If a camera takes a picture over the whole of Iran intending to show different provinces with different colors, the greenest region of the country will be definitely the north. Proximity to Caspian Sea and presence of Alborz Mountains have given a specific freshness to the climate of the region, and has made there the most fertile zone in Iran.
A few years ago, when I was traveling to Ruyan — a village in Mazandaran Province — for a while, I had a neighbor who said: “If you lose one of the beans while cooking food here, you will find it sprouting by the kitchen two days later!” He used this example to point to the fertile climate of the region. Mazandaran and Guilan Provinces which are the biggest and main tourist destinations in all short and long holidays for Iranian, are also known for their virgin and intact nature in addition to excellent weather. In these days of drought which have influenced Iran like many other countries in the region, these provinces still have water, rain, trees and dense forests. The forests which may be found in less parts of Iran. For me, as someone who loves to travel to quiet and intact places, ecotourism in such these forests is like walking through paradise.
Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forest:
Among the most beautiful forests in the north of Iran, doubtlessly the first place belongs to the Hyrcanian Mixed Forests, the nature which starts from Guilan and continues to Azarbaijan Province. The 40-million-year-old Jurassic forests that are full of aged trees.
Alangdareh Forest:
Where the forest beauty interblends with other pastimes! Ride bicycle on a road passing through maple, oak and alder trees. Alangdareh Forest is one of the Iranian national heritages that has been grown up on the southwestern slopes of Gorgan. Not only may you camp in the woods, but you may also have fun and take rest. The area of the forest is 185 hectares; so, tour-leaders suggest you to use a map while cycling and walking, not to get lost in the dense forest.
Dalkhani Forest:
Those who like the foggy and misty forest atmosphere like European jungles, must take a trip to Dalkhani Forest. This is one of the most beautiful forests in the north which has grown at an altitude of 800 meters, ten kilometers far from the sea. It has taken millions of years for a forest like Dalkhani to grow around Ramsar. The forest is foggy in most of times, and is a fantastic place for forest recreation and hiking on steep paths. Of course, you should travel well-equipped with ecotourism equipment and accompanied by a leader familiar to the region.
Perhaps the middle of dense forests of northern Iran is the only place where you can rest and relax from the noisy life; where the sole sound is the music of falling leaves, the movement of insects and the song of birds who celebrate their life in one of the most attractive places in the world.