IRAN TOUR - Sure Mirage Travel

SURE MIRAGE TRAVE AND
ABIEDAWJEE
BRINGS YOU THE MAGICAL
IRAN TOUR
MAY 2015
EMIRATES AIRLINES FLIGHT DETAILS
DEPART ARRIVE
1 EK 764 30APR JOBURG-DUBAI
1915
0515
2 EK 971 1MAY DUBAI-TEHRAN
0745 1025
3 EK 980 11MAY TEHRAN-DUBAI
4 EK 767 11MAY DUBAI-JOBURG
2320
2015
2200
0530
Day 1. Apr 30 Thursday
Depart on Emirates Airlines from Joburg at 19.15 pm for Dubai
Day 2: May 1st Friday Tehran
Arrive Tehran. Midday check in to Laleh Hotel. Go to Darband for dinner and meet
local people in this beautiful valley north of Tehran. Laleh Hotel.
Day 3 May 2nd Saturday Tehran
City tour of Tehran: Millad Tower, Jewelry Museum, Golestan Palace, Grand
Bazaar. Laleh Hotel
Day 4 May 3rd Sunday Tehran
Visit the Shah Palace Sa’ad Abad and Nyavaran, Iran National Museum, Carpet
Museum. Laleh Hotel
Day 5 May 4th Monday Shiraz
Morning fly Shiraz. Visit Vakil Bazaar and Vakil Mosque, Zand Citadel, Shrine of Ali
ibn Hamzah. Chamran/Homa Hotel
Day 6 May 5th Tuesday Shiraz
Visit Eram Garden, Nasir al Molk Mosque, Zint Al Molk House, Orang House.
Chamran/Homa Hotel
Day 7 May 6th Wednesday Shiraz
Visit Afif Abad Garden, Shah Chragh , Jame’e Atigh Mosque , Hafez Sadi
Mausoleum, Chamran/Homa Hotel
Day 8 May 7th Thursday Shiraz
Visit Persepolis and Nagshe Rostam, Pasargadae. Chamran/Homa Hotel.
Day 9 May 8th Friday Isfahan
Drive to Isfahan. City tour of Isfahan. Visit ancient bridges. Abbasi Hotel
Day 10 May 9th Saturday Isfahan
Visit Isfahan Juma’ ah Mosque. Ancient Vank Church. Afternoon: free time for
shopping in the famous, huge bazaar, Qeysaryeh. Abbasi Hotel
Day 11 May 10th Sunday Isfahan
Visit Nagshe Square, Imam and Shaikh Lotfollah Mosques. Aliqapu Palace . Chehel
Sotun, the 40 pillars palace. Abbasi Hotel
Day 12 May 11th Monday Tehran
Drive towards Tehran. Visit Kashan: Borujedeih House and Finn Garden. Depart
Kashan for airport and flight home
Day 13 May 12th Tuesday Joburg
Arrive Joburg O530
Itinerary subject to change if necessary due to unforeseen circumstances or to
make the tour more interesting and comfortable.
PRICE: R24,900
(excludes R600 visa cost)
(subject to increase according to currency fluctuation)
To secure your seat please pay a deposit immediately of only R11,500. DO NOT
pay the full package price for now!
You will be informed later how to pay the balance of R14,000 (R24,900+ R600R11,500)
1. The package price includes:
Airfare from Joburg. Domestic flight Tehran to Shiraz,
Accommodation, 2 persons per room.
Daily breakfast and dinner.
All transfer & sightseeing tours as mentioned above with local guides & entrance fees where applicable in
Iran
2. The package price does not include:
Visa cost (R600)
Telephone calls, laundry, all drinks during meals
Lunch (stops will be made to allow for the purchase of snacks).
Any other personal expenses
3. Accommodation
If you wish to have a room for yourself only, you will have to pay a single supplement charge of R5,000.
Sharing: If you are travelling alone & do not want to pay the single supplement, we will try to match you
up to share a room with someone of your age group. Note that generally we are successful in finding
suitable partners. However, if we cannot do this you will be matched with any other single person of any
age group. If no other person is found to share a room with you, you will have to pay the single
supplement. Children: Every possible attempt will be made to accommodate children in rooms next to
their parents but this cannot be guaranteed as some hotels do not have the appropriate accommodation
or do not comply with our requests. There is no price reduction for 3 persons sharing a room. Rooms are
allocated randomly and some may get better positioned rooms (i.e. the view) and no changes can be
made.
4. Payment
Do NOT pay the full package price into our account. Pay ONLY R11,500 now. You will be told later how
to pay the balance.
After the deposit has been made, please write clearly the name of each passenger travelling and your
phone number onto the deposit slip and fax copy to 0866893206. Very important! If the passenger’ s
name is not shown clearly on the deposit slip the payment will be impossible to trace and will not be
recorded.
Cash deposits - if you deposit cash into our account please add R200 per person. This is the bank’ s
cash deposit fee.
Unfortunately payments CANNOT be made with credit cards because all tickets are sent to us by the
airline as a group in one email just prior to departure. Also, we do not have credit card facilities at our
office. Please do not query this as payment by credit card can definitely NOT be made.
5. Inoculation/Medical
You will need a medical laboratory report (detailed) indicating that you do not have HIV, TB and
HEPATITIS B. Please send one letter for each person travelling.
6. Passports
Send a clear scanned copy of your passport immediately so that we can book your flight and apply for
your visa. Then later send your passport to us with four 3x4 cm recent colour photographs (all same).
Send as follows:
Outside Durban :
If you are some distance away, send it via POSTNET or a courier of your choice. The Post Office is
frequently on strike
Address the envelope to:
42 OVERPORT DRIVE , BEREA , DURBAN
Get a tracking number or receipt.
In Durban
If you are in Durban, drop off your passport at:
AT OUR OFFICE AT THE ABOVE ADRESS
Please send the following info with your passport:
Father's name and Paternal grandfather's name
Occupation + work address and work contact details
Photos
Residential address,
Office and home phone numbers
Lab report.
Please ensure that your passport does not expire within 6 months from the date on which you are
travelling. You must have at least 2 blank pages in your passport next to each other. Temporary
passports are not allowed.
7. Luggage
. Please call us to confirm weight of baggage allowed. Warhart International, Abie Dawjee or Gasht Tours
will not be responsible for any baggage lost or delayed by the airlines. Delayed baggage will be conveyed
to you at your cost. Remember that domestic flights in South Africa only allow 20 kgs. We urge you not to
take hand-luggage as there is not enough space on the bus.
8. Currency
Do NOT take travelers cheques. Carry only cash dollars
9. Travel Insurance
We strongly advise that all travelers obtain travel insurance. In the event of any health problems we
cannot be responsible to provide payment for medical treatment or hospitalization. We may be able to get
a special group rate for insurance so check with us first. If you a Discovery member you can get travel
insurance through them.
10. Cancellations
Any cancellation made less than 14 days before departure will be subject to a 50% penalty. Any
cancellation made less than 7 days before departure will be subject to a 75% penalty. Cancellation
penalty on any airline ticket issued will be subject to that airlines policy.
11. Departure Time
Check with us for departure time
12. Disclaimer
Warhart International, Abie Dawjee or Gasht Tours or any of their agents will not be responsible or liable
for any loss or damage suffered by the traveler on this tour through any cause whatsoever. This itinerary
is subject to change should Gasht Tours find it necessary to do so.
BON VOYAGE !!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The road less travelled to Iran
AM Mahomed
THE STAR JANUARY 10TH 2014
I recently visited Iran for twelve days and it was a perception shattering experience for me.
With sanctions in place for over twenty years, and the noose being tightened more and more
after Iran has been made the bogey man of the region at the behest of Israel and its key ally,
the USA, I thought I will find a country in dire straits, with failing infrastructure, poverty,
religious intolerance and the like. Instead I found a country well on its feet, the people resilient
enough to be self sufficient in terms of their food and other locally produced
goods, manufacturing whatever they need, even a local car, their Pekay (our Hillman Vogue of
the seventies!)
I thought I will find a domestic airline that had rickety, ancient planes, only to find modern well
serviced fleets in all its three local airlines apart from Iran Air, its international airline. I
expected roads in disrepair but looked hard to find potholed roads or even traffic lights that did
not work. The lights are on, the water runs, and trade is on the go, even though their oil exports
have trickled to a mere ten percent of their capacity. While sanctions are hurting, I found only
four beggars in the four cities over the course of my stay. In every city there are special letter
boxes for charity collection, and through the Khomeini Foundation the poor are catered for
adequately. The cities are clean and services are functional.
While shias are in the majority (90%) there are substantial communities of Sunnis, Armenian
Christians and Jews, each being catered for in terms of their religious practices and places of
worship. They are even represented in parliament on a proportional basis. The Jewish
community prefer living here, rather than emigrating to Israel! There is also no Shia –Sunni
conflict or suicide bombers, and the country is peaceful and a haven of religious tolerance.
I travelled extensively both by air and road. All truck and bus drivers make mandatory stops at
all toll plazas in which they physically stop their vehicles at a police check point, their drivers
licenses are checked, and time between stops measured to calculate their average speed
covered (and if found speeding, are dealt with), and also to assess how many hours they have
been at the wheel – if more than eight, they are not allowed to carry on travelling on the same
day. Great rules we could do with even in South Africa to stop some of the carnage.
The taxi driving is of a world class, not cutting barrier lines or any hooting. Public bus services
are in good condition, and Tehran has five operational Metro lines with two more planned to
open shortly.
Shiraz and Isfahan have beautiful palaces, mosque complexes and ancient historical landmarks.
Persepolis and Necropolis can be compared to Petra to a lesser degree, and is a beautiful
reminder of the fall of once strong and ancient civilisations – a possible reminder to the strong
and powerful of today.
These two cities are also renowned for their top surgeons that do cosmetic surgery to people
wanting their nose size or shape changed, and for hair implants for baldness. It is a common
sight to see people from all over the world coming here specifically for this surgery.
Tehran has Dizin and Shemshak ski resorts, some 2 hours drive to the north. Not being a skier
myself, the few Europeans that came were enjoying the quality of the snow, the various
gradients of slopes, and the four cable way routes the resort has going up the mountains in
various directions. They admitted these slopes compare to the best you can find in Switzerland
and Austria, and at a fraction of the price.
Iran is a leader in nano technology and in other specialist research fields. They host many world
famous conferences and congresses. The literacy levels are high, and even women have made a
positive mark in many fields of endeavor.
Locallers have lots of respect for South Africans, and Mandela is even a household name in rural
Iran! They welcome trade and investment, and because the country is now opening up, it has
great potential.
Overall I found it a pleasant destination even in winter, with both snow mountains and warm
beaches available on either extreme of the country. With very few tourists having discovered
this gem, it is still a good time to go.
http://www.iol.co.za/the-star/go-off-the-beaten-track-to-iran-1.1630319