Caspian Sea

The Caspian Coast, including the two littoral provinces of Gilan (centre Rasht) and Mazandaran (centre Sari), with its thick forests and intensive rice cultivation presents a striking contrast to the dry inner plateau of Iran. The pictures que provinces of Mazandaran and Gilan bound by the Caspian Sea (the world's largest lake) in the north and Alborz Range in the south, are divided into a multitude of valleys whose rivers drain into the sea. There are several roads connecting Tehran to different parts of the two provinces, all through breathtakingly beautiful scenery, across the mountain or alongside rivers.

One of the roads from Tehran to Chalus on the Caspian Coast winding north across the rugged Alborz mountains, passes the popular ski resort at Dizin, considered one of the best in the world. The two provinces with their tropical climate in summer and mild winters, beautiful sandy beaches and scenic beauty are very popular with Iranians as a holiday and weekend resort and numerous holiday and residential complexes and private villas dot the landscape. There are quite a number of sites, both from a historic and scenic point of view, included on our itineraries.