How to Prepare for Climbing Damavand Mountain?
How to prepare for climbing Damavand mountain? Well, that’s one of the most important questions to ask when you decide to step into the unknows of a new...
The Ultimate Challenge of Damavand
A total of 16 routes have been recognized to the Damavand Summit. However, mountaineers usually use 4 of these routes to ascend Damavand. Between these four routes, the southern route is considered to be the easiest and the northern route the hardest one to ascend.
Many things make it difficult to climb up this route. The steep slope on this trek can sometimes be as harsh as 60 degrees. The sand skiing paths will take more energy with every step. The rocks will require us to use our arm strength for rock-climbing. There is no accessible drinking water along the route. There is a high risk of rockfall from the sidelong valleys outside the trail, which could be dangerous. The absence of sun could make us feel cold inside and out and freeze the path beneath our feet. All these things together could also lead to a higher chance of AMS and an unsuccessful ascent attempt of mount Damavand!
This tour package has been designed with all this in mind to ensure you’ll have a higher chance of conquering this mountain peak! You’ll be spending your first night at a foothill village, the second night at a shelter in 4000 meters height, and the third night at a shelter in 4660 meters height before heading to the summit the next day. These three nights will prepare you for a higher chance of successful ascent and prevent you from getting acute mountain sickness. The tour schedule will also give you enough time and space to stare at the mountain sceneries and the sky while breathing in the joy of Damavand’s nature.
Even though we’ve included all the technical details in this ascent schedule, we want to emphasize that this package needs more physical preparedness than the rest of our tour packages.
Starts in: | Tehran |
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Ends in: | Tehran |
Duration: | 5 Days |
Age Range: | 15 - 70 |
Physical Rating: | |
Group Size: | 2 - 10 |
Accommodation: | 1 night at the guest house, 3 nights camping |
North Route, Damavand
North Route, Damavand
Northern route, Damavand
Between North route shelters, Damavand
North Route, Damavand
Northern Route, Damavand
North Route, Damavand
Damavand peak from North route, Damavand
Taking in the joy of watching the road to Damavand after having a welcoming session sums up this day. At 9 am, your professional mountain guide will hold a session to explain all the necessary technical tips, and the ascend schedule. Afterward, you’ll get on the 5-hours ride on the beautiful Haraz road to meet the indissoluble Mount Damavand! In Tehran, you’ll see the west side of Damavand. On your ride, you’ll pass the south side and have lunch in a cozy restaurant in between cliffs and a river. In the end, you’ll settle at Nandal village on the east side of Damavand. You’ll be spending the night at a local house which has been prepared for mountaineers’ stay. Yes, the bedtime is early on this night to make sure you are well rested for your ascent the next day.
Highlights
Each day of climbing to the summit will get slightly more intense relative to the previous day. Therefore, this day is the easiest one. After having a nurturing breakfast, a local driver will take you on a dirt road to this big rock considered to be the starting point of the northern route. You’ll turn in your belongings to the local porters to bring it up with mules. Then, you’ll start trekking from this point at 2870 meters height. It begins on a gentle slope that gets steeper as you climb up. You’ll get to the shelter at 4000 meters height in two hours. After setting up your camp, enjoying your warm meal and some rest, you’ll be hiking up to 4300 meters height for acclimatization. Watching the vast fields in front of you making love to the sunlight will be a scene to remember. You’ll come back to the 4000-meters height shelter to eat and rest.
Highlights
4.72 km from starting point to shelter 4000 and 1 km for acclimatization
On this day, you’ll be climbing up 660 meters, but the hike will be harder for two reasons. One reason is on this route; the cliffs will get on the way of mules to pass. Therefore, each climber has to carry their own belongings. Secondly, the slope is steeper, and you’ll be trekking on higher grounds. Thus, the day will start at 7 am, and you’ll get to the shelter at 4660 at noon. You’ll set up your tents, and after having lunch and rest, you’ll ascent to 5000 meters height for acclimatization. Due to the conical shape of Damavand and the steeper slope of the northern route, the scenery in front of you will look like a ladder to the skies! After coming back to the shelter and having a light dinner, you’ll sleep tight to rest well before the hardest day of your ascent.
Highlights
1.77 km from shelter 4000 to shelter 4660 and 850 m for acclimatization
It’s time to head towards the highest point in the Middle East. The 4th day will start at 5 am. You’ll have a light but nutritious breakfast and slowly ascend to the summit. The path will begin with using your arms to climb a few big rocks. You’ll continue trekking on the steep slope of Damavand snowy crest. After about 5 hours, you’ll reach the magnificent summit of Mount Damavand. Standing on the peak and watching the other side of Iran from that far up will be a memory to remember for life. It’s time to take some extraordinary photos to preserve these memories forever. Then, after you spend enough time taking in the joy of conquering Damavand, you’ll slowly start to descend. You’ll rest and have lunch at the shelter in 4660-meters height. Then, you’ll pack your belongings and move to the shelter at 4000-meters height to have a restful evening.
Highlights
For people who have ascended Damavand for the first time, today is different than the rest of the days of their lives. Because, they have conquered the highest point of the Middle East from the hardest route to reach it! You’ll pack up your belongings and give them to the porters again. Then, you’ll descend to the big rock, remembering where you started it all. You’ll enjoy a diverse range of plant species on the path. Local cars will take you back to Nandal village. After having a snack, you’ll head back on the Haraz road. An hour later, a comforting surprise is waiting for you at Damavand natural hot springs. In ancient Persian medicine, soaking in these hot springs is regarded to have healing qualities. That will take away all the exhaustion of climbing. After this hydrotherapy, you’ll enjoy having lunch at the foothill restaurants in Damavand. Tehran is waiting for you to arrive around 7 pm.
Highlights
All of our Iran trekking tours have a high rate of success. Having professional guides, suitable acclimatization program, and constant quality checks of trekking equipment ensures the highest success rate during our tours to Iran. The most challenging part of ascending Damavand in summer is the proper adjustment of our body to the height. Our guides will make sure to align the acclimatization program to your physical preparedness and trekking speed.
All bookings and contracts are settled through SAE Event GmbH, a registered travel agency in Austria. As a result, all transactions and processes are done based on the European legal system. So you would have the advantage of working with a local tour operator under EU-law. Visiting Iran with locals was never that hassle-free.
Nutrition has a crucial role in trekking. We have consulted with nutrition and sports specialists to prepare the best meal plan for our Iran trekking tour packages. We have included meals that provide all the essentials necessary for your health. Canned food and ready to make quick meals have no place in our tour packages. All of the meals are prepared with fresh ingredients by a local cook and served warm right at the time of your meal plan.
All land transportation by Air-co vehicles
4WD for Dirty Roads
1 Night at Nandal village
3 Nights Camping
Full Board
4 Breakfast
5 Lunch
4 Dinner
Daily snack & mineral water
Professional English-speaking Mountaineering Guide
Mountaineering consultant 24/7 support
Mount Damavand permit fee
Porters for backpacks to and from the shelter
Soak in mineral hot springs
Iranian Sim Card
Wi-Fi Modem
Official Iran Visa reference number
International airfares, taxes, surcharges
Tips
Travel Insurance
Damavand would not require professional mountain equipment during the high season, meaning summer and the beginning of fall. However, it requires some gears listed below. You can also rent these items from us.
Backpack (BS to 45 Litre)
Sleeping bag with the comfort level of +10 to +5
Trekking boots (waterproof)
Base layers
Wind stoppers
Polar jacket
Warm trekking pants
Light down jacket
Gore-Tex jacket (waterproof)
Warm hat
Warm gloves
Sunglasses
Sun creams
Headlights
Sticks, poles
Mattress
You have the opportunity to book any tour as a private tour aligned with your schedule and timing. Our Iran private tours have high flexibility. Therefore, you can tell us all your needs on the booking form to turn any tour into a private one. You could see Iran private tour prices during different months in the chart below. Also, you can send us your booking request without any charges.
Months | Price / person |
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April, May, June | 630 € |
July, August | 650 € |
September, October | 630 € |
In case you cancel your tour booking, cancellation fees will apply:
• Up to 60 days prior arrival: 0% of the package price
• 59 to 30 days before arrival: 20% of the package price
• 29 to 15 days before arrival: 35% of the package price
• From 14 days before arrival to actual arrival: 75% of the package price
• No show: 90% of the package price
Your tour prices vary regarding your preferences and the season of your travel. After finalizing the price of the tour you have selected, you should pay a deposit equal to 20% of your tour cost. Then, we will issue a booking confirmation. You should transfer the rest at least 30 days prior to the beginning of the tour.
Whether this package is suitable for you or not depends on several factors. Your trekking experiences before and your physical preparedness are a few factors to name. To ensure that a package is a right choice for you, you could contact our trekking experts and they’ll guide you in the right direction.
Yes, you can add cultural tours before or after your trekking tour. To see all of our cultural tours, you could check out our Iran cultural tours page. You could let us know on your booking form which package you’d like to add to your trekking tour.
Yes, it is possible. However, please do keep in mind the acclimatization program and the itineraries are a result of many years of our experiences in organizing trekking tours. But, if you have specific requests, please do let us know on the booking form, and we’ll be in contact with you to coordinate all the details of your package accordingly.
If your passport is not from the United States, Canada, or England, your visa process would take less than two weeks. We could help you to get an Iran visa. If you book any of our Iran tours, your visa fee (different than application fee) will be waived and we’ll give this service to you free of charge. If you need more information about the visa application form and the visa requirements, you could check out our article about Iran visa.
For the people who are not professional mountaineers with specialized gears, this package is best to book for the end of the spring, all summer or the begging of Fall.
The mountains of Iran are crowded during the weekends. Therefore, it is usually best if you plan your trip to be in the region during the weekdays.
We’ve designed an appropriate acclimatization program for this tour package to ensure you’ll ascend to the summit without any issues. However, you need to ensure to consult our trekking experts for choosing the right tour package based on your background. Also, our guides and their expertise in giving you the right tips during your journey along with the meal plan will reduce the chances of getting the acute mountain sickness.
Gears are not included in our tour packages. However, you can rent anything you don’t have from the listed gear from us.
Yes, you could leave all the stuff you don’t need during your trekking tour at our office and take them back at the end of your tour.
The accommodations during the trekking tours are mostly shared. Whether you are staying in the tents or shelter facilities, the possibility of a single accommodation is not an option.
All the meals planned for your tour package are cooked by a local cook with fresh ingredients. If you have any specific dietary needs or restrictions, please do let us know beforehand. We’ll design a specialized meal plan for you based on that. Also, there are snacks included in between your meals as well.
The number of people during your private tour depends on you and the number of individuals in your group. However, during the small group tours, we’ve come up with the maximum number of people to be 10. This is the magic number to create a pleasant experience with enough one-on-one time with your tour guide.
No, this tour is only organized as a private tour.
Don’t expect to have the internet on this route but you’ll have cell phone service in some parts of the routes.
The insurance service is not included in our tours. However, you’d need to ensure the insurance that you purchase has the accidents during the hike covered as it is a visa requirement. For more information, please read our Iran travel insurance article.
Our trekking packages are full board. You won’t need to spend cash on anything. However, if you need to buy souvenirs, you would need to bring cash. Also, we have a local debit card that we could charge for you based on the daily currency rate.
Yes, you can. However, it’d be much easier for you to trek with lighter bags. You could also take photos with your phone. If you want to bring professional cameras but need help in carrying them, the mules can bring them up for you as well.
It’s better if you book your trip at least a month before coming to Iran. However, during high season meaning March and April, if you’d like to come, it’s better to reserve your packages at least two months before to make sure you don’t miss out on booking the best hotels. Also, the visa process for specific countries such as England, the United States, and Canada will take longer. Therefore, if you are citizens of those countries, make sure to reserve a tour at least three months before your trip.
All of our trekking guides have first aid certificates and have been trained in all courses related to safety in the mountains. They will do their best to prevent anything happening to the tour members. However, if something does happen, your guide will do all the necessary coordination with mountain emergency team members to manage the situation. We are also your supporters on the back end of the city and would continuously be in contact with your guide.
If you have a particular health issue, disease, food allergies, or any other sensitivities, please let us know in the booking form. So, we can guide you in the right direction so you won’t face any issues during your trip. If you use specific medications, please be sure to have enough of it during your journey. If you get ill or face any health-specific issues during your trip for which you’d need a doctor, we would do all the necessary coordination for you. There is nothing about which you should be worried during your journey.
The duration of the walks could vary based on your trekking speed, physical preparedness, and different days of the journey. The hardest day would be the summit ascent day. It will be an average of 9 hours of hiking going and coming back from the peak. Other days usually have less than 4 hours of trekking.
This route only has two shelters without any facilities.
Damavand Nature & Tehran Life
Damavand Nature & Tehran Life
Trekking Mount Damavand in 4 days through south route plus visiting Tehran, the essence of all Iran
The Optimal Choice to Damavand
The Optimal Choice to Damavand
Climbing Mount Damavand in 4 days through south route
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2 days hiking mount Alamkuh and 2 days enjoying the beautiful scenery of Iran
IranAmaze organizes a variety of tours for all travel interests and types. If you’d like to see all of our Iran tours and get to know the diverse experiences you could have in Iran, please visit our Iran tours page.
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We are here to answer your question
It’s fun to stare at the shapes of clouds and how the light gets in from the darkest points.
Do you ever dream of living above the clouds in a more peaceful world full of life?
The magic of this sacred mountain starts from the first moments of your journey.
The challenge is less hard to face when done in a supportive group!
Descending Damavand is like diving into a world made of clouds.
When you start trekking, reaching the summit is just like a dream.
Your guide is a key point to your success!
There are no words to describe the feeling you’ll have at the top of Damavand’s summit.