|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The
first thing to say about Iran is “do not believe everything you are
told by the media”.
The
history is fascinating and you very quickly appreciate the importance
of Iran in developing and protecting a lot of the art and architecture
that we see in the world today.
The
people have been very friendly and gracious and we were made to feel
very welcome.
The
services provided by Darwan Travel were very good, well organized and
very knowledgeable. Our guide always made sure that we experienced as
much as possible in our very limited time.
Highlights:
-
Imam square in Isfahan;
-
Persepolis is fantastic;
- A
great trip;
-
Must always recognize also that our drivers were also extremely
friendly and very competent.
Wynne
& Sandra
|
|
|
Dear Mr. Moghadam,
We had a fantastic time in
Iran and everyone was very impressed by what you so kindly showed us about
your culture and also the day to day life of Iranian people.
None of this fantastic time
could have been possible without the very professional organization of
Darwan Tour and the care you took personally to be with us everyday to
explain about Iran and its fantastic people.
We really thank you for
everything.
Kind regards,
Jorge
|
|
|
Dear
Mr. Abolfazl Moghadam,
We'd like to thank you very much indeed for the excellent
organization of our trip.
Miss Heidar Nezhad was of great help to us, not only as a guide, but
also as a specialist
in history and merely as our friend.
We are amazed by the greatness and the magnificence of the Iranian
civilization.
If we have the chance to visit Iran anew we shall make it through the
good offices of
Darwantour.
Please transfer our special thanks and greetings to Ms Nezhad.
Best regards
Nikola,
Alexandra
|
|
|
Our
visit to Iran was extremely enjoyable and well organized. Our guide,
Mr. Ghasem
Moghadam, was a wonderful and generous host who arranged an itinerary
that fitted
perfectly with our interests.
It was a fascinating and memorable holiday and I would recommend Ghasem
Moghadam to
anyone contemplating a visit to Iran.
Paul
|
|
|
|
|
Dear friend Ghasem Moghadam,
We brought from Iran our
hearth full of love and pleasure. We hope everything is good with you
and your family.
We didn't talk about our
last day in Tehran, but it was perfect. We thank you for everything.
Please, if you have the chance, send our thanks to the driver, he is a
very kind man. The jewelry museum is absolutely fantastic! We were
fascinated.
Thank you very much for
everything.
Thank you for your role on
the defense of Iran
Thank you for your role on
the defense of Farsi culture
Thank you for your
enthusiasm saying the poems of the great Iranian Poets
Thank you for your effort
climbing mountains
Thank you for your defense
of peace
Thank you very much for
being my friend
Peace with you
2008 03 31
Rui
|
|
|
|
|
|
"
Places Visited: - Tehran: Great
-
Shiraz: Great, more time in Bazaar would be good.
-
Esfahan: Great
Hotels: - Tehran: not great, but fine.
- Shiraz: Overall the best.
- Esfahan: very good but most things
in hotel were closed like shops!
Guide:
Wonderful! a wealth of worldly experience and always enthusiastic to
share understanding & history & give so much of himself. a
friend after just 5 days!!
Suggestions:
1- Encourage tourists to fly to Shiraz and depart Tehran.
2- I am happy to be a " reference" for New Zealand
considering a trip to Iran and recommend Darwan Travel Co.
3- I think the tour is extraordinarily good. If any thing I would add a
little more " mixing with the people" if possible (I don’t
know how) and slightly less palaces.
Overall:
I feel I have an insight into Iran and its people for which I am
honored to have received.
The care and planning of Darwan Travel made an amazing experience. This
was brought to life by the wonderful guide who gave so much of himself
in a not-overbearing way and never tired of answering our questions and
providing an interesting image of information day and night.
We were superbly well looked after.
Alastairs
|
|
|
My name in Mairtin and I am
a native of Ireland. The service I received from Darwan Tour was
excellent! I had a 2 day tour which consisted of Persepolis and the
different historical sites in Shiraz. My guide was Mr. Ghasem Moghadam,
who has great knowledge of the historical details, and it made for a
very interesting and enlightening tour.
Martin
|
|
|
The service by Darwan Tours
was excellent.
My tour was arranged from NZ and by Darwan Tours (Shiraz, Iran). This
was for; ticketing of international flights by Iran Air to & from
Iran; internal travel; details of the tour; and visa formalities. All
expenses, except main meals, were prepaid including transfers, local
travel, local fees and hotel with breakfast. The response of Darwan was
always prompt & very helpful for the several details of my visit to
Iran.
I had asked to be as independent as possible. This has been as I had
hoped. The local services were very good.
(a) Transfers to & from hotels were Ok.
(b) I was given ˝ day tours, usually every other day. This worked well
for me. There was some flexibility with the tours to suit me & my
tour guides, much appreciated.
My hotels were: Shiraz, Arg; Esfahan, Malek; Tehran; Mashhad. (This
report is written in Esfahan so I cannot comment on the Mashhad).
Both hotels were of similar good quality & facilities; comparable,
for example, to the Latimer Hotel, Christchurch, NZ. The staffs were
extremely helpful & made me feel at home. I had long conversations
with some of them. Both hotels were very very nice. Of the two, I liked
the Arg the best. Perhaps because it had a public restaurant where I
had most of my meals. I can recommend both hotels.
My guides were, for tour, the best features of my tour! (a big
advantage of being a group of one).
Shiraz: Parviz Rostam Nezhad, an older delightful & wise man,
something of a philosopher with a great sense of humor, great company
& conversation; a man after my own heart. An early highlight was
being taken with his brother Bahram to the Yord restaurant. His replacement
Rostam Nezhad did his job well, but is very young and inexperienced.
Esfahan: Mahshid Ooshiari, delightful & lovely young woman. We had
many conversations about ordinary and family life, several lunches and
two breaks together. These two, Parviz & Mahshid, very different
characters, are among the very best, first class guides & excellent
companies.
Mr. Moghadam was extremely helpful! & very good company.
I highly recommend Darwan Tour as an outstanding company who will look
after visitors very well indeed- as well as being excellent ambassadors
for this lovely fascinating country of extraordinarily friendly &
hospitable people.
John
|
|
|
The reception at the airport
by Mr. Moghadam was very friendly.
The hotel was very good to the price (Only a suggestion: In country
rich on citrus fruits guests from Northern countries expect pure juice
to be offered at breakfast- instead of sugar juice!...)
The excursion to Persepolis was great experience for all of us- even on
that very rainy day!. We enjoyed the company of the excellent guide,
Mr. Parviz Rostamnezhad.
The tour of Shiraz was also a success. Good driver!
All in all we were very satisfied with the tour you arranged for us.
Kind regards,
Peter
|
|
|
Salam Abolfazl,
I just talked to Mme Boselli on the phone.
She told me that everything was perfect, they are very happy of their
vacation, they had great time in the jungle, and by the sea, hotel and
food was perfect and they received very gentle reception and from the
population.
And when I asked about something negative to say she answered: nothing
at all.
So let me thank you very much for your excellent service and personal
investment for helping us.
I hope to work with you again the soonest.
Kind regards
Yves
|
|
|
Hello, Two Swiss citizens,
from the city of Lausanne, we have done a tour in Iran, from December
22, 2006 to January 5, 2007, under the guidance of Mr Ghasem Moghadam.
The tour included Teheran, Shiraz/Persepolis, Yazd, Esfahan and back to
Teheran.
The first thing we'd like to express is our gratitude to Mr. Ghasem
Moghadam for his kindness, presence and great sense of responsibility.
Indeed, all along the tour we felt his deep concern for our
satisfaction and security. His professional skills include a profound
knowledge of Persian history, especially relative to the ancient
civilizations.
Also, we felt he made a strong point about presenting his country in a
positive way, as being friendly, open and accepting to foreign
visitors. We were also very happy with the different drivers we met
during our tour, all of which were very friendly and skilled. We were
slightly disappointed with Shiraz, with the notable exception of
splendid Persepolis, since we were not able to recognize the much
praised beauties of the city. It might well be that winter time is not
well suited for Shiraz, depriving it of the charms of its gardens.
Pasargad, despite an awful weather, was a lasting experience, thanks to
its wonderful isolation within the landscape. Yazd had a good and warm
feel to it, more relaxed and seemingly less polluted. We appreciated
the fine restoration work having been done over the last years and
express the wish this would be more generalized.
The trip from Yazd to Esfahan, by car, was highly rewarding thanks to
the fascinating desert landscape. Esfahan of course granted us with the
sight of the most exquisite monuments in its center. We were glad it
was winter time and we could stroll around without being bothered by
fellow tourists. However, we did feel quite oppressed by the density
and pollution of the modern city. The hotels were ok in terms of
service but we did regret the relative absence of style (we would have
liked them more simple and more authentic), with the notable exception
of Moshir hotel in Yazd.
Also, we did regret the consistently low quality cuisine. As a matter
of fact, we had fancied we would get to know the fine traditional
Iranian cuisine which indeed has quite a reputation. We do not
recommend our fellow travelers the Abbasi hotel in Esfahan, the
experience of which does not, in our view, justify the price.
We also were slightly disappointed by our stay in the Zein-o-din
Caravanserai where we have spent New Years Eve. The place is nicely
restored but it is a real pity it is so close to the highway and also
the cuisine was not worth the price.
You can see by now the point we are making : we did appreciate the high
quality of your services, the kindness of the people and the rich
culture as well as the beauty of the country, but we did regret the
relatively low quality of tourist infrastructure. To cite an example,
the mausoleums of the Shiraz poets would deserve to be better
entertained and supported by a mussel infrastructure allowing visitors
to get a better feeling of the high impact these poets had (and still
have) on Persian and world literature. Another example is the Golestan
Palace in Teheran, which is presented in a highly unattractive way to
visitors.
In conclusion, we strongly recommend fellow travelers to make use of
your agency, and hope efforts will continue to preserve the country's
rich cultural heritage. The trip was an intense experience to us, and
calls for a follow up ! We wish you all the best for the future of your
agency and hope to see you again. PS : we'll send some picture files on
CD by regular mail.
Suzanne & Urs
|
|
|
Fascinating tea park, chelo
kebab, and resting in a non-polished nomad tent outside Shiraz!
Guiding beyond expectation of Persepolis, in the best English we heard
in Iran, in a clear and elaborate way with many aspects taken into
consideration.
Less time in the hotel would be preferred.
Very good and compact program,
Thank you,
Anna
|
|
|
It is the first time that we
went to Iran, and we think it will not be the last. The country and the
people are very kind. The services are Ok. The guide is a very
interesting person.
About the hotels, we think with some work they will be better:
- In Shiraz, Yazd, Isfahan and Tehran Ok.
- In Kashan, why don't you think to have a guest house for your
clients?
See you soon,
Helder
|
|
|
We just loved Shiraz! The
historical sites are incredible. What made the trip even more special
was our tour guide, Mr. Parviz Rostamnejad. He is a very knowledgeable
and professional gentleman. He really made the trip even better.
Thank you for the great services.
Paula. A
|
|
|
My two-week whirlwind trip
with Darwan Tour took me from Shiraz to Yazd, Esfahan, Abyaneh, Kashan,
Tehran, Rasht and Masooleh (south to north, with many points in between
the aforementioned cities) and honestly, I could not have asked for a
better arranged trip. There were days when I had more to do than
others, but overall, we covered a lot of ground and things ran very
smoothly.
The hotels were clean and safe, though not always terribly fancy. My
hotel in Yazd was the exception, and I had my best night's sleep at the
Abyaneh Inn, located in a gorgeous little village with sweet people and
clean air.
Some hotels allow phone cards to be used, some don't; some have
Internet access, some just think they do. So if these things are of
vital importance to you, let your tour organizer know. At the very
least, it'll save you the frustration of trying to dial out with your
phone card when you can't, and your guides could also help you find a
nearby "Coffee Net" -- a coffee-less internet cafe. The
prices are pretty reasonable too (less than $5 per hour) so no worries.
Also, if you're a vegetarian, just let your guide know. I am, and I
never went hungry. One guide kept telling waiters that I only eat raw
food (not true) so be clear on that.
While they might not have known too much about vegetarianism, when it
came to Iran's history, my guides were extremely knowledgeable. I felt
inspired to learn more about my culture having visited many a
breath-taking site with these gentlemen. I'm half-Iranian, so I speak
Farsi, but the guides switched between Farsi and English with me and I
have every reason to believe that they are more than proficient in the
language.
I felt quite lucky in finding Darwan and wouldn't hesitate to recommend
their services.
D., Seattle, Washington
|
|
|
To: Kazem,
Thank you so kindly for making our travels in Iran so happy and
informative. Your wonderful country has such a lot to offer to tourists
and the warmth and the friendliness of the Iranian people has been a
wonderful experience for Gail and myself.
We are very happy with our itinerary and shall recommend it to all our
friends in N.Z.
Kind regards,
Gail & Noel
Itinerary was very good.
Some hotel Bathrooms need improving.
Guide very good and obliging.
We felt safe and protected.
Persian people very friendly.
Great tour.
Thank you very much
Gail & Noel
|
|
|
Mr. Moghadam, we would like
to take this opportunity to thank you and your staff for putting this
trip together for us. Barbara & I are still amazed at how in such a
short time, we were able to see as much as we did.
Our itinerary was perfect and Miss Heidar Nezhad our guide was very
professional and did a fine job of making us feel comfortable and not
rushed.
Our drivers in every city were always on time and very courteous.
Thank you for hiring a local guide in Esfahan, Mr. Azizi was quite
knowledgeable.
We would highly recommend Darwan Tour, and we thank you again for
making this trip possible for us.
Looking forward to working with you again,
Nahid and Barbara
|
|
|
Excellent explanation of
historical sites in Shiraz. In-Depth and detailed knowledge of ancient
places. Very friendly attitude and nice person.
We recommend him to anyone who wants to visit and understand the
history and meanings of Persian history. Very impressive.
Hossein
|
|
|
Nothing to say except that
your personal attention to all of my needs (without even being
invasive) has made my stay in Iran even better than I had hoped. Your
historical knowledge and also your interest in humanity have made our
contact especially agreeable. So, just "merci"!
Gary
|
|
|
The translation of history
in English & Farsi was provided with proficiency. We were very
pleased with both staff, great gentlemen, and with the complete and
excellent explanation. Our children benefited from this tour due to the
quality of services provided to us.
Thanks again,
Kamran, Farnaz,
Farid, Koroosh and Kaveh
|
|
|
Thank you very much! It was
very interesting day. Our guide was excellent. He knew a lot of history
and was enthusiastic . A very good and informative day,
indeed!
Mikael
If I'm able to recommend our guide, I'll do that. This was a really
nice day and we saw a lot. Iran is a good place to see. This has once
again confirmed our experience.
Karti
This was a best day and we learned a lot about Iran and Iran
history.
Antton
|
|
|
Fantastic tour showing us the
knowledge of Iranian nation, beautiful architectures of Islam. Mr.
Abbas Nezhad has superb knowledge of history of Iran.
We have seen places which brought us all to the past, to the fantastic
history of Persia. Two days spent with Mr. Abbas Nezhad gave us loads
of knowledge not only about Iran but about beginning of many nations
which have roots in Persia.
Thank you for the
fantastic journey,
Bartosz
|
|
|
In Greek we have the word
"Autidoron" that originally means " A gift for a
gift".
Well, this is a small gift from me (Herodotus, we were often talking
of) for the very big gift you made to us all, guiding us not only to a
very beautiful part of your beautiful country, but also to its people,
its culture, its art, its cooking (thanks to you we found it
delicious), to its music, but most of all, to the very fine quality of
its people.
We all are very thankful to you for all those. My daughter Maria, my
sister Sophie and Nicos and I send to you our best regards and wish the
best to you and your family.
To the very nice and polite Mr. Mansour, please give the best regards
from us all.
And remember that in Greece there are at least four people you can
regard as friends, who will be happy to meet you again in your country,
or in ours.
Best regards,
Dine
|
|
|
Iran is largely unknown in
New Zealand and we do not know anybody from our country that has visited
here. We come not knowing what to expect and very little what the
country had to offer apart from that it had a rich and ancient history.
We had the good fortune of being scored around by Mr. Ghasem Moghadam
who is very experienced, polite, patient, knowledgeable and skilful at
his job. He is a thorough gentlemen.
We have observed the people, the culture, the history, architecture and
the variety landscape that is Iran. The arrangements for hotels,
restaurants and transport have been first rate and we have been treated
with the utmost courtesy and respect at all times.
By world standards, Iran is not an expensive place to visit and we
would recommend it to others without reservation. When visiting, do not
have any pre-conceived notions and we are sure that you will be very
pleasantly surprised.
Tony and Gael
|
|
|
We had a wonderful
experience in Shiraz. That wasn't possible if we did not hire a tour
guide. We had many knowledge from her. It helps us to understand
Islamic culture and religion.
We hope that we want to visit Shiraz again in the near future. At that
time, we want to hire a guide also. Thank you for your hospitality. We
had a great couple of days in Shiraz.
She gave us the detailed explanation. We appreciate her arrangements
& all of things for us.
Thank you again,
Abimi
|
|
|
Carefully made plan
realized. An efficient tour. I am satisfied.
Hiromichi
|
|
|
Miss Golnaz was excellent
guide. We are very satisfied. Everything was perfect, food,
transportation, and hotels. We'll try to find here again.
Tritakis, Bathbelou, Kavvadis & Eleni
|
|
|
Your services were
excellent. Mr. Rostam Nejad was exceptionally good, very knowledgeable
about Persian culture. Also, Mr. Iraj Jahanbakhsh in Isfahan was a very
good and helpful. The only part that was not satisfactory was the guide
provided by you for the first day in Tehran. I do not remember his
name.
Anil
|
|
|
We are tremendously
satisfied with the services of our guide Ms. Firooze and driver Mr.
Karimi. Both have been friendly, informative and professional
throughout.
We would not hesitate to recommend them to other guests.
Anders, Ravinder & Mahub
|
|
|
Our staying in Shiraz and
Yazd was very pleasant and big part of this is due to our guide Mr.
Rostam Nejad who was very professional, very well informed, pleasant,
polite and an intellectual person.
Our driver Mr. Mansour was also a very polite person, pleasant too, who
could speak English very well and was able to give many interesting
information about life in Iran. He was very good driver too, taking
good care of his car also.
It was a pleasure for us traveling with them and we remember our trip
like very good memories.
Konstantina, Maria, Sofia & Nikos
|
|
|
Darwan Tours is a fine
organization with a dedicated team of professionals ready to assist
clients needs. The possibilities are endless in Iran. So many historic
sites and museums to see. I enjoyed my time in Iran very much and more
so with the assistance of Darwan Tour Company.
Jim
|
|
|
22nd Dec 2005
Dear Mr. Moghadam,
My wife and I have now returned to New Zealand, and I write to again
express my thanks for your efforts in making our tour of Iran the
memorable event that it was.
We greatly appreciated your personal efforts to receive us and make us welcome
in your country, and those of your staff, particularly our guide
Parviz, who not only made the trip run so smoothly, but brought the
country and its history to life for us.
Finally, let me say again how much we enjoyed the trip, which was
everything I had hoped it would be, its success being in no small
measure due to your efforts. I lose no opportunity to tell my friends
how remarkable it was and to exhort them to visit your country. I hope
that some of them respond.
Thank you again, with our best wishes to you and your Company for a
happy New Year.
Yours sincerely,
Richard & Gloria
|
|
|
Dear Abolfazl:
We really had a very good trip and I thank you so much for your help in
arranging it. We particularly enjoyed the fact that the Iranian people
are
so friendly. We were so impressed that people came up to talk to us and
to
welcome us to Iran. I have been reading all the awful things in the
paper
recently but I know that behind the headlines, the people are still
warm and
kind.
Again, thanks again for everything. And please send my thanks and best
regards to your father who worked so hard to make our trip enjoyable.
Sincerely,
Kazuko
|
|
|
Abbas was very knowledgeable
and made every site interesting and came alive. We were
very happy.
Elizabeth, Nicholas & Susan
|
|
|
Dear
Abolfazl & Mr. Moghadam:
I
came home on schedule October 3rd, late afternoon. However my
body still insists on operating with the Iran time.
It
was a great trip for me that I wanted to visit Persepolis for
long time and now that I have accomplished all three
architectural remains of great civilizations; Machu Picchu, Angkor
Wat and Persepolis. It is interesting to note that
precise stone wall constructions of both Achaemenian (c.550-300bc)
and Machu Pichu (Pre-Columbian, c.300 ac) are strikingly look alike,
and yet there is absolutely no technical exchange between those
cultures. For one thing they are far apart from each other time
and geographically except both were built on earthquake prone areas.
Trip
schedule: I think that it was just about right length, or
maybe it could be added 1 more day to Isfahan. If it's spring time
of bird migration time, one full day at Bakhtegan Lake area for bird
watching.
I loved little villages of Masuleh and Abyane though I hope Abyane
Hotel must have an elevator next time or I will not make it to the hotel
from the bottom of the village!
Hotel
accommodations: most of hotels we stayed were clean and
comfortable. However both of us are mystified with all bathrooms;
no matter how we tried to seal ourselves in the shower stalls we always
end up flooded the bathroom floor! In my opinion, they all needed
upgrade the bathroom fixtures and plumbing. Especially if you want to
attract old, wealthy and fat American tourists you might have a flood
of complaint. I also suggest that you eliminate the star system of
grading hotels in your advertisement because it might cause confusion
for most of us seasoned travelers mentally compare with the other
countries where hotel refurbishing and upgrading are routine every few
years or so.
Food: I liked
everything including sheep head. They are always fresh and tasty.
We liked to try variety of food, but Iranian potion is too much in
volume!
Guide: If all guides
are at the level of Mr. Abbas Nejadi, it is great.
Road: The Iranian
road systems are terrific, and well maintained. In fact some are
better than American high ways. But your city driving manners terrified
me. Yet I was amazed that there were no fist fights or shouting insult
to each other as I remembered. Maybe Iranians are innately
tolerant and relaxed.
People: People
are so openly friendly and helpful. I have talked in
Japanese with a cab drivers, assistant manager of a hotel,
strangers who said that they lived in Japan.
Thank you very much, again.
Emiko
|
|
|
Our tour went very
well indeed. Our guide was very helpful, very knowledgeable and did
everything possible for us. We had a wonderful visit. The driver did a
wonderful job too. Nobody could have had a better guide showed us more
sites than were listed in our itinerary. Had an amazing knowledge of
history and was able to make the sites come alive. We would recommend
to any visitor.
Graeme & Elizabeth
|
|
|
My trip to Iran
took place in May/June 2005 with the expert assistance of Darwan Travel
and Tour. It was with their help that I was able to customize my
experience where as other companies in my research would not only not
let me travel by myself, but wanted me to only see certain aspects of
the country. Through this agency I was able to say “this is what
I want.” Also being a student on a limited budget, I knew that as many
places as I visited I was getting far more out of my money than any
other company. Not only that, I had everything taken care of from
the time of first contact to the time I was on the airplane leaving for
home. This was more than personal service, but something unheard
of in the U.S.--a genuine hosting of a human being.
Being familiar
with the Persian culture I had wanted to go to Iran for several years
and was anticipating great things. But what I had found was something
more intense, more captivating, and more enriching than anything I have
ever experienced- a virtual symphonic explosion of the soul of a
nation.
If there is one
place in the world, without hesitation, a person should not miss in
seeing it is Iran. The complete understanding of the human race
doesn’t take place without it.
Cathleen
|
|
|
Both guides were very knowledgeable.
Mr. Dawarpanah was really helpful especially when we were shopping and
got confused over the money! His English was excellent and his
knowledge of the history of the sites was very good. The hotel in Yazd
was excellent, and I would definitely recommend it. The hotel in
Isfahan was clean but not as nice. Overall, my holiday was well
organized, and very interesting. The Mosque (Emam), beautiful! The food
was great, and I would definitely come back to Shiraz and Persepolis,
and would be happy to have Mr. Dawarpanah as my guide.
June
|
|
|
I really enjoyed myself. Yazd
hotel was really wonderful as was the tour. Our guide was very good!
knowledgeable, friendly and very informed.
I would recommend your company & Mr. Darius to my friends. Thank
you for a wonderful time.
Angela
|
|
|
I would like to congratulate
Ghasem my guide during my stay in six days in your interesting country and
friendly people. I found him friendly and very helpful. He spoke fluent
English which I found easy to understand. His knowledge of the ancient
history of IRAN is excellent.
When I return to my home country of New Zealand, I will have a lot of
praises for your country and will certainly recommend to any of my
friends who intend visiting IRAN to ask for the services, or Ghasem as
their guide. I have traveled extensively in the Middle East and no
guide could equal Ghasem for his services.
Thank you,
Ray
|
|
|
I journeyed through Iran in
April-May 2005 with the Darwan tour designed by the Moghadam brothers.
I have been to a number of countries in this world and this was the
best 25 days overseas I have experienced. Mr. Moghadam was a tour guide
with 15 years experience in proudly showing his fascinating country.
This tour was far more than an intellectualized monologue about various
sites and their history. Iran is a multi sensory experience with visual
surprises, intriguing sounds, interesting fragrances, and the touch of
ancient stone carvings rubbing up against you. It can be at times a
trip in a time machine back 2500 years but with those ancestors living
and breathing in today’s Persians.
The visitors leave feeling like they have really gotten away to a
special place on God’ earth and have been transformed by the experience
with emotional and intellectual growth. That would be difficult for any
tour company or country to match what has to offer.
Dr. Myron
|
|
|
Tour program and selected
historical sites to visit was excellent. Visits were continuously
enriched with historical background information provided by the Darwan
Tour and Travel Agency Manager who personally guided and accompanied us
all the way through.
We had the warmest reception by local people not only in Shiraz, but in
all historical sites visited.
J. Remedi
|
|
|
We appreciate very much the
effort of Mr. Ghasem, our guide.
Kind regards,
M. Remedi & her
mother Dr. Anna,
Doctor of Medicine from Czech Republic
|
|
|
Hello!
The first time I thought about going to Iran
was probably five years ago. Now I made a tour with Darwan and
fulfilled my dreams. I wrote to a lot of travel agencies and the most
of them were even not replying. But Darwan offered me the opportunity
to organise the tour I like. And not the tour an other tourist may
like. I got good
advice, but I could choose my own destinations and tourist attractions.
My
trip in Iran was very well organized. Everything was done for me.
Iranian
people were very friendly to me. In the end I thought I should get
crazy if anybody should tell me: “Hello miss, where are you from?
Holland? Ooo nice flowers!” again. I think you would enjoy your time
more if you can speak some of the language, but if you don’t, you are
still able to see a lot of the country and talk to most young people.
As
a woman, I don’t think Iran is a very bad country for woman. You should
wear a scarf and a long coat (although mine was very long! Most young
girls wear coats up to their knees). But I think Iranian men are more
overprotective to their women as really oppressive.
I
think a trip through Iran with Darwan tours will be a special trip what
you will remember the rest of your life!
Esly
|
|
|
Dear Mr. Moghadam,
Our tour in Shiraz was really very impressive. Thanks again for your
guiding and support.
I wish you and your family a pleasant, healthy and fruitful 2005!
With my regards,
Bob
|
|
|
Dear Mehdi,
Greetings.
I want to let you know I was very pleased with my recent 26 day tour to
Iran which Darwan Tours organized. I was very fortunate to
discover Darwan Tours. All tour groups I contacted based in the
USA offered NO flexibility. It was quite simple "In as a
group - out as a group." Darwan Tours did an excellent job
of customizing my own private tour at a reasonable price.
It was a dream come true to visit the ancient site of Persepolis and
wander about the beautiful Islamic art and architecture of
Isfahan. I was especially pleased with the knowledge of my tour
guide Mr. Moghadam. He knew Iranian history inside and out. Time
was allotted to stop among the way of touring and meet the "real
people" of the country. The Iranian People were very
friendly and hospitable. Sitting in a tent, sharing tea with the
nomadic people is an experience I will never forget.
Thank you so much for providing me with the vacation of a
lifetime. I am already thinking about returning. The southern
region of Iran awaits.
Sincerely,
Kathryn
|
|
|
Dear Mr. Moghadam,
Iran was a trip of life time for us & seeing how the country
mobilized to help the people in Bam was very sad BUT powerful experience.
A big thank you for being such a wonderful tour guide- you really went
beyond the call of duty at times- climbing up to the top of the fire
tower in Esfahan in the rain! It is so difficult to sum up the
experience, it is such an unexpected ancient land full of art and
sophistication. I think the West is full of stereotype about many parts
of the middle east that when you see the beauty and the artists that it
is almost a juxtaposition.
As a female, I found Iran incredibly safe & the people friendly. I
would recommend female travelers stock up on scarves and longish coats!
I must admit I did find the scarf a bit of pain, but small price to pay
really.
Best wishes
Tessa
|
|
|
Dear Mr. Moghadam,
This was my second visit to Iran. I really wanted to visit again and
take my family. I contacted your father as he was such an outstanding
guide the first time.
Every time Iran gives me new joys. I think that the way people just
stop and talk to you in the street and ask you into their homes is a
gift not found in many countries of the world any more.
As a woman in my sixties, I found Esfahan, Shiraz and Tehran utterly
beautiful...and easy to get around...this was mainly due to your father
who is a guide extraordinaire. It is his passion for his country and
his belief that world peace comes through communicating our
similarities and differences that makes being with him such a generous
experience. He does everything in his power to help...including
bargaining for goods in the bazaar!
Like my daughter, I found it both tragic and moving to be in Iran
during the Bam earthquake. Every person in the street seemed to be
giving.
I would not hesitate to recommend your tour company and am honored to
be asked to do so.
Lynne
|
|
|
To: Darwan Tour & Travel
Agency
I would like to thank you for a great trip DARWAN Travel arranged for
me to cover almost all important sites criss cross through the Iran
from north to south and east to west; It was wonderful.
All my friends Americans/ Germans ask me why do you want to go to Iran?
Is it not difficult?? Nobody knows how simple it is to travel there,
Even for a single, 70 year old woman.
Where I wanted, I was treated with respect, politeness and great
friendliness, Especially the heart warming friendliness I'll remember
forever.
Special "thank you" to my great tour guide Mr. Moghadam. He
went out of his way to make my journey as memorable as possible. Thank
you thank you thank you.
Alloha
Ella
|
|
|
Dear Mr. Moghadam,
I want to sincerely thank you for your time and effort during my trip. It
was a life altering experience. I had many reasons to go to Iran, but
my biggest interest was the history of the Persian Empire. It was dream
of mine to see Persepolis. I was so amazed and in awe of Persepolis
that you kindly arranged a second visit for me. The second visit was
just as good, if not better, than the first. It is a magical place.
I did not go to Iran expecting to be welcomed with such an open arms.
It was not my impression, prior to going, that I as a woman would be
held in such high regard. I was treated as a queen. Strangers on the
street, both men and women, were nothing but kind and courteous. The
generosity and kindness of the Iranian people is truly amazing. Through
the media we are never shown that side. Unfortunately we see negative
thing through the media here in the United States. I saw nothing of the
kind during my long stay there.
The trip I took and that you arranged for me was wonderful. Every
chance I get I try to talk to others about my experience. I try to
break the cycle of misinformation that is spread about the rich and
diverse culture that is Iran. Thank you, Mr. Moghadam, for your
kindness and knowledge.
Sincerely,
Monica
|
|
|
Hi Abolfazl,
How are you? I meant to write you earlier and just got home tonight.
Anyway, as far as our Iran tour, we all had a wonderful time. Your
father was such a nice person and he did a great job. We also loved
meeting Layla and having her tour with us- it was good to have someone
our age to talk with, especially a woman. I would recommend her again
for any tour, but especially for tours with younger people. We had some
very nice conversations. The tour itself was wonderful- Iran is so
beautiful and Layla and your father took very good care of us. We felt
as though we visited many wonderful sites and experienced true Iranian
culture. Your dad treated us to Iranian ice cream a lot- which was a
very nice and unexpected treat!
Overall the trip was wonderful and we were so pleased with all the
services. Please thank your father for us again, and of course, Layla.
It was a truly memorable experience for us and we hope to return to
Iran again someday.
I should let you know that I'm recommending your company to a travel
agent here in Cairo. I used them a lot and they requested that I give
them feedback about our trip in hopes of using you as a contact when
booking their clients on trips to Iran. The manager is an American.
Just wanted to let you know in case he contacts you.
Thank you for everything...take care,
Rita
Hi Ted,
How are you? I just wanted to give you some feedback on the company we
used for our tour in Iran. The name of the agency was Darwan Tours and
I would highly recommend them for any client you may have who is
interested in visiting Iran. They were able to obtain our visas in less
than one week and retrieving them from the Iranian Embassy was a
breeze. Rebecca and I picked ours up here in Cairo and Cindy got hers
in Istanbul and everything went smoothly. The tour itself was very well
organized with English speaking guides are very extremely knowledgeable
about all the cities and sites we visited. They were extremely friendly
very professional. We visited Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Kashan and Yazd
and everything was organized just as stated in the contract (ie. there
were no 'surprise' of any sort with regard to additional fees or
changes in the itinerary). We had a wonderful time overall and the
agency was very flexible and relaxed in planning our trip.
I have cc'd our contact, Abolfazl Moghadam, on this email and below you
will find the rest of his contact information.
I hope this is helpful to you.
All the best,
Rita
|
|
|
Dear Abolfazl,
I have arrived safely and wanted to write and thank you again for
helping to organize our tour. Christina and I had a wonderful time
(neither of us really wanted to leave) and the whole trip went very
smoothly. So we really appreciate your hard work.
Thanks again,
Karin
|
|
|
Karin and I decided to go to
Iran some time last February. We managed to make all arrangements
(well, Karin made most of them) through Darwan Travel Agency
(www.darwantour.com). We pulled everything together in time and arrived
in Tehran on June 7, 2004.
Karin's interest in Iran is almost a decade old, while mine is rather
new. Most Americans studied a lot about Iran in high school history
class (or at least I did) when they studied ancient history and Iran
was called Persia. Iran is in many ways where much of civilization
began. It is also where many cultures converge. Many of the countries
I've been to recently claim to be the crossroads of the world-Serbia,
Turkey, Kazakhstan, and now Iran. All can claim this title with good
reason, but it is probably even truer of Iran than of the others. Here,
you can see the influence of the Arabs, the Indians, and the Turks (of
Central Asia). But somehow, amongst all these influences, Iran has
managed to maintain its own identity and language (Farsi) among these
competing forces throughout time.
Iran's power came early in time-one site we visited was founded in 512
BC-and rivals the Greeks and the Romans in influence, wealth, and
intelligence. In addition to being a highly educated people, the
Iranians are known for being very friendly and exceedingly polite. We found
nothing to the contrary. Karin and I remarked that the Iranians
attitude towards us was much the same attitude that we used to get from
people all over the world before 2000. In some ways, even though the
Iranians are fully aware of what is going on in the world, it is as
though their opinion of Americans is frozen in time-like 1979 was the
last time many Americans were in their country and that is how they
choose to remember us. It was quite moving to be welcomed with such an
open arms when we are getting used to being scoffed, harassed, or
lectured in other countries.
As many people in the world have pre-conceived notions of Americans,
Karin and I also had some pre-conceived notions of Iran, but most of
them were cultural curiosities, such as how women dress and what rights
they have. We knew that Iran was not a dangerous place (there has never
been a terrorist attack here) and we had heard that the people were
very friendly. We had also read that compared to some other Middle
Eastern countries, women have some freedoms here and are more willing
to speak out/or speak with foreigners on a variety of topics-even the
most taboo subjects. I think generally, we were surprised to see that
women wear very western-inspired cloths (while they must wear a long coat
to cover their body, these coats are in bright colors and have the
fashionable 3/4-length sleeve), they wear open-toed shoes, and tons of
make up. All in all, Iran is not nearly as repressive, a society as one
would think-culturally, there are many restrictions, but regarding more
civic/social things it is most certainly NOT the police state.
I think we were also surprised to see what good roads and
infrastructure Iran has-it beats the heck out of some Eastern
European/Balkan countries I've been to. The cities and streets are
clean with tons of parks and everything is well-lit at night. People
respect each other and their environs (save when driving). There are
even trash bags in the trash cans in the park-and people use the trash
cans. I can't even say that's true in most cities in the States.
Another thing that shocked me was the sense of customer service. In all
the former-communist countries I've been to recently, there is zero
customer service. Only in Jordan and Turkey did I see any customer service,
but it is also here in Iran. I had a baker tell me that if I didn't
like the corn cupcake he sold me, I could bring it back and get
something else. I couldn't believe it-and that happened a few times.
Iranians are arguably some of the most educated people in the world.
They educate their men and women equally and they have a very long
history of valuing education and ingenuity. These educated people know
what is going on in the rest of the world and desperately want to be
part of it. Most people we spoke with spoke English at least a little
and often times very well. Iranians would stop us on the street to ask
us where we were from if they heard us speaking English. Iran is such
an amazing place with so much to see and do. The Darwan Travel Agency
helped us from the beginning until end, making our travel problem-free
and enjoyable. Both tour guides that led us through Iran were
knowledgeable, helpful, flexible, and, like all Iranians, friendly and
kind. I would encourage anyone who is looking to see slice of history
and for an exciting adventure, to go to Iran, with the help of Darwan
Travel Agency.
Christina
|
|
|
With Darwan Tours, we had a
safe, easy, and enjoyable trip while touring Iran. The staff was great,
and the tour met all our expectations.
Sincerely,
S. P. Manson &
Dr. Gerber
|
Notice:
You may contact the authors who have contributed to this feedback
directly. Please note that in order to protect the privacy of the
individuals, we need to get their permission FIRST, and PRIOR to
releasing their email addresses to you. Please write to us with your full
name, address, and telephone number including the area code, so that we
can process your request.
|
|
|
|
