Duration
8 Days
Activity Level
Moderate
Best Months
Apr, May, Jun, July, Aug, Sep, Oct
Activities
Cultural & Heritage
Travel Styles
Off the Beaten Track, Soft Adventure

Travel to unexplored region of Iran in Gilan province and hike through unknown Iran rural region of Alborz Mountain Heights

TOUR CODE 011-STN-XPL
START Tehran
FINISH Tehran or Rasht
REGION(S) Alamut Valley, Gilan “Caspian Sea”
INCLUDED
MEALS: 8 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 3 Dinners
ACCOMMODATIONS: Hotel: 4 Nights, Guesthouse: 1 Nights, Local House: 2 Nights
TRANSPORTATION: Bus, 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
  • Visiting the remains of Lambesar Castle
  • Sightseeing & photography around Ovan Lake & village
  • Photography from Andej canyon”Red-rock”
  • Visiting the fabled ruins of the Alamut historic castle “Eagle Nest”
  • Local home stay & socializing with locals
  • Exceptional trekking route through spectacular mountain scenery of Damash
  • Explore the historical village of Masuleh
  • Hiking on Rudkhan Castle
  • Explore Rasht

This tour is a combination of trekking (in the river), cultural & historical exploring, hiking on three castles and city tour. In this tour you will explore a number of villages by tasting their cuisine, socialize with local people and experience their life Styles by staying in their homes. However in historic terms the highlight of this tour can be visiting the historic castle of Alamut and find out more about its history, but you will also visit the remains of another castle used at the same era called Lambesar. In the second part of the trip for a couple of days we explore Damash sanctuary. We will have one full day hiking in the river exploring a few villages. In the last phase we will visit Masuleh historic village which attracts many tourists because of its architecture and people. Masuleh is surrounded by forest from valley to mountain and fog is the predominate weather feature of Masouleh. In this trip you will also have the chance of visiting Rudkhan Castle. This castle is a medieval brick and stone castle built on two tips of a mountain.
Finally, we will visit Rasht the capital of Gilan province by far the largest city of the Shomal (Caspian littoral) region. Gilan is very famous for its cuisine and one of the best places in Iran in terms of vegetarian foods.

1

Day 1: Arrival in Tehran & check in

Depending on arrival time, you will check in to the hotel in Tehran. Overnight stay at your hotel. (B)
2

Day 2: Free time in Tehran

The second day will be free. According to our experience, most travelers arrive late night with different airlines. Sometimes many of them arrive around midnight and would need to sleep well before starting the journey. You can relax in your hotel after your flight or if you have arrived earlier you have the option of exploring the capital city by yourself. In the evening we have a short briefing in order to give you the necessary information and having a chat about the journey. Overnight stay at your hotel. (B)
3

Day 3: Tehran to Alamut Valley

Depart at 6.00 A.M and drive towards the city of Ghazvin. It is about 300 km for our one day tour. Half of the road is highway and the other half is curvy mountainous which we will stop every now and then to have a quick shot of photographers. In the beginning of this tour we will drive to Shahroud valley and visit the remains of Lambesar Castle. We will spend some time climbing to the top. After a short visit and taking some photographs will continue the journey towards Ovan village. There is a beautiful lake in the village where we will have lunch. After lunch we will visit a spectacular valley called Andej. The Andej canyon is surrounded by three awesome red-rock, side canyons. After a short stop for photography, we hit the road to visit the main attraction of the trip”the Alamut Castle”. First, we reach to village of Gazorkhan which has historical significance and then will drive to the Castle. From the main gate it takes around half an hour to climb to the Eagle Nest. We spend some time visiting & photography from the remains of the castle and get a much better idea why they built it in such a place and some of the historical facts related to the Hashashin. We have panoramic views from the top of the castle to see the vast valley. Then we will go back to the village of Gazor Khan checking in to the guest 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 and hear the fables of the Hashashin. Overnight stay at the guest house. (B, L, D)
4

Day 4: Damash Sanctuary

8.00 A.M wake up, after breakfast drive to Qazvin city. We will have a short visit of the city and then stop at a restaurant for lunch and kick the road towards Damash. En route we stop at some attractive places such as Rudbar and Manjil to pay a short visit to their attractions. We would arrive Damash region around evening staying in a small village. After some rest we will have a short walk around enjoying nature. Dinner will be served in our local home staying place when we are back. Overnight stay at a local house. (B, L, D)
5

Day 5: Trekking through the Canyon

After breakfast at 7:30 A.M, our vehicle will pick us up to trekking start point. We will hike our way through a spectacular canyon. This region is an active agricultural area with lots of fields and plantations which make today an exceptional day of the trip. We will get to a waterfall around afternoon, giving you enough time to soak your bodies if you wish to. After lunch we will come back to the village late in the afternoon for rest and dinner. Overnight stay at a local house (B, L, D)
6

Day 6: Rural exploration, Drive to Rasht

After breakfast, we have one day sightseeing and exploring tour mainly by car on the road to Rasht. There are lots of attractions in northern Iran and according to the time of your travel, climate and local situation you will see them such as tea plantations, rice farms and local fresh markets. On the way we will have a traditional lunch. In the late afternoon we will arrive Rasht checking in to a hotel. The evening would be free for sightseeing around the city on your own. Overnight stay at hotel. (B, L)
7

Day 7: Hiking in Rudkhan Castle, Masuleh exploring tour

After breakfast you will be pickup up from your hotel for a full day exploring tour. First, we will drive to Gale Rudkhan “Rudkhan Castle”. You will have 3 hours hiking in the castle. After photography and visiting the castle we will drive to Masuleh historic village. Today’s lunch would be on your own to try the local food according to your taste in Masuleh village. While on sightseeing tour to Masuleh you can buy some handicrafts and souvenirs. In the evening we will drive back to Rasht to visit the old town and tasting their cuisine of Gilani foods. Overnight stay in Rasht hotel. (B)
8

Day 8: Rasht sightseeing tour and back to Tehran

After breakfast, half day exploring tour and visiting some attractions of Rasht such as traditional bazaar, Gilan Village Legacy (Museum of Old Houses), tea fields and also for the lunch time we will try to go to a special traditional restaurant there (Not included in the tour, optional). In the afternoon we will come back to Tehran by bus. We will arrive in the evening. (B)

The Valley of Alamut

Trekking towards the Caspian Sea

Iran Off the beaten track
Andej Canyon - Alamut Valley
Alamut Valley
Alamut Valley
Masuleh Village
Alamut Castle
Gilan local house

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