Iran North by Northwest tour by Uppersia.

The cities in the Northwest of Iran like Tabriz and Ardebil, show a different face from the central cities of this country. This is a mountainous and lush area with a cool climate, great architectural heritages and dazzling natural landscapes.

On the IranNorth by Northwest tour of Uppersia, which is an 8-day tour to the land of Azeri and Gilaki people, three of the cities of this untouched area are going to be deeply explored.

Food and drinks to try in Isfahan.

Every year, gorgeously Isfahan (Esfahan) draws thousands of travelers keen on exploring her stunning monuments, handicraft masterpieces, unique culture and also gastronomical delights.

Famous cuisines, snacks and sweets of Isfahan, all rooted in the culture of Isfahan await you after a day of discovering the beautiful mosques, glorious palaces and lush gardens of the city.

How to visit Iran in 7 days?

So you only have 7 days off from work and you have decided to visit Iran? On the other hand, you might have heard that Iran is the land of variety and you wonder if it is possible to visit this country in a week or not.

Here is an ultimate guide for visiting highlights of the three most touristic cities of Iran, including Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz in 7 days:

Tehran:

Tehran, the capital of Iran, is the city of amazing museums, Qajarid monuments and modern life. Don’t leave this city without visiting the National museum of Iran and the wonderful Golestan Palace (world heritage site). Iran jewels Museum, Contemporary Art museum and carpet museum are also great places to visit in Tehran.

National Museum of Iran

4 things to experience in Varazane Desert.

110 kilometers away from the city of Isfahan lays a magnificent land of golden sand and sunshine, called Varzaneh Desert. With its historical monuments and dazzling landscapes, Varzaneh desert is one of the most attractive deserts of Iran. There are various things you can do  here:

Varzaneh Castle

1 walk through the silence of the dunes

The barrens and the sand dunes of Varzaneh offer you just what you expect from a desert in the east, including the endless eye-catching curves, wandering tamarisk and thorn bushes and most importantly silence and silence! Play your most favorite track and save this landscape in mind to remember on your busy working days.

Sand dunes of Varzaneh Desert

2 get some Adrenaline

These colorful safari cars driven by skillful off-road drivers give you the thrill of jumping from one sand dune to another one. They drive fast up to the peak of high sand dunes at a 90° angle. What a rush of Adrenaline!

Off-road car in Varzaneh Desert

3 Count the meteorites crossing over your head

The nights of Varzaneh! Gather around a bonfire and enjoy your dinner and then take a rest under the starry blanket of the desert's night sky. This is a kind of sky that you do not see every night! Catch the naughty meteorites crossing over your head and enjoy the cool night of Varzaneh Desert.

Starry night of Varzaneh Desert

4 step back to history

There is a historical castle called "Ghoortan" near Varzaneh Desert, that has been constructed during Diyalameh dynasty. There are many old castles in central Iran dating back to more ancient times than "Ghoortan Castle" does, but this one is known for being home to some locals until today! Don’t forget to visit Kabootar khaneh (dovecote or pigeon’s house) with its special architecture style and pigeon holes. These constructions were used for keeping the pigeons and using their eggs and dung.

Ask Uppersia for a wonderful desert tour in Varzaneh this spring!

Ghoortan Castle of Varzaneh

Explore Persian Gulf on an Iranian cruise tour.

To fully explore the boundless Persian Gulf in the south of Iran, visiting its wonderful islands known as booming destinations and finding new Iranian friends, you can join the fun tour on the cruise ship that journeys along the coastline of southern Iran between Kish Island, Qeshm Island, Hurmoz and Hengam.

Iran Visa for US nationalities.

After a short halt, the US citizens can now resume applying for their Iranian visa to visit the country.

Uppersia is proud to render Visa services and operate wonderful Iran tours to the travelers from the United States over again.

Iran tours

Nowruz; the mystic Iranian new year ceremony.

When is a better time for celebrating and starting New Year than the first day of spring, when the earth and nature happily revives?

Farvardin 1st or March 21st is the day when Iranians celebrate the mysterious Nowruz which roots back to ancient Persian myths. Some historians believe that Cyrus the great Achaemenid king founded Nowruz in 538 B.C. and some others believe that Zoroaster has been the founder of this great Persian ceremony.

Being known as the most ancient ceremony of human civilization, Nowruz is inscribed by the UNESCO as a precious world intangible heritage. Nowruz, the beautiful and meaningful ceremony of nature and spring is held by the people of many countries, including Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and etc.

Today, all Iranians are getting ready for the amazing Nowruz. This ceremony includes family gatherings, parties, colorful cuisines and sweets, travels and most importantly love and kindness.

HAPPY NOWRUZ 1396!

Nowruz in Iran.

Samanu, the Iranian sweet of Nowruz.

Many Iranians believe that these days are the happiest days of the year. I mean the week before Nowruz, when every family is getting ready for the New Year ceremony, buy new things and get ready for travels. Children are madly happy about the holidays.

One of the most beautiful Iranian rituals done before Nowruz is cooking Samanu! This healthy, nutritious and natural confection has sweetened Nowruz days for Iranians since pre-Islamic era.

This sweet brown paste is made with wheat grain. The wheat is soaked and prepared some days before it gets ready to be cooked. The cooking process of Samanu is usually started in the afternoon and finishes the next morning when the wheat germ is boiled and stirred until it is changed into a sweet brown pudding. The interesting thing about Samanu is that no sugar is added to it and the wheat creates its own sugar. Samanu is one of the items of Haft Seen, the symbolic tabletop including seven items starting with the Farsi letter (س) S.

Iran is a wonderful place in spring, especially during Nowruz holidays. You will get acquainted with Persian customs and enjoy the fresh and heavenly nature in your spring tour in Iran. Check out Uppersia tours to see which tour is better for you this spring.

Samanu

Chaharshanbeh Soori; the Iranian festival of fire.

“Let your red color be mine, and take back my paleness!” This is the translation of the poetic quote (Zardi- e man az to, Sorkhi- e to az man), that has been sung by the Iranians on the night of “Chaharshanbeh Soori”, while jumping over the bonfire. Being held since ancient times, Chaharshanbeh soori is also called the festival of fire or the Wednesday eve ceremony.

Chaharshanbeh Soori

Airbus A330-240 in Iran.

Iran has taken delivery of its second new aircraft, bought from the French company “Airbus Group”. This wide-body A330-240 Airbus can accommodate 206 passengers in economy class and 32 passengers in business class layouts and has the capability of flying for 15 hours non-stop.

This A330-240 Airbus officially landed in Mehrabad Airport on Saturday to join Iran Air’s fleet. The third Airbus A330 is going to be delivered to Iran by the end of current Iranian year.

Uppersia is here to book you the best domestic and international flight tickets. Checkout Iran flight booking on our website for more information.

Airbus in Iran.

The glorious Rayen Castle.

Although known as a land covered in desert and drought, you can experience different types of climates and landscapes during one day in the vast province of Kerman. Rayen, which is a town laid on the foothills of Hezar peak in the south of Kerman offers a lush and fresh nature with green trees, bright sky and a wild and high waterfall.

Rayen is also home to the valuable historic gem, the beautiful “Rayen castle” or Arg- e Rayen. This architectural masterpiece, dating back to Sassanid era, is now the biggest adobe monument in the world after the glorious Bam castle, which was ruined after the earthquake in 2003. This castle, more than 20 thousand meter square in area, is the great complex of adobe arcs, towers, nested alleys, residential houses and the imperial palace.

Walk through the maze of ancient alleys and explore the houses and mansions keeping the secrets of Persian history. Join day tours of Kerman and have an amazing tour in the mysterious Kerman.

Rayen Castle. Kerman-Iran

Happy International Women's Day

According to Iranian myths, women and men have been at the same position in ancient Iranian society. Many Zoroastrian Yazatas (angels) were created as strong women in the mind of Iranians. Anahita, one of the most important Zoroastrian angels, is known as the goddess of water and “Nahid”, the female Yazata who is known as the protector and savior of the women. Nahid is also the goddess of pregnancy and purity.

Top locations for photography in Iran.

Photography in Iran is a whole new experience for the photographers and travelers. There are so many different subjects to be shot in this wonderland, including the old bazaars and the locals, splendid monuments from different centuries and diverse desert and mountainous landscapes. Some spots are known as the most picturesque places in Iran. The locations in which your camera’s shutter won’t be clicked less than hundred times!

Kandovan village

The special architecture of this village located near Tabriz, blows every visitor's mind. These conic caves are dug by the dwellers more than 3000 years ago and there are still many people who live in these beautiful and unique houses!

6 places you must visit in Kashan.

As one of the most historic cities in Iran, Kashan offers a perspective of life and architecture in old Iran. Kashan is located in Isfahan province in the heart of central Iran and is considered as one of the richest cities of Iran in terms of architecture, history and culture. There are so many natural and monumental attractions in Kashan and here are some of the most amazing ones that you must see while you are in this city:

1 Fin Garden and Hammam

Being registered as a UNESCO world heritage site, the beautiful Fin Garden is one of the best samples of the Persian gardens, dating back to Safavid dynasty. It contains Fin Bath, where Amir Kabir the Qajarid Chancellor was murdered. The high trees, the turquoise pools full of water and the beautiful mansion inside the garden make it a wonderful place.

Fin Garden in Kashan

Foods and drinks to try in Shiraz.

With rich historical and cultural background and also the heavenly mild climate, Shiraz is one of the best destinations in Iran. There is a joke in Iran that people of Shiraz are so lazy, but as a Shirazi I deny it! We just spend much of our time on having fun in the best way possible!  :)

One of our best hobbies is testing new restaurants and having new dishes. We Shirazis are gastronomy lovers! That’s why there are numerous and various restaurants, fast foods, international restaurants and cafés in the city. So as a traveler you might not find it hard to find your own kind of food in Shiraz:

Kalam Polo

The answer to “What is the famous local food in Shiraz?” would be “Kalam Polo” for sure. Kalam Polo is the very well steam baked rice with small meatballs, aromatic herbs like Basil and most importantly the beloved cabbage.

Kalam Polo.

Travel to Iran on budget.

Iran is not usually considered as an expensive destination for traveling. The food is inexpensive and the fee for hotels from 4 and 5 star to 1 and 2 star ones are reasonable. With careful planning and a little research, it is easy to enjoy a budget tour in Iran.

Budget tours of Uppersia, so popular among the backpackers and adventurers, are good choices because they are pre-arranged for you and according to the visitors who took these tours, you will receive good services with the money you pay. Uppersia budget tours include visiting main touristic cities of Iran, accommodating in guesthouses or one and two-star hotel and public transportation. The meals are not included in these tours.

The ancient Zoorkhaneh ritual in Iran.

As a traveler visiting Iran for the first time, Zoorkhaneh ritual or Varzesh- e Zoorkhaneh is probably one of the most interesting things you will see here. Zoorkhaneh ritual is a symbolic and traditional system of athletics that has been done by Iranians, since 3000 years ago during Zoroastrianism and Mithraism era. These athletics are known to be the ancient roots of wrestling and weightlifting that were done for training warriors. This ancient ritual is registered by the UNESCO as an intangible world heritage.

Zoorkhaneh in Yazd.