11 Days
Duration
Easy
Activity Level
Apr, Oct
Best Months
Trekking & Hiking, Multi-Activity
Activities
Off the Beaten Track, Soft Adventure
Travel Styles
Custom-made Iran active adventure hiking holiday designed for spring and autumn to experience different from walking in mountains, desert and forest in the Iranian Caspian Sea
| TOUR CODE | 171-STN-TRK | |||||
| START | Tehran | |||||
| FINISH | Tehran | |||||
| REGION(S) | Tehran, Maranjab, Qazvin, Alamut, Caspian sea, Masuleh | |||||
| INCLUDED |
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| 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 |
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- Experience three different weather condition and terrain of Alborz mountains, the Caspian Sea and Maranjab desert
- Boating in Anzali lagoon and walking through the tea plantation
- Crossing Alborz Mountains towards the Caspian Sea
- Visiting the fabled ruins of the Alamut historic castle “Eagle Nest”
- 3 days trekking through spectacular mountain scenery
- Crossing 2 vast valleys called Alamut and the valley of Sehazar
- Camping in the desert area of Maranjab
- Visiting the great salt lake and old caravanserai
- Visiting Kashan, with its distinct architecture and setting
The tour is a combination of the four following different aspects of attraction and activities.:
• Mountain trekking
• Caspian Sea villages exploration
• Desert trekking and camping,
• Cultural/ historical exploring
During this tour you will experience three diverse climate, altitude and weather :
• West Alborz mountain (3000 m)
• Caspian sea (- 40 m under sea level)
• Central desert of Iran – Dashte-e Kavir (800 m).
Also you will face variety of temperature from hot temperature in the desert to cold temperature of the mountain.
This tour will start from the Capital and end in the Capital as well. We will start the journey by driving to Alamut valley. We have three days hiking through the Alamut valley and the Castle of the Assassins toward the Caspian sea in west Alborz mountains.
In the next part of the trip we will very tight exploration and we have to visit many attractions of Iran in the Caspian Sea region. We will come across via costal road and you will visit plenty of attraction. Gilan Rural Heritage Museum (Legacy of Old Houses) to get the feeling of tradition, history of people and their customs. Lahijan is well known for its high quality tea so we will visit some tea farms and tea production factory. We will visit Masuleh historical village which is surrounded by forest from valley to mountain and fog is the predominate weather feature. At the end we will have boating in Anzali lagoon and also we have hiking in Rudkhan historical castle which is a medieval brick and stone castle built on two tips of a mountain.
In the third part after Caspian Sea, we will drive towards Maranjab desert which located in western part of Dashte- Kavir. You have trekking and one night camping in the desert.
In the fourth part you will have a culture and history excursion by visiting Abyaneh historical village and the ancient city of Kashan and back to Tehran (IKA Airport) to fly back home.
1
Day 1: Arrival in Tehran & check in
Upon arrival to Tehran you will be met at the airport and a representative will greet you and transfer you to a comfortable hotel in Tehran. Check-in to your hotel. Overnight stay at hotel. (-)
2
Day 2: Tehran city tour
After breakfast we will have Tehran sightseeing and city tour. We spend all day visiting the capital attractions. Before noon we will visit the National Museum of Iran and Golestan Palace. In the afternoon we will go to the grand Bazar and afterwards we have visit of Artists Park “Park-e Honar Mandan”. We will spend a couple of hours there. Most of the times there is painting and photography Show/exhibition inside the park as well as a theatre and cinema hall. Also, there are a few good coffee shops for refreshment. In the evening we will back to the hotel. Overnight in Tehran. (B, L, D)
3
Day 3: 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. 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 way of life. 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 climb 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 remainder 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)
4
Day 4: 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 the 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. Today 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)
5
Day 5: Salajanbar, Maran, Yuj and the Caspian sea
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 be walking parallel to a river with some rapid and strong currents, all round 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 the 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. From there we will travel in a car to the Caspian Sea for about an hour. Checking in to a guest house will give us some refreshing time to take a shower and have some rest. We will have a locally prepared dinner in a traditional restaurant. After dinner we will walk around the coast before getting back to the village. Overnight in the guest house. (B, L, D)
6
Day 6: Exploring the Caspian Sea
After breakfast we have one full 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. You will start our exploring tour early in the morning by driving to Ramsar via coastal road which is take one hour. You will visit the Snake Castle in the top of a mountain which we have full view of the city. You will walk via 350 steps to reach the castle. There is a great view of the Caspian Sea and Alborz mountain and Ramsar is in between. Afterwards you will drive to the town and we have a short visit of the palace which was belong the last kings (Reza and Mohamad Reza Pahlavi) and was the second place for all of convention and meeting place before the revolution. There is two museums and a historical hotel belong to the King has for visit as well. After that you will drive to Lahijan city which will take about 1 hour. Lahijan is the center of tea plantation in Iran. We will take a cable car to go to the highland where the place we can see is the tea farm and we will have a great view of the town and the Caspian Sea as well. After visit tea farms and drink fresh organic tea you will back with the same cabin to the base and from there you will drive to Fouman. En route you will also visit main attractions of Rasht which is Gilan Rural Heritage Museum (Legacy of Old Houses). Overnight we will stay at a guest house in a village. (B, L, D)
7
Day 7: Anzali lagoon boating and Masuleh historic village
Early in the morning we will go to Anzali lagoon. At sunrise you can see different birds flying around ideal for birdwatchers and photographers. After a short walk in the dry part of the lagoon we will take a local boat for boating. After we will drive to a village for a short walk and take some photos. Here you will see rice fields, traditional style of the houses and drink a cup of local organic tea.
In the afternoon we will drive to Masuleh historic village. In Masuleh we will have a walking tour around and free time for some shots of photos. Here you can purchase some handicrafts and souvenirs. Overnight sleep in a local house (B)
8
Day 8: Hiking in Rudkhan Castle- back to Tehran-Kashan
After breakfast we drive about an hour to Gale Rudkhan (Rudkhan Castle). This castle is a brick and stone medieval castle dating back to 1500 years. Three hours hiking in the castle will give us enough time for visiting and photography. After exploring the castle thoroughly we will start descending and continue the journey by drive to the historical city of Kashan, which takes around 6-7 hours (550 km). You will arrive by evening and check into a traditional hotel. Overnight stay in the hotel. (B, L, D)
9
Day 9: Maranjaab desert trekking
Early morning we will drive to Maranjab desert for approximately 2 hours. We will visit sand dunes and an old caravanserai. We will start trekking from the caravanserai to inside of the desert. We will have packed lunch in the desert. Afternoon will be walking through the sand dune towards the dry salt lake and you will be free to have your own times for photography in the desert. We will finish the day by watching the beautiful sunset and making a camp. Overnight we will stay in our tents and dinner will be prepared in the camp. (B, L, D)
10
Day 10: Abyaneh village- Drive to Kashan
Early morning rise up at dusk to watch the rising sun and photography. After breakfast we will pack our bags and collect the camp. Then drive through dirt road toward the beautiful village of Abyane ,one of the oldest villages of Iran, sightseeing of the spectacular village of Abyaneh, a village of great antiquity, which is like a living architectural and anthropological museum dating back to Safavie period; the simplicity found in the houses affords a picture of life in rural areas of Iran; getting familiar with the locals of Abyane. Then driving towards to Kashan historical city takes one hour through. We will arrive by evening. Overnight stay at hotel. (B, L, D)
11
Day 11: Kashan City tour – Deaprture
After breakfast in the hotel, we will have a tight sightseeing of Kashan city which is including of the old houses, Noosh Abad Ancient Underground City called Ouee and its castle. In te noon we will check out from the hotel and go outside for the lunch. We will have lunch in the resurant. In the afternoon we will visit the significant ancient site of Sialk dating back to 3000 – 4000 BC and the historic Royal Gardens of Fin where was built for Shah Abbas. In the late afternoon we will drive to Tehran and droop off the travellers in IKA airort to back home.(B, L)
Dasht-e Kavir desert trek
The Valley of Alamut
Trekking towards the Caspian Sea
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