Lar National Park

Lar National Park covers a high plain at around 2,500 metres in the central Alborz west of Damavand, a landscape of rolling grassland, rocky ridges and the Lar river, dammed to supply Tehran with water. It is one of the more important protected areas in northern Iran, holding wild sheep and goat, Persian leopard, brown bear, wolf and a substantial population of birds of prey, and the river and reservoir hold brown trout, which is why the park is well known among Iranian anglers. Nomadic herders use the pastures in summer. Access requires a permit from the environment department and is controlled, which keeps numbers down, and the whole plain sits directly under the cone of Damavand.

What you actually see

• High grassland plain - open country at 2,500 metres.
• Damavand above the park - the cone standing over the whole plain.
• Wild sheep and goat - the protected populations on the ridges.
• Trout in the Lar river - the fishery the park is known for.

When to go

June to September; the plain is snowbound the rest of the year. A day. Permits must be arranged in advance through the environment office and are not always granted. Nights are cold even in summer.

Honest expectations

Entry requires a permit that takes time to arrange and can be refused. Fishing is licensed separately. Large predators are present but almost never seen. There are no facilities and no shelter on the plain. Weather changes fast at altitude.

Nearby

Damavand rises to the east; the Haraz road runs along the park boundary.