We hear it time and time again from women travellers: "I can't get myself to go to Iran; I don't like the way women are treated and I definitely don't want to cover up and wear a hijab!".
Enter Intrepid's Iran Women's Expedition, a trip where you travel in the company of other women, led by women. This is an excellent opportunity to discover the food, culture and yes, the day-to-day challenges women face through a range of experiences normally out-of-reach with mixed-gender groups. Discover the hidden world of an Iranian beauty salon, picnic in a women-only park, and travel by public transport in female-only carriages.
You will get to meet local people too - from nomadic people to young female entrepreneurs, from young to old, and from religious, conservative, rural women to modern and liberal females.
How about the chance to shop in the bazaar for fresh ingredients for a five-course meal which you prepare in the company of Iranian women in a local home? Or how about a picnic in a women-only park where you can drop the hijab and enjoy the sunshine. You can be sure to be having great, candid conversations with local women.
In addition there are all the wonders Iran has to offer - the ancient ruins of Persepolis, the capital torched by Alexander-the-not-so-Great. There are the pretty parks of Shiraz, city of poets, the beautiful mosques of Isfahan, the markets and bazaars, the food, churches, Fire Temples and Towers of Silence, mud brick village and citadels, stunning mountains and endless deserts. And above all there are the Iranians themselves - the friendliest people I have ever met anywhere.
So what are you waiting for? This trip is booking out fast - so fast in fact that extra departures have been put on. As of 21 September 2018, here are the prices* and availability.
* prices and availability subject to change without notice