Iran - Andrew Burke [306]
There are thousands of other mountains in Iran, but they are very seldom, if ever, climbed. If you fancy yourself as a trailblazer, you could investigate Mt Zardkouh (4337m) in the Zagros Mountains, west of Esfahan, or the Dena range, northwest of Shiraz, with 37 peaks over 4000m, the highest of them being Mt Gash Mastan (4460m). Until things settle down security-wise, Mt Hezar (4420m) and Mt Lalezar (4374m) in the Payeh Mountains, south of Kerman, and the snowcapped Mt Taftan (4042m) volcano, near the Pakistani border in Sistan va Baluchestan, are best avoided.
Helpful websites:
Mountaineering Federation of Iran (www.iranmountfed.com in Farsi) The Iran mountain federation’s site; English page due soon.
Mountain Zone (www.mountainzone.ir) Mostly in Farsi, but has some trip logs in English and a long list of local climbing clubs and their contact details. See also opposite.
Peakware (www.peakware.com) Including summit logs for several Iranian peaks, including Mt Damavand and Mt Sabalan.
Summit Post (www.summitpost.org) Search ‘objects’ for ‘Iran’ and you’ll find excellent trip reports – some with maps – by ‘Nader’, whose love for the Iranian mountains is wonderful to read. Highly recommended.
EQUIPMENT RENTAL & PURCHASE
Camping and climbing equipment can be bought relatively inexpensively in Iran. Well-stocked shops include Varzesh Kooh (Map; 021-830 1037; 4th fl, cnr Enqelab Ave & Ferdosi St, Ferdosi Sq) in Tehran and the Nakhajir Camping Shop in Qazvin. A limited range of equipment can be rented at Darband and from some mountain guides.
GUIDES & PORTERS
The cost of a guide depends on your bargaining skills, the number of climbers in the group, the equipment needed, the length of the trip and the difficulty of the route you want to undertake. An English-speaking guide will charge about US$50 a day, and a donkey and handler will cost between US$25 and US$80 a day to carry your equipment, depending on how remote your location and whether the donkey is needed for other work.
MAPS
There are few trekking or mountain-climbing maps on Iran available in English, though climbing maps for the Alam Kuh area are available at the climbing centre in Rudbarak. Elsewhere, spend the money you saved on maps on a local guide. For hiking in the valleys behind Gorgan the commonly available Golestan Province map gives a basic outline, while Gita Shenasi in Tehran has a map of the Alborz Mountains with some peaks and walking routes marked.
Rock Climbing
If clambering about on rocks is more your thing, there are several excellent and accessible places to try. Closest to Tehran is Band-e Yakhchal (N 35°85’58.0”, E 51°44’48.0”), where several low walls and the 200m-high Shervin wall await; there’s a hut here called Shervin Hut. The lower 25m have been set up for climbing and reports are that in summer it’s a difficult but not especially technical climb to the summit, with stunning views of Tehran. It’s busy on Fridays.
Further afield, there are some awesome rocks, sink-holes, sheer cliffs and overhangs around Kermanshah. The cliffs culminate at Bisotun where, just beyond a collection of ancient inscriptions, Farhad Tarash rock-face is the region’s classic climbing challenge. The Kermanshah tourist information office Click here can put you in touch with the local climbers club for support and equipment.
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OUTDOOR & ADVENTURE AGENCIES
Some of the travel agencies listed under Tours can arrange walking and climbing trips. We’ve had positive feedback about the following companies, which specialise in trekking, mountaineering and eco-tourism in Iran. If you have good (or bad) experiences with these or other agencies, please let us know at www.lonelyplanet.com/contact.
Aftab Kalout ( 021-6648 8374; www.kalout.com) Professional Tehran-based outfit specialising in eco-tourism, desert trips, trekking and eco-cum-sociological tours.
Araz Adventure Tours (Map; 021-7760 9292; www.araz.org; 1st fl, 1 Chahar Baradran Alley, North Bahar St, Tehran; 8am-4pm Sat-Wed,