Duration

4 Days

Activity Level

Moderate

Best Months

Apr, Jun, July, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov

Activities

Trekking & Hiking, Multi-Activity

Travel Styles

Off the Beaten Track, Local Experience

Nice trekking from Alamut in Qazvin towards the Caspian Sea and explore the main cultural and historical sites

TOUR CODE

005-STN-TRK

START

Tehran

FINISH

Tehran

REGION(S)

Alamut Valley, Caspian Sea

INCLUDED

MEALS: 4 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 2 Dinners
ACCOMMODATIONS: Local House: 3 Nights
TRANSPORTATION: Private vehicle
All transportation according to the itinerary Accommodation as mentioned in the itinerary Meals as indicated in the itinerary English speaking tour guide Backpack handling by Mules/Horses (limited to 15kg per person)

NOT INCLUDED

Entry fee for the sites not mentioned in the itinerary
Travel insurance
International airfare
Excess baggage charges
Airport and departure taxes
Any extra hotel costs such as early check in or late checkout
Laundry
Mini bar used in the room
Meals not stipulated in the itinerary
Tips (optional)
Cost of medical immunizations
Bottled water
Phone calls
Any other service not mentioned in the itinerary

Photography from Andej canyon”Red-rock”
Visiting the fabled ruins of the Alamut historic castle “Eagle Nest”
Local Homestay & socialize with locals
Exceptional Trekking route through spectacular mountain scenery
We will pass a Caravanserai
Crossing 2 vast valleys called Alamut and the valley of Sehezar
Visiting Ramsar the most beautiful costal town in the Caspian Sea region
One-day exploring tour in the Caspian Sea
Walking in the tea plantation
Gilan Rural Heritage Museum (Legacy of Old Houses)

This is a tour package mixed of two and a half day trekking and one day sightseeing in the Caspian Sea region. It starts from Tehran in the early morning driving to the Alamut Valley. From there you will hike to the Caspian Sea. On trekking route, you will have a stop at the castle of the Assassin (Alamut). You will pass few villages with amazing landscapes, stay with local people and taste their food. The chosen hiking route is not a general passageway used by many people; it is a special trekking route with maximum beauty and visibility, mountainous with many beautiful spots ideal for photography. After finishing the trek you will transfer to the Ramsar city which is situated in coast of the Caspian Sea and you will have memorable night there in the hotel.
The last day would be sightseeing in the Caspian Sea coastal towns. Northern Iran around Caspian Sea is an ideal climate for planting rice, tea, fruits and so on; depending on the season you are traveling we will include the main highlights of this region to visit in one day. You will visit Ramsar, the famous city for Wetland convention, visiting Ramasar Palace and the museums. Then, back down and have lunch in a local restaurant. Afternoon, you will be back to Tehran from the Caspian Sea by VIP bus.

Day 1: Tehran to Alamut Valley

You will depart at 6:00 A.M driving towards Alamut via Ghazvin which is about 250 km. Half of the road is highway and the other half is curvy mountainous one. We will stop sometimes to watch the scenes and take photos. To begin our journey, we will drive to a village called Andej, after a short stop for photography we will go to a local house to meet native people and see their lifestyle. Then we will visit an amazing canyon (Andej canyon) a good place for photography and short walking. The canyon is surrounded by three awesome red-rock, side canyons. Hiking will start from here for about 5 hours towards the Castle of Assassins mainly uphill. On the way to the castle we will visit Gazorkhan village which has historic significance. At the main gate around half an hour climbing will lead us to the Eagle Nest. We will spend some time visiting and taking photos from the remains of the castle and get a better idea why it was built in such a place and some of the historical facts related to the Hashashin. Top of the castle will give us a panoramic view of the vast valley. After visiting Alamut Castle, we will go back to GazorKhan to drive to Garmarud village which is the trekking start point for the next day. In Garmarud, we will stay in a local house. The rest of the day will be spent at the village which has quite pleasant surroundings. We will have time to socialize with locals before a traditional dinner. Overnight stay at the local house. (B, L, D)

Day 2: Pichebon

6.00 A.M wake up for breakfast and getting ready to start at 7.00 A.M. Today we have around 15 km hiking from Garmarud to Pichebon village. There was a historical trail connecting locals from southern part of Alborz to the northern part (Caspian Sea). This single track road has been used by locals to transfer their goods by mules for many years. Recently another dirt road has been built to facilitate the transportation of goods for local people but we will not use these paths as we will be on our own trekking route through mountains and beautiful nature. At this day, we will see a scenic waterfall and some impressive fields. After lunch near the waterfall, we continue to gently climb our way up to about 2700 meters to the village. The village is located in Qazvin province and retains some picturesque old mud and straw houses. We will walk around the village and will have dinner there. Overnight stay in camp or local house. (B, L, D)

Day 3: Maran

After breakfast at 7:30 A.M we will hike our way through some spectacular scenery towards the village of Maran. We will cross a path of 3200 meters high visiting an old (15th century) caravanserai which is an excellent site for rest and photography with spectacular views in all directions. At this point, we will be able to see all the high peaks around and the direction of the rest of the journey we will take. There are many mountains over 4000m like Sialan, Alam Kuh, Haft khan and Takhte soleiman mountain ranges. We then descend towards a village called Salajanbar, down to approximately 2550m altitude. We will walk parallel to a river with some rapid and strong currents, all around us is a beautiful and breathtaking canyon with a grand waterfall. It is truly an exceptional day of the trip. We are now travelling through the heart of Alborz range towards the Caspian Sea, this means as we progress through the journey the climate becomes more humid and the vegetation increases till we have moved from a relatively barren landscape to a fully forested area. Then we will enter an area which is another large valley called the valley of Seh Hezar, from here we will start descending to the bottom. After passing through several beautiful villages, we will get to another village called Maran (2150m) by lunchtime which is an active agricultural area with lots of fields and plantations. Maran is the last point of our trekking located on the Caspian side and belongs to the Sehezar Valley of Mazandaran province. Overnight stay at a local house. (B, L)

Day 4: Drive to Caspian Sea – Half Day Exploring

After breakfast, we will travel by a car to the Caspian Sea about two hours. We have a half day sightseeing and exploring tour in the Caspian Sea region. There are lots of attractions in the north of Iran. However; depending on the time of your travel, climate and local situation, you will see some of them. We will visit a pottery workshop en route to the Caspian Sea. Afterwards, we will continue exploring tour by visiting Ramsar which is in the coast of the Caspian Sea, taking two hours. We have a short visit of the palace which was belonging to the last kings (Reza and Mohamad Reza Pahlavi) and was the second place for all of the conventions and meeting place before the revolution. There are two museums and a historical hotel belonged to the King which you will visit as well. Then, we will spend some times at the Caspian Sea coast and have lunch in a local restaurant. In the late afternoon, you will transfer to bus terminal to leave for Tehran. We will be Tehran evening time. (B, L)