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Iran is famous as a country for cultural tourism. Most of the tourists who come to Iran usually visit such cities as Tehran, Kerman, Shiraz, Yazd, Isfahan and Kashan, mostly known as cultural destinations. The best time to visit these cities is during spring and autumn, from March to May and again from September to October. As you see, since these cities are located at the center of Iran and have a hot and dry climate, summer is not recommended as an appropriate season for visiting these gems of Iran.
But, should you avoid coming to Iran just because it is summer and hot? My answer is an emphatic no! Actually, I am writing this article to inform you of some locations which enjoy a cool weather during summer and are not located so far from the cultural destinations of Iran, so you wouldn’t need to stray away from your classic itinerary and miss the chance to visit the grand history of Iran.
However, I should warn you that visiting these places sometimes amounts to an adventure tour. Therefore, you should take appropriate clothes with you and, if necessary, be accompanied by an expert tour guide.
Tehran: Tochal Complex and Mount Damavand
Tochal Complex
Tochal (Tochāl) is a mountain located on the Alborz mountain range, to the north of metropolitan Tehran. It includes a 12-kilometer-long ridge and its highest peak, also called Tochal, soars up to an altitude of 3,964 meters. The special condition of this mountain makes it the first mountaineering destination in Tehran.
In addition, if you are into walking among mountains and enjoying the gorgeous views they offer, Tochal is the right place for you. You can take the road known as the Health Route, beginning from the main parking lot, and go up around 2000 meters. On the way, there are several facilities to make your day a memorable one. They include: a VR Club, an archery club, an escape room, a zip line, a bag jump club and a 5-dimensional cinema.
After all this entertainment, at the end of the Health Route, you can go to the roof of Tehran and have a breathtaking, panoramic view of the city. Also, here you will find the first station of Tochal’s gondola lift. Tochal’s gondola lift, measuring 1420 meters with four stations, is the longest gondola lift in Iran. If you take all the four stations, you will end up in Tochal’s ski resort.
To reach the Tochal complex, if you are in Tehran, you can take the métro line 1 and get off at Tajrish station. Then, a car ride will take you to your final destination. It’s one of the places you must visit in Iran summer times.
Isfahan: Parnian Cave and Shahan Kouh
Parian Cave
There are many amazing caves in Iran which make the right treat for adventure seekers. One of them is the splendid Parian cave system, nestled 8 kilometers away from Abyāneh village in Isfahan Province. At a height of 2967 meters above the sea level, the Parnian Cave is decorated with spectacular halls, each one with a depth of 120 meters and filled with natural stone formations and amazing stalactites and stalagmites. If you want to explore this cave, don’t forget that you need a skilled guide and professional equipment.
Shahan Kouh
The name “Shīr Kūh” refers to the mountains which stretch from the south-west to the south-east of Yazd province. Shir means lion and Kuh means mountain; the mountain is named so because, seen from afar, it looks like a lion resting on its hands. Encircled by desert and mostly covered with snow during the cold season, Shir Kuh serves as an important water source for the region; so much so that it is known as the mother of the Yazd province. Its most famous summits are “Shir Kuh” (considered as the highest peak of the mountain range with a height of 4075 meters), “Āsemānnamā” and “Barfkhāneh”. The lovely villages neighboring Shir Kuh, such as “Deh Bālā” and “Tezerjān” are summer resorts for Yazd’s residents.Climbing the summit of Shir Kuh can be accomplished in one day and it takes experienced climbers no more than 7 or 8 hours to reach the peak.
The trail is marked and quite easy to trace. Having passed under the huge rock formations, you should pass through a steep valley called “Najib” which is probably the most challenging part of the journey. The rest of the journey from the valley takes longer but the way becomes relatively flatter. Several shelters have been installed here.
Once over the peak, you will have the whole region under your feet including the splendid summits of Asemān-namā and Barfkhāneh mountains, in addition to Tezerjan and the deep valleys and beautiful mountain villages of Deh Bālā and Sunich. The mountain breeze, and the unimaginably peaceful surroundings are well worth the steep hike. On the peak, there is a big sign in the shape of an open book on which a sentence from Quran is written. The verse is taken from the chapter “Yusuf” and translates into “But Allah is the best to take care (of him), and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy”.
Shiraz: Tangeh Reghez and Sepidan Resort
Tangeh Reghez
Fars province is usually famous for its unique historic sights, but when I first visited the beauty and grandeur of Tangeh Reghez, I forgot all about history and became a nature lover, at leat for a while. Visiting Tangeh Reghez was like visiting heaven on earth. But, what is this beautiful Tangeh Reghez?
Tangeh Reghez is a canyon which is located 30 kilometers away from Dārāb, a city located on the southeast of Fars province. Although it is 245 kilometers away from Shiraz, but many people of Shiraz prefer to spend their hot summer weekends in this canyon. The reason for this choice is nice weather of Tangeh Reghez which is cooled by down by various water springs and streams, flowing through high stone walls of extraordinary shapes. Also, it is good to know that these springs and streams are filled with schools of fish, and so courageous fish that you can get close to them as much as possible and they wouldn’t flinch away even a spec.
But, the most notable fact about this canyon is its waterfalls. The twelve touristic waterfalls of this region are: Negigin waterfall with a height of 16 meters, Boom Rang waterfall with a height of 7 meters, Masoud waterfall with a height of 8 meters, Golab Howzche waterfall with a height of 11 meters, Fath waterfall with a height of 8 meters, Hekmat waterfall with a height of 11 meters, Kabootar waterfall with a height of 25 meters, Jaam waterfall with a height of 9 meters, Damaqe waterfall with a height of 12 meters, Azarakhsh waterfall with a height of 65 meters, Yadegar waterfall with a height of 4 meters and, finally, Veda’ waterfall with a height of 16 meters.
And a good news for adventure hunters! The area is suitable for canyoneering, provided that you are equipped with the appropriate gears and a skilled guide. It is also possible to descend twelve waterfalls with ropes and enjoy the rest by jumping. Furthermore, it is a good idea to have a life jacket with yourself.
In order to reach the canyon, you should get to the city of Darab in Fars province. The Shiraz-Darab road will take you to the Darakuye mountain pass. From there you should go down a dust road, which after two hours, reaches to the Yadak spring. This is where the trekking through rocks leading to the Reghez spring starts.This is on of the other to visit in summer days of Iran
Sepidan Resort
Sepidan is a mountainous town, in north-west of Shiraz, with a cold climate which bestows snow laden winters and cool summers to the area where the sound of flowing streams and waterfalls can be heard everywhere.
The generous nature of Sepidan has made its ski resorts popular places for the lovers of winter sports. The Poolādkaf international resort is the southernmost ski resort and also the fifth biggest in Iran. Having an adventure here is not limited to the winter alone as visitors can enjoy a variety of summer activities such as grass skiing, riding a zip line and cable cars. In addition to this, nature lovers can find their way around the town by visiting its various mountains, waterfalls, canyons, springs, and lakes.
Yazd: Shir Kuh
Shir Kuh
The name “Shīr Kūh” refers to the mountains, that stretch from the south-west to the south-east of Yazd province. Shir means lion and Kuh means mountain; the mountain is named so because, seen from afar, it looks like a lion resting on its hands. Encircled by desert and mostly covered with snow during the cold season, Shir Kuh serves as an important water source for the region; so much so that it is known as the mother of the Yazd province. Its most famous summits are “Shir Kuh” (the highest, with 4075 meters), “Āsemānnamā” and “Barfkhāneh”. The lovely villages neighboring Shir Kuh, such as “Deh Bālā” and “Tezerjān” are summer resorts for Yazd’s residents.
Climbing the summit of Shir Kuh can be accomplished in one day and it takes experienced climbers no more than 7 or 8 hours to reach the peak. During the cold season, of course, it can be more challenging and the hikers must be equipped to face blizzard and harsh winds blowing particularly in the second half of the ascend.
The trail is marked and quite easy to trace. Having passed under the huge rock formations, you should pass through a steep valley called “Najib” which is probably the most challenging part of the journey. The rest of the journey from the valley takes longer but the way becomes relatively flatter. Several shelters have been installed here.
Once over the peak, you have the whole region under your feet including the splendid summits of Asemān-namā and Barfkhāneh mountains, and Tezerjan; the deep valleys and the beautiful mountain villages of Deh Bālā and Sunich. The mountain breeze, and the unimaginably peaceful surroundings are well worth the steep hike. On the peak, there is a big sign in the shape of an open book on which a sentence from Quran is written. The verse is from Surah Yusuf and translates into “But Allah is the best to take care (of him), and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy”.
Kashan: Niasar
Niasar
It was many years ago, when I was almost a kid, that I heard the name “Niasar” for the first time in my life. My family and I had spent two nights in Kashan and now our host, a friend of my father, wanted to surprise us. It was summer time, we were in the middle of the Salt Desert, and the weather was quite hot, but he insisted he was going to take us to a very cool place, replete with springs of water and shadows of tall, old trees. So, on the third day of our travel, we left Kashan for Niasar early in the morning. If I remember correctly, it was about 8 o’clock. Well, maybe not so early!
We drove about 30 kilometers to the west of Kashan, and we pulled up at the entrance to Niasar about 40 minutes later. In front of us, there was a chilly heaven cooling down the fiery hotness of desert summer. When we got off, our host approached us and gave us a little introduction about the city we had entered.
According to my father’s friend, Niasar is widely famed as a main center of producing rosewater and other herbal extracts. It’s lovely gardens are clad in almond blossoms in January and covered with roses in May, when the annual Rose and Rosewater Festival begins. But this is not the only thing Niasar has to offer. Let us review together a number of sights you can visit during your summer stay at Niasar.
First, you can go and visit the Qajarid Chālqāb Tower which sits close to the entrance of the city. Then, find tour wat to Niasar’s water spring and enjoy watching its beautiful waterfall. Up to now, the various holes around the waterfall may have attracted your attention. These holes once functioned as the entrance to Niasar’s mysterious cave. If you are tempted to visit this cave, you can enter it through its main entrance in Talar Garden. And our recommendation is not to miss the chance to visit this cave; it is one of the most enigmatic man-made caves in Iran. Having visited the cave, it is now time to relax a little bit and then go to explore Niasar’s fire temple and bath house.
If you are interested to visit to know about Niasar’s sights in detail, you can find more information here.
North of Iran: 3 Days Trekking + Alamut Valley
Northern part of Iran is a magnificent destination for all people who like to spend their trip in a cool weather filled with adventure in summer of Iran. Do you fear hot summer days? Do you crave for adventurous? Are you ready for a long walk on your trip? If so, join us on our three-day trekking tour to avoid hot summer days, to have lots of exciting experience and to walk through beautiful forests of Iran.
Well, now that you are following me, let’s start our journey right-away. First, we will go from Tehran to Qazvin. Once in Qazvin, we will have a ride to the Alamut Valley.
After visiting Alamut Valley, located in the vicinity of Gazor Khan Village, we will go to Haniz village and rest in a camping resort there.
In the morning, we will rent a mule to carry our stuff and start our trekking toward Se Hezar road. In Se Hezar forest, while enjoying the fresh air, we will take long, meandering paths and go up to a height of nearly 3850 meters above sea level. At night, we will stay at a local house in Sialan village.
In the third morning, we will start our trek toward Daryasar and Esel Mahalle villages. On our way, we will enjoy the beautiful scenery of the snowy mountains peeping through the green trees of the forest. For lunch, we will eat grilled fresh salmon or trout. In the afternoon, we will go to Tonekabon and from there we go back to Tehran.
If you are ready to experience this cool, three-day trekking tour in hot summer day of Iran, click here for more information.
