Iran, Tochal – Monumental Mountain above Teheran – VIDEO
You just need to travel bit from Teheran. Then you can travel up by Tochal Telecabin cable car. Its top station is at 3740 meters. To get to the top you need another 30 minutes of walk. From up there you can see all Teheran and other summits of the Alborz mountain range. You will stand in 3933 meters. The highest mountain is Mount Damavand (5610 meters) and is also visible from Tochal. Mount Damavand is an extinct volcano and not less interesting than other famous mountains of the world.
When one goes to Iran he usually does not think about skiing. Yet on Tochel there is one of the highest ski resorts in the world. This and other two resorts are very popular even though they are not as modern as ski resorts in the Alps. Still it is worth trying them. In the upper part snow remains almost all the year.
Should you find a cable way a barbaric mean of climbing high mountains, you can always climb to the top of Tochal on foot. It really is an Alpine trek - no easy thing so you’d better get ready.
Me and my colleague walked through a bottom section of an access path. We were taken away by the contrast of a huge city with majestic mountains. We had seen couple of villages. One is entirely supplied by mules. Down you can get only on foot. Before that, however, we had walked through a recreational area spanning for several kilometers along a river. At weekends, locals go there to have a lunch and an afternoon water pipe.
Some access paths get you to a cable car station before the last one which is at 3000 meters. When going from Teheran it means that you cover more than 1000 elevation meters. Next you can continue by cable car or on foot thus walking another 1000 elevation meters.
The landscape resembles panorama shots in the Lord of the Rings, but don’t be fooled you are not in New Zealand. Jagged rocks, steep rock walls and parched land. Usually, mountain summits are covered with snow most of the year. You would hardly think that you are in subtropical climate.
Iran is a beautiful country. There is so much to see and even spending months in the country will still bring you many surprises. Moreover, Iranians are very friendly and hospitable. It is also easy to get to Iran (return tickets in sale start at 4000 CZK). Iran is a perfect place to spend some adventurous time . There are only few tourists because of negative image that world media present about Iran. Thus, you can have tremendous opportunity to enjoy the country.
GPS: 35°53'07.6"N 51°25'11.7"E
Text, photo and video: Matouš Vinš
Hudba: Dexter Britain
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