Shemshak Village
Alborz Ski Region
Shemshak village is one of the highest villages in Iran, situated in the heart of the Central Alborz Mountain, at 2,700 m altitude. It is only 65 km from the center of Tehran, about a 1 ½ hour drive to reach through a mountainous road. There is also a ski resort beside Shemshak village called Shemshak Ski resort. This ski resort is famous as it was the first to open in Iran in 1958, and is now the third largest ski resort in the country after Dizin and Darbandsar.
Shemshak village is surrounded by numerous mountains above 3,000 m and 4,000 m, which makes the area ideal for hiking and mountain biking in Iran during spring, early summer, and summer. It is perfect for skiing in the winter. The 3,000m mountains are just right for easy and moderate hikes and are close to the village. For strenuous and challenging trekkers, the renowned mountains above 4,000 m. are perfect.
There is a 15 Km mountain ridge above Shemshak village, stretching from Kolon Bastak (4,170m) in the west to Sarakchal (4,210m) in the east. Between the two peaks, there are even more mountains over 4,000m (Sarakchal 2 & Sarakchal 3), making this ridgeline very challenging.
In the south, there is Mt Abak (3,520m) which is above Shemshak Ski Piste. If the weather is clear, you can view a number of Iran’s high mountains such as Kholeno (4,387m), Azadkuh (4,350m), Borj (4,326m), and the roof of Iran, Mt Damavand (5,610m).
On the Adventure Iran website, we have a variety of hiking, mountain biking, and ski tours in this region, with different difficulty levels suitable for all travelers. We will briefly introduce some of these tours so that you can get a general idea.
Shemshak Wall and Abak Mountain tour is another moderate tour that suits individuals with average physical fitness and the appropriate clothing. Koloon Bastak Mountain Ascent (4,156 m) tour is a moderate trek during summer, but it is a challenging trek during spring and autumn. We must emphasize the necessity to have proper mountain clothes, as you may sometimes confront vigorous wind blows, snow, and rain at the peak.
MT. Koloon Bastak to MT. SarakChal ridgeline trek tour is one of the most amazing treks we offer for adventurous takers. This trek during summer is demanding, so it is vital for travelers to have an excellent fitness level. During spring and autumn, this route is one of the strenuous level routes that is only suitable for experienced climbers. Depending on the time of travel, there may be occasional snowfall and hail on the ridge. This ridge is one of the most spectacular mountain ridges in Iran with a 360-degree view of most parts of the Central Alborz Mountains.
Mountain Biking alongside Shemshak ski resort tour is a moderate mountain biking tour. The ideal time for this tour is late spring to early autumn.
Dizin to Darbandsar Single Track MTB adventure tour is a demanding mountain biking tour. The itinerary is an exciting round tour combination of cycling on the asphalt and dirt roads, carrying the bike to the summit, and returning to the starting point. Summer is the perfect season for this challenging mountain biking in Iran.
Shemshsak-Darbandsar Trekking
For more information, please contact us.
Below is one of our winter trekking video in Shemshak Ski Area:
This is another time-lapse video that we prepare during winter in Shemshak show the weather situation and climate change: