"I have been wanting to go to Iran since 1978 when I had planned to visit a friend working there in Tehran - however events there made this not possible. The country has a vast history and this was highlighted by a book I found called "Crossroads of Civilisation" written in 1979 by Clive Irving - this is well worth finding and reading covering 3000 years of history to 1979. In 2015 there were moves to reduce sanctions on Iran. Also Shirin advertised a trip to Iran to ski up (and down) Damavand, in 2016, which I had wanted to do for years and I contacted her about this. In the end this was not going to happen - however she told me about the Cultural Tour from Tehran to Kashan, Esfahan, Shiriz and Yazd - including Percepolis and Passgadae - WOW - got to go ! After communications and flight I was met at the airport by Farid, our guide, and eventually met the team in the hotel in Tehran. I was the sole Brit with others from Austria and Germany - my German is limited to "eine bier bitte" but everyone (as usual) spoke perfect English.
We were transported in a super bus driven by the great driver Siavash- he is also a good reader of poetry as well as a "good laugh".
We had a rough idea of the itiniary but not the detail - and that detail unrolled over the next 10 ten days - this was not a cultural tour but a bombardment !
There were so many places - palaces, mosques, gardens, bridges, tombs and much more- and there did not seem to be much lost time. There were also the people of Iran - they all seemed so pleased to see us including someone from England. Many smiles and interest including attractive English Literature students from Tehran University and a seat in a park in Shiriz containing four generations.
We covered about 2500 km - so one has be happy to travel - I am reasonably fit but had a bit of a cold and had to miss some trips due to the cold but my cup of culture was still overflowing.
Shirin and Persian Pursuits have a vast knowledge of the country and plan full itiniaries which can be personalised for the group.
Iran is a country which one has to visit- and then visit again and again !"
Ron Kenyon - Penrith, UK