Iranian Bakhtiari nomads Bakhtiari is the name of one major Iranian nomadic tribe living in the central part of the Zagros mountain range. The region is very remote and far from civilization. It embraces the last remaining original and authentic nomadic tribes in Iran. Livestock raising is their profession, and their life is divided into two different periods: the hot and cold seasons. Iranian Bakhtiari nomads live in the low lands during the cold season and move to the high mountains with their families and animals during the hot season. In Persian, there is a special world of KOOCH for this kind of movement and lifestyle. The lifestyle based on Kooch is still alive and it is very fascinating to see. This traditional lifestyle would, unfortunately, disappear very soon in this artificial world. The people still live in basic tents with their ships and goats without facilities and electricity. For those who are interested in anthropology, this nomadic region would be one of the most impressive parts of Iran. The nomads still keep their original clothes and customs. Their wedding ceremonies and traditional dance are enchanting as well. The villages and the nomadic camps are other highlights of this region. The Bakhtiari nomadic tribe, their lifestyle, traditions, costumes, and their territory as a whole are must-sees for those who wish to experience them during their travel to Iran. All the abovementioned attractions have made this place one of the destinations for adventurous travelers who are looking for Off-the-Beaten-Track destinations in Iran. Travel to Bakhtiari nomadic region is full of experiences. Depending on your interest, you could have different travel styles and activities. If you are interested in Bakhtiaris’ Kooch and traveling along with them in early spring, " Kooch with Bakhtiari Nomadic Tribes” is a very interesting 15-day trip with
Iranian Bakhtiari nomads Bakhtiari is the name of one major Iranian nomadic tribe living in the central part of the Zagros mountain range. The region is very remote and far from civilization. It embraces the last remaining original and authentic nomadic tribes in Iran. Livestock raising is their profession, and their life is divided into
Photography Travel to Iran: Kurdistan & Hawraman Valley Iran is a vast country with many special destinations for travel photography. Depending on the type of your photography and your travel time, there are so many places you could travel to. Kurdish regions of Iran in the two provinces of Kurdistan and Kermanshah are the most exotic destinations in Iran for Photography. The amazing landscape of the mountains, the architecture of the houses in the villages, and the people with special costumes create a perfect destination for photographers around the world. Kurdish people's culture and lifestyle in the mountains in Hawraman valley in the heart of Zagros mountains have attracted many travelers' attention. Moreover, UNESCO registered the Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanats on the Iranian UNESCO world heritage sites in 2021. This destination is noticeable regarding three main aspects of photography: Landscape photography Portrait Photography Architecture photography In addition to the three above photography types in Iranian Kurdish regions, people's lifestyle who are living in the mountains, the Kurdish dance, their very famous musical instruments of Tanbur and Daf, and their long stories of Kurdish histories are other highlights of this region. There are a couple of annual festivals such as Pire Shaliar and Daf music performed in the Hawraman region. These traditional festivals are very interesting and attract many people from different countries annually for photography travel to Iran. The Kurdish women work together with men in the fields. They have had a hard life in the mountains and have fought against enemies for years. Besides all the above elements of the Iranian Kurdistan region, the hospitality of Kurdish people in the mountains, their simple life, their clothes, customs, food, and old traditions have made this region one of the new destinations of Iran for those who would like to explore
Photography Travel to Iran: Kurdistan & Hawraman Valley Iran is a vast country with many special destinations for travel photography. Depending on the type of your photography and your travel time, there are so many places you could travel to. Kurdish regions of Iran in the two provinces of Kurdistan and Kermanshah are the most
Iran’s top 10 Off the Beaten Path Destinations you should visit! Iran is a huge country with a lot of tourist attractions. It has many untraveled routes for explorers around the world. Along with the long list of famous destinations on the Classical Route of Iran and the UNESCO world heritage sites, or the most famous Off the Beaten Track villages or the most famous touristic villages of Iran, you may like other important destinations added to your Iran’s Adventure tour. These off the beaten path regions are located in different districts and the time of the visits are in different seasons or months but you could pick a couple of them on your Iran’s tailor-made journey. 1. Shush (Susa), Khuzestan Province 2. Minab town, Hormozgan Province 3. Savadkuh County, Mazandaran Province 4. Kong port, Bandar Abbas, Persian Gulf 5. Anzali Lagoon & villages around, Gilan Province, Caspian Sea 6. Siraf port, Bushehr Province, Persian Gulf 7. Chabahar port, Sistan and Baluchistan Province, Gulf of Oman, Indian Ocean 8. Nishabur, Razavi Khorasan Province 9. Torkaman Port, Golestan Province, Caspian Sea 10. Sisakht, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, MT Dena chain, Zagros range
Iran’s top 10 Off the Beaten Path Destinations you should visit! Iran is a huge country with a lot of tourist attractions. It has many untraveled routes for explorers around the world. Along with the long list of famous destinations on the Classical Route of Iran and the UNESCO world heritage sites, or the most
Shemshak Winter Mountain scenery Shemshak is the name of a touristic village before the revolution which has now turned mostly into a small town. Shemshak became famous because of the famous Shemshak Ski resort and a lot of old wealthy people before the revolution came to Shemshak for skiing and it was a hub for many active people in the past years. It’s located in the heights of central Alborz Mountains 50 km away from north east of the capital. The video that you see is a collection of 6 months of photography and timelapsing in the winter season from November 2020 till April 2021. Shemshak village is located between 2600 m – 2800m above the sea level surrounded by a lot of mountains above 4000m and it has about 6 months of winter. There is a long story behind this short video and these pictures as it happens after the pandemic situation when I moved from Lavasan to Shemshak to be far from the population. I had decided to make a short documentary about this special lifestyle that can happen in Iran and the things that happen in the village, but I couldn't make it fully and the end result was the aforementioned video. There were two reasons for that. The first was I didn't have much material and footage to make this video and the second was that I needed a crew and a lot of professional equipment to record this live life happening in the village. So I cut short the plan I had in my mind and only took the most special moments that happened during that winter and I asked our editor to make a nice slide show of the magnificent nature that happens in the high mountains of Alborz. Most of the footage
Shemshak Winter Mountain scenery Shemshak is the name of a touristic village before the revolution which has now turned mostly into a small town. Shemshak became famous because of the famous Shemshak Ski resort and a lot of old wealthy people before the revolution came to Shemshak for skiing and it was a hub
Travel to Iranian Kurdistan Iranian Kurdistan with 21137 sq./m is located in the west of Iran with a joint border with Iraq. It’s one of the destinations of Iran that offers you a lot of Off the Beaten track for those who are looking for new experiences. Depending on your travel style and the type of activity you would like to do, you could travel to Iranian Kurdistan from one week up to one month. Most Iran visitors who already visited the Main tourist destinations of Iran travel to Kurdistan as a cultural tour. They only visit a couple of spots mentioned in the guidebooks. Also, most of the tours designed to visit Kurdistan are two to three-week tours of northwestern and western Iran, which spend only one or more days in this province and actually pass through this province and cannot explore the attractions of this region and understand the intangible highlights of this exotic destinations. Kurdistan has a long list of attractions for travelers and in this article, we try to mention the main important highlights of the province. Attractions Sanandaj is the capital of Kurdistan province and with a distance of 458 km from the capital city of Tehran. Sanandaj is a touristic city with many attractions. The old bazaar of Sanandaj, Asef monument “the Cord house”, Jameh mosque, Khosro Abaad historical monument, Sanandaj museum and the Kurdish wooden artworks are the most important tourist attraction of this city. UNESCO has chosen Sanandaj as the Creative City of Music in Iran and Tanbor and Daf are the very important instruments made in Iranian Kurdistan. Music and instrument both have a special relation with the culture of Kurdish people. Marivan city is another highlight of Kurdistan and it’s located at the border of Iraq. Zarivar Lake and
Travel to Iranian Kurdistan Iranian Kurdistan with 21137 sq./m is located in the west of Iran with a joint border with Iraq. It’s one of the destinations of Iran that offers you a lot of Off the Beaten track for those who are looking for new experiences. Depending on your travel style and the
Iran 5 major Touristic Destinations and Activities you can do! In this article, you can read about Iran major touristic destinations and all the activities you can do in them in detail. Iran, with 26 UNESCO world heritage sites, (as of June 2021), is the tenth country in the world with regard to the number of such sites. Contrary to the perception of many tourists who haven’t read about Iran, it’s too much to even see its major highlights in a month. For this reason, most travelers prefer to make the main touristic cities of the country their main priority which includes Tehran, Kashan, Esfahan, Yazd, and Shiraz. Also, Lonely Planet’s travel guide book, which is a reference for many travelers, has chosen these cities for Iran’s first-time visitors. Also, Lonely Planet uses the term “CLASSIC” to describe a short travel itinerary for each country where travelers wish to visit a famous site. CLASSIC IRAN route is an overland journey that includes the main 5 urban tourist destinations of Tehran, Kashan, Esfahan, Yazd, and Shiraz with 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites along with a couple of other attractions on the route. You need two weeks to visit these 5 major cities but depending on the holiday time you have available, the season of travel and your interests, you may want to extend your visit to see more attractions or even if time is a problem, make it shorter. It’s necessary to be aware of Iran’s high and low seasons to enable you to create a successful travel itinerary according to the weather. In the guide below, we just want to give you a few ideas with the possibility of having different activities around each one of these classical cities if you are participating in the Iran Classic Route.
Iran 5 major Touristic Destinations and Activities you can do! In this article, you can read about Iran major touristic destinations and all the activities you can do in them in detail. Iran, with 26 UNESCO world heritage sites, (as of June 2021), is the tenth country in the world with regard to the number
Lar National Park Mountain Biking This video is about one of Adventure Iran’s mountain biking trips in one of the most beautiful national parks of Iran. it is located in the northeast of Tehran province, only 70 kilometers (43 mi) from the capital. Lar national park is a protected region so it is not open to the public. About Lar National Park It’s managed by the Iranian Environmental Organization. Travelers need to get a permit for entering the park and the mentioned organization issues them for interested travelers. We apply for the certificate one month in advance as it takes a couple of weeks of paperwork. The gates of the park are open only during the summertime. Stockbreeders and cattlemen enter for their summer KOOCH from lower altitudes to upper altitudes, their seasonal move. KOOCH is a Persian word meaning seasonal relocation of accommodation and most tribes, nomads, and villagers of Iran still do this to this day. They relocate with their hordes of animals like sheep, jotas, dogs, hens, and roosters along with their family for better weather conditions and food for their animals. Lar is the key location for most tribes around Tehran capital during the summertime. At the end of the summer when the weather is getting cold, they will move again to warmer locations in lower altitudes till the end of spring of the next year. Lar National park with 30,000-hectare pf property is home to a wide range of flora, fauna, and wild animals. Along with its rich nature, there is a big dam inside of the park called Lar dam. it is created by the high mountains of central Alborz and is fed by many spring waters of the surrounding region. This reservoir of water is a source for a huge number of people living
Lar National Park Mountain Biking This video is about one of Adventure Iran’s mountain biking trips in one of the most beautiful national parks of Iran. it is located in the northeast of Tehran province, only 70 kilometers (43 mi) from the capital. Lar national park is a protected region so it is not open
Dobarar Ridgeline Ski touring Dobarar (Ghareh Dagh) Ridgeline is an impressive 52 km long mountain chain that forms a continuous wall in the southeastern portion of the Central Alborz Mountains in northern Iran. This ridgeline consists of more than 20 named peaks and many other unnamed high points. The elevations of 5 of these peaks exceed 4000 m. The highest one is the 4072 m summit of the West Doabrar Peak. The ridgeline starts near the Emamzadeh Hashem Pass on Haraz (Tehran-Amol) Road and heads east to end near the village of Seh Band on Firooz Kooh (Tehran-Sari) Road. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tq3UFpvtKE
Dobarar Ridgeline Ski touring Dobarar (Ghareh Dagh) Ridgeline is an impressive 52 km long mountain chain that forms a continuous wall in the southeastern portion of the Central Alborz Mountains in northern Iran. This ridgeline consists of more than 20 named peaks and many other unnamed high points. The elevations of 5 of these peaks
4 seasons of life in the Alborz mountains This clip is about one and half years of photography and life in the Shemshak village after Coronavirus from February 2020 till August 2012. The photos and time lapse were taken with Canon EOS-R camera and a few of them recorded with Go pro. The original reason for this was to have an archive of photos from this amazing place and use it in the Adventure Iran website as the Shemshak photo gallery section. After a while when I saw that I have a good collection of photos from different aspects of the region like nature, landscape, people, night photography and the changing seasons, I made the decision to make a photo book for the region as well as making a short clip of the slides of my photos. I hope you enjoy it and would be useful for your information. Shemshak village and in it Shemshak Ski Resort which is one the main three ski resorts of Iran, is about 55 km away from the north east of Tehran. Darbandsar village and the ski resort are also nearby Shemshak which is 4 km away and it’s one of the other ski regions in the area. The third is Dizin ski resort which is Iran's largest ski resort and its 14 km away from Shemshak village. These three villages are located in the valley and many mountains above 4000m in the Central Alborz surround these regions. Shemshak village has an altitude between 2600-2800 m and As it was an important coal mine in the region (about a 100 years ago) which was about the beginning of 20 century, the majority of locals worked in the mine. Afterwards in the middle of 20 century (1949), skiing on Shemshak started. After 10 years in
4 seasons of life in the Alborz mountains This clip is about one and half years of photography and life in the Shemshak village after Coronavirus from February 2020 till August 2012. The photos and time lapse were taken with Canon EOS-R camera and a few of them recorded with Go pro. The original reason
Winter Trekking in Shemshak Alborz Ski Region Shemshak is mostly famous for skiing in Iran and many people (especially Tehranians) know of Shemshak Ski Resort. It’s a destination for skiing during winter and an amazing region for trekking and mountain biking during the summer. Along with ski and ski touring activity many adventurous hikers are interested in winter trekking and mountaineering which has its own attraction as the scenery in the winter is much different and it’s perfect for photography. Shemshak is located in the heart of central Alborz Mountains surrounded by many high peaks above 4000m. in winter it has high volumes of snow, in some canyons more than 3 meters. Shemshak is only 50 km away from the capital but the winter takes 6 months as it is located at 2700m altitude. The video is made of a trek in winter times in Shemshak that was planned to ascend Abak Peak with 3500 m altitude. Our group did this trek on the 8th of December of 2020. They had a day trek to ascend another small peak and take the ridge line towards the top of Shemshak ski resort. They started the trek from the village and after a few hours reached the pass which has an amazing view of Mt Damavand, the highest mountain in Iran. From there they took the ridge towards the peak where they had an amazing view of many mountains in Alborz like MT Sarakchal 4210 m, MT Kolonbastak 4160m, MT Touchal 3960m and MT Kholeno 4400m which is the highest peak in Tehran province and central Alborz mountains. As you can see in some parts of the video, the weather changes a lot but it made a spectacular view of the high mountains and Shemshak valley. They descended from another side of
Winter Trekking in Shemshak Alborz Ski Region Shemshak is mostly famous for skiing in Iran and many people (especially Tehranians) know of Shemshak Ski Resort. It’s a destination for skiing during winter and an amazing region for trekking and mountain biking during the summer. Along with ski and ski touring activity many adventurous hikers are
