early morning arrival into Zugdidi and from here we will be heading to the second unrecognised country of our trip – Abkhazia!
• We’ll arrive at the border crossing. This is a very tense border, where very few tourists cross, and is one of the most heavily militarised places in Europe.
• Transfer to Sukhum, the capital of the breakaway republic, and until recently war-torn city.

Afternoon

• On arrival we’ll check into our hotel and then go for a walking tour of Sukhum. During Soviet times Abkhazia was the pearl of Soviet tourism, and whilst many Russians still come here its glory days have passed.
• We’ll walk along the promenade as the locals start clocking off work and people-watch with a beer
• Dinner at Naartaa, a traditional Abkhazian restaurant specializing in shashlik and wine before we go out for bowling at a local nightclub.
• Overnight in Sukhum

Saturday 9th April – Sukhum surroundings

Morning

• After breakfast we drive to New Athos. The beautiful New Athos monastery was built in the 1880s by Tsar Alexander III of Russia
• Visit the wonderfully quaint and beautiful Psyrtskha Train Station and a small Soviet hydroelectric station hidden in the cliffs.
• We jump on the New Athos cave metro to visit one of the largest and most spectacular caves in the world!
• Continue to the amazing Lake Ritsa with stops in Lupshara canyon bound by massive limestone cliffs
• See beautiful Lake Ritsa, home of one of Stalin’s favourite dachas

Afternoon

• Late lunch in a traditional Abkhaz house with a choice of fresh lake trout, smoked meat and cheese
• More time to relax by the lake in these stunning surroundings before we return to Sukhum for dinner and a few sundowners overlooking the Black Sea.
• Overnight in Sukhum.

Sunday 10th April – Sukhum

Morning

• Breakfast at the hotel before we head out for an incredible day – this is extreme urbex crossed with dark tourism in a country which doesn’t officially exist!
• Our first stop is the burned out Abkhaz parliament for some urban exploration from another level.
• Trip highlight: We then work our way through the old, half-abandoned military sanatorium and botanical garden full of Lenin mosaics and an old cinema, we find new things here every time we come!

Afternoon

• Hit the beach before dinner in Sukhum, coupled with traditional food and drinks on the promenade.
• Depart towards the border with a stop at “Istochnik”, a hot spring resort for a chance to get a water massage and a relaxing swim in many pools (extra charge)
• Stop to see the “flaming” spring
• We then cross into Georgia proper and get to Zugdidi where we board the overnight train to Tbilisi.

Monday 11th April – Tbilisi 

• Early morning arrival in Tbilisi where we end our tour. YPT can assist with onward travel or more travels in the Caucasus!

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