Mount Sabalan

Sabalan is a dormant stratovolcano in north-west Iran reaching 4,811 metres, the third highest mountain in the country, with a permanent crater lake at the summit that is frozen for most of the year and thaws briefly in late summer. The climb is a walk rather than a technical ascent on the standard route, usually done over two days with a night at a hut or camp around 3,700 metres, but it is at real altitude and weather changes fast. The mountain is significant in Zoroastrian tradition and is associated with Zarathustra in some accounts. Its lower slopes carry alpine meadow used by Shahsevan nomads in summer, hot springs at Shabil and Sarein, and the whole massif is snow-covered for much of the year.

What you actually see

• The summit crater lake - frozen most of the year, open in late summer.
• Alpine meadow and nomad camps - Shahsevan flocks on the slopes.
• Hot springs on the flanks - Shabil and Sarein fed by the volcano.
• A 4,811-metre summit - the third highest point in Iran.

When to go

July to September only; snow makes the route serious the rest of the year. Two to three days. The crater lake thaws for a short window in late summer. Nights at the hut are cold at any season.

Honest expectations

It is high enough for altitude sickness and the ascent should not be rushed. Weather changes fast and people have died in storms here. Huts are basic and crowded in season. A guide is strongly advisable. There is no rescue infrastructure.

Nearby

Sarein and its springs are on the eastern flank; Ardabil lies beyond.