Iran

The briefing

Iran holds more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than most travelers will visit in a lifetime - and almost no tourists. The Persian Empire, the Safavid dynasty, and Islamic architecture at its most refined are all here, in a country whose hospitality is legendary. Isfahan's Naqsh-e Jahan square is simply one of the great public spaces of human history - its tile-work, its mosques, and its proportions remain astonishing after four centuries. Season still decides the trip - March - May and September - November.

Isfahan's Naqsh-e Jahan square is simply one of the great public spaces of human history - its tile-work, its mosques, and its proportions remain astonishing after four centuries. Persepolis at sunset, with the light turning the column stumps gold and casting long shadows across the terrace, is the most powerful archaeological site in Asia outside the very top tier.

Yazd is the logical conclusion of the desert circuit: a wind-tower city of the old Silk Road, a Zoroastrian fire that has been burning for 1,500 years, and lanes of mud-brick that deliver you into a qanat-irrigated garden when you least expect it. Plan carefully, use a good local guide, and prepare to revise every assumption about the country.

How to get there

Gateway airports: IKA, SYZ, IFN. Build the rest of the trip around the arrival.

Book first

Flights - IKA → Stay close to the trailheads, not an hour of extra desert driving in Iran → Operator - 4WD, permit, or canyon outfitter after the stay