“Iran + Uppersia + seyed Ali mohammad hosseini = Trip of a Lifetime

“Iran + Uppersia + Ali = Trip of a Lifetime”

 

 

Mar 18, 2017

 

ModernDayNomad (19 reviews)

Dallas, Texas

Our experience in Iran - and by extension with Uppersia - was excellent by every measure. 

Easily the best part of our trip was our guide, Seyed Ali Mohammad Hosseini. His knowledge of Iran and its culture, and his experience with the travel industry in his country are unsurpassed. When he wasn't sharing his expertise and passion for Persepolis, Shiraz (his hometown), Esfahan, or Tehran, he was entertaining and enlightening us with his own unique travel leadership experiences and opportunities or he was introducing us to countless friends he has around the country. Ali works very hard to deliver a professional, in-depth experience to his guests, and we can't imagine a finer guide anywhere in the world. And, of course, he's the nicest, kindest gentleman we met in a country full of friendly and welcoming people. It's easy to say we have a new friend in Ali. 

Beyond Ali, Uppersia was an outstanding tour operator. From our first contact with them, they were prompt, thorough, and helpful as we worked together to build a custom itinerary across Iran. Mahnaz, our dedicated agent, suggested sites, guided us thorough the visa application process, and answered dozens of questions that popped up along the way. She, too, is an expert in Iran travel, and she made the whole experience - all three months of planning and preparation- delightful from beginning to end. 

The itinerary Uppersia created for us was efficient and thorough, and it provided exactly the level of comfort and adventure we were looking for. The hotels and the methods of transportation they used (train and coach) surpassed our expectations and made the trip fun, efficient, and easy. In each city we visited (Tehran, Shiraz, and Esfahan), our accommodations were centrally located and Ali expertly utilized taxis and transit when walking was impractical. The entire week ran smoothly - not a single glitch - and not a moment of our precious time in Iran was wasted. Ali even took us bowling one night. Can you imagine a more cultural experience than bowling in Iran? It was a blast!

So...what's Iran like? Especially for Americans? In a word: heartwarming! The people of Iran are some of the friendliest and most welcoming we've ever met. We were always greeted with a smile and a genuine appreciation for our efforts to discover the REAL Iran. It's completely safe; not once did we feel insecure, pressured, or out-of-place. To be fair, we were VERY closely minded by our guide (there was NO opportunity to wander alone aimlessly or spontaneously, and we had to think carefully before randomly snapping photos), but we wouldn't really want to deviate off course when we could hang out with Ali. He's that cool! Naturally the history and the culture are amongst the most impressive in the world. From the ruins of Persepolis to the mosques of Esfahan to the intrigue of Tehran, we felt like we got a good sense of Iran: past, present, and future. 

So... Go to Iran, collaborate with Uppersia, and request Ali as your guide. The result will surely be the trip of a lifetime.

“Iran was spectacular and Ali made it a great experience”

“Iran was spectacular and Ali made it a great experience”

Reviewed 2 days ago NEW via mobile

Spent one week in Iran and booked this agency. My guide was seyed ali mohammad hosseini, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. He gave thorough explanations on history, culture and social norms in Iran. We covered a lot of ground in one week and Ali is great at knowing where to take excellent photos. If you're looking for an experience out of the ordinary , definitely add Iran to your list and certainly book with uppersia and request for Ali to be your guide.

Visited February 2017

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g316021-d4258808-r461876897-Uppersia-Shiraz_Fars_Province.html#

“A truly great week”

“A truly great week”

Reviewed 2 days ago NEW

There is so much positive to say about this trip so I will try and keep it short-ish.
From the moment I enquired about the trip Uppersia and Mahnaz were incredibly helpful and once we booked super efficient.
When we landed in Tehran we were straight in to a taxi and off to the hotel in the city, here we met our tour guide Seyed Ali Mohammad Hosseini (Ali) and we hit the trail!
Ali is incredibly knowledgable about his countries history, culture and people as well a very proud Shirazi. He thought about the tour and after considering our interests took the time to make changes to the itinerary. We felt at home with Ali from homemade lunches with treats from his mum to meeting all of his friends on his birthday he was awesome.
Highlights from the trip for me included the Music Museum in Isfahan as well as the Khaju Bridge, Persepolis, the vibe of Shiraz and the food but most importantly the people of Iran are the real highlight.
I would thoroughly recommend a trip to Iran, Uppersia and Ali.

Visited February 2017

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g316021-d4258808-r461782653-Uppersia-Shiraz_Fars_Province.html#

 

“7 fantastic days in Iran”

“7 fantastic days in Iran”

Reviewed 6 days ago NEW

Three big cheers! One for Iran and its lovely people, another for Uppersia for a well organised trip and a last but by no means least and perhaps the loudest cheer of all for our guide Seyed Ali Mohammad Hosseini, Ali for short.
Where to start? I travelled with my grown up son with neither of us really knowing what to expect.
We were picked up at the airport in the early morning and very soon experienced what was to my eyes an utterly chaotic traffic system but a system which by the end of the week seemed almost normal though crossing the main streets needed a lot of concentration and nerve. We dropped our stuff off at the hotel, met our guide and by 9.am we were off sight-seeing in Tehran with a very full day of visits.
Ali is a young man with a great knowledge of all the sites we visited and, which I think is vital in a tour guide , he has a good sense of humour.
Next day we flew down to Shiraz in Fars province. Shiraz is both the traditional and contemporary cultural heart of Iran and as Ali is a very enthusiastic and proud Shirazi we got the works. It was Ali's birthday while we were there and he invited us to a party in his friends new cafe, It was a great night of boisterous fun and singing. Not a drop of booze in sight.
From Shiraz we took a very comfortable and spacious coach trip up to Isfahan. It is a quite a long trip in the coach which I was not particularly looking forward to but because there was plenty of room on the VIP coach and the scenery was all new it went much more quickly than I imagined it would. It also gave me a chance to rest my feet because we had had a full on itinerary so far.
Isfahan was a real treat. Ali quoted and translated with passion the poetry of the 14th century, Shiraz born poet Hafez as we walked along the river bank at night just above the illuminated bridge of 30 arches. A great experience. Big thanks to Ali.
A particular treat for me was a visit to the the Isfahan music museum.
The staff all speak good English and give a very good tour of the museum with plenty of good humour particularly from the curator. There is a craftsman in his workshop to show you how the instruments are made and repaired. After the tour there is a short concert played in an intimate room below the museum. We were fortunate to have four musicians playing for us, stringed instruments and percussion. They somehow knew it was Ali's birthday and did a rendition of Happy Birthday that I am unlikely to hear the likes of ever again. A real treat of a visit with a lot of humour and affection. Eventually we got back to Tehran to finish the tour with a day at the Revolution celebrations on Feb 10th and a trip round the Golestan Palace complex which had some of the most extravagant , flamboyant and not a little ostentatious, interior decoration your are likely to see.
Next morning it was a not too early start for the airport and home to the UK.

I think we dropped lucky with several things on our trip , one, we had Ali and his birthday which everyone seemed to know about , two, the usually dry river at Isfahan was full of water which because of drought and climate change it mostly isn't but the dam up- river had been opened for a couple of weeks and we saw the famous bridge at its best and then we were in Tehran on 10th February for the celebration of the revolution of 1979 and there were thousands upon thousands of people on the street.

We visited Iran in February and the weather was ideal, cool nights of minus 2 or 3 C but sunny days up to 10 degrees. Just one afternoon of rain in Tehran. February is off peak season and all the better for it. Big sites like Persepolis were relatively empty which made for better photos and walking around in the cooler temperatures was a joy.
The 2017 convention of the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations was held in Shiraz in February and the poster slogan was Iran: Friendly Faces , Open Arms, Ancient Cultures, Timeless Charms. - and that is exactly what we found.
Paul Williams
P.S. To all Shirazis 'May the Fars be with you'

Visited February 2017

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g316021-d4258808-r460721223-Uppersia-Shiraz_Fars_Province.html#