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...
Tochal Acclimatization & Damavand Triumph
This package starts with another summit quite easy to ascend for acclimatization. Most mountaineers from Tehran who decide to climb Damavand would spend a night at the Tochal summit to get acclimatized and head to the Damavand afterward. We’ve designed this tour package to have a more serious acclimatization program and also for your guide to understand the level of your physical preparedness to analyze how you should successfully ascend Damavand.
Besides the technical aspects, Tochal is glued to Tehran, and you’ll have an extraordinary view of Tehran all along the trekking route. Also, you’ll use the Tochal’s Telecabin to descend from the summit. You’ll spend a night in a tent at the Tochal summit. The next night you’ll stay in a cozy hostel at the foothills of Damavand to wash away the exhaustion from your first summit. Afterward, you’ll start your ascent to the Damavand summit.
In conclusion, you’ll have a higher chance of successful ascent to the Damavand summit than the rest of the hikers who are worried about acclimatization. You’ll lower the risk of acute mountain sickness to the minimum.
Starts in: | Tehran |
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Ends in: | Tehran |
Duration: | 6 Days |
Age Range: | 15 - 70 |
Physical Rating: | |
Group Size: | 2 - 10 |
Accommodation: | 1 night at a 4-star hotel, 1 night at the hostel, 3 nights camping |
Sulfur hills, southern route, Damavand
South Route, Damavand
Base camp, Southern route, Damavand
Camp 3, Damavand
West angle of Damavand, Damavand
Camp 3, Damavand
Peak, Damavand
Sulfur hills, Damavand
Tochal, Tehran
Shirpala shelter, Tehran
Grand Bazaar, Tehran
On the first day, your guide will come to pick you up at around 5 am. She or he will take you to Darband, one of the northern neighborhoods of Tehran, to start your trekking journey with ascending Tochal summit. Your guide would conduct an introduction session to let you know all the technical tips necessary for your ascent. Then, for about an hour, you’ll hike up on a very gentle slope and pass many traditional cafés. Afterward, the trekking route will become a bit harder to ascend. For about an hour, you’ll use the ropes on the route and your arm strength to climb up the rocky area and get to the old but equipped Shirpala shelter located at 2750 meters height. At that point, the slope will become steeper.
You’ll be at the Tochal peak at 3964 meters height after 5 hours of hiking. The night stay at the summit will play a crucial role in acclimatizing for Damavand and putting your physical preparedness into the test.
Highlights
In case of a clear sky, you’ll watch the sunrise of the 2nd day from behind the Damavand mountain. Afterward, you’ll pack up your tents and descend back down using Tele-cabin. On this day, you won’t have any special physical activities, and you can give your bones some rest. From the foothill of Tehran, you’ll be heading to the Damavand. You’ll have a 3-hour ride to get to Rineh foothill village. You’ll head straight to the traditional hostel to get enough rest for the next day and get prepared for the main ascent.
Highlights
At 8 am after eating breakfast and packing up your ascent bag and belongings, you’ll head to the Damavand entrance. For about half an hour, you’ll be getting a ride on a dirt road with 4WD vehicles of mountaineering federation to arrive at the base camp of Damavand. At that point, you’ll be turning in your backpacks to the porters to bring up with the mules for you. You’ll start your Damavand trekking journey from 2950 meters height and hike on a gentle slope. After about 4 hours, you’ll arrive at camp 3, located at 4220 meters height. You’ll set up the tents and have a light meal. After some rest, you’ll be trekking up to 4700 meters height for acclimatization.
You’ll spend about half an hour there to enjoy the beauty and silence of the Damavand nature. Then, you’ll head back to the camp, and after eating some warm soup, you’ll be resting to be prepared for the next day ascent.
Highlights
4.61 km from Base Camp to Camp 3 and 1.2 km for acclimatization
At 4 am, you’ll wake up from a restful night. You’ll have some honey lemon tea. Then, you’ll put your ascent bag on your back and start heading the summit with hope and motivation. You’ll have about 5 hours hike ahead of you to reach the peak. After seeing the icefall at 5100 meters height, excitement will rush into your blood. Then, you’ll step on the sulfur hill and get lost in the smell of sulfur.
In the end, you’ll find yourself on top of the Damavand summit. When you have breath in enough joy from conquering the summit, you’ll start to take some memorable photos. If it is not cloudy, you’ll get to snap some extraordinary frames. You’ll descend back from the sand skiing route, which will take about 3 hours. Then, you’ll settle down at the tents where celebration for a successful summit is waiting for you along with warm food.
Highlights
The mules will take the responsibility to take your backpacks down to the starting point. You’ll go back to the base camp lightly. Then, you will get in the cars again and head back to Tehran. On your way, you’ll visit a touristic Damavand foothill village. It is full of natural hot springs that will take all the exhaustion away from your body. Afterward, you’ll end your trekking journey with heading back to Tehran.
You’ll start your city exploration of Tehran. In the evening you’ll go to the Tabiat bridge and spend time with the young generation of Tehran. This bridge is the symbol of modern architecture in Tehran, and a lot of people come for food, walking, and enjoying the extraordinary views of Tehran. Therefore, you’ll get to know a lot about Tehran local lifestyle by visiting this bridge. Then, you’ll head back to the hotel for a restful night.
Highlights
Tehran’s Largest Pedestrian Overpass
After seeing modern Tehran, it will be time to see authentic Tehran. The schedule will start by visiting the Golestan royal palace. It has been built in the Qajar era and is a UNESCO world heritage site. After that, you’ll get lost in the old alleys of Tehran. Bazaar has a crucial role in Iran, and Tehran bazaar is a candidate for all the bazaars in the country.
You’ll have a truly authentic Persian food dish in one of the most popular restaurants in Iran at the heart of the Bazaar. Afterward, depending on the time of the flight, you could visit the museum of ancient Iran or the national jewelry museum.
Highlights
A UNESCO World Heritage
City life & crowded streets, shopping, modernity intertwined with the history
Historical ancient monuments, oldest artifacts date back to Lower Paleolithic period
(Depending on departure time)
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 a hostel in Rineh
3 Nights Camping
1 Night at 4-star hotel
Full Board
5 Breakfast
6 Lunch
5 Dinner
Daily snack & mineral water
Professional English-speaking Mountaineering Guide
Mountaineering consultant 24/7 support
Local English-speaking Cultural Guide
Mount Tochal Telecabin Ticket
Mount Damavand permit fee
Porters for backpacks to and from Camp 3
Soak in mineral hot springs
Entrance Fees to the mentioned monuments in the itinerary
Iranian Sim Card
Wi-Fi Modem
Local Debit Card
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 | 670 € |
July, August | 710 € |
September, October | 670 € |
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. However, in the parts where you’ll be staying in a city, you could be choosing between different types of accommodations such as single, double, etc.
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.
You’ll have a mobile phone signal and internet connection on the route up until very close to the summit.
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.
During the time you spend in the cities, you would need about 10 euros for your meals as meals are not included in that section of your package. Also, 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.
In Tochal, Shirpala shelter has all the facilities needed. There is Amiri shelter after that on the route, which would only have clean water.
The base camp and the camp 3 in Damavand will be on the trekking route. They both have restrooms and rest facilities. However, there is no other restroom on the route. So, you’ve got to find a peaceful spot in nature.
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
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A road trip and mountaineering including jungles and sea
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
Descending Damavand with a joy from successfully ascending the summit is quite memorable.
Damavand south route is inclusive meaning people from all ages are invited to enjoy its magic.
This is where you can connect to the local porters who will carry your bags up for you.
The light will shine its light on a different spots of Damavand mountain every minute of the day.
Many Persian epics are believed to have taken place in this mountain.
You feel one step closer to success every day you wake up to continue your hike on a Damavand tour.
The joy from conquering the highest volcanic summit of Asia is indescribable.
You’ll take a breath of relief conquering Damavand with the sign of vapor coming out of the peak.
You’ll get to see the whole city of Tehran from different angles during your Tochal hike.
The Tochal hike will help you properly acclimatize for Damavand ascent.
A lively place crowded with people who want to add up something to their lives.