Chalus Road

The Chalus Road climbs from Karaj up the valley of the Karaj River, crosses the main ridge of the Alborz and drops through dense forest to the town of Chalus on the Caspian shore. Built under Reza Shah in the 1930s, it was for decades the most direct route from Tehran to the sea, and for many Iranians it remains the most beautiful drive in the country. The pin marks the upper valley near Gachsar, in Alborz province, before the road crosses the watershed.

From Karaj the road passes the Amir Kabir Dam and its long lake, then follows the river through a narrow, rocky valley lined with villages, walnut and willow trees and roadside stalls selling dried fruit, honey and trout. Near the crest it enters the Kandovan Tunnel, one of the first road tunnels in Iran, nearly two kilometres long. Work on it began in 1935 and it was opened on 17 May 1938. At around 2,700 metres it is the highest point of the road, and in winter snow can close the way.

Beyond the tunnel the landscape changes completely. The northern slopes catch the moisture of the Caspian, and the road descends through the Hyrcanian forest, a band of ancient broadleaf woodland, beside the Chalus River, often in mist. On spring and summer weekends the road fills with traffic heading north, and the valley's guesthouses and grill restaurants are busy. A newer motorway now offers a faster route to the coast, but the old road keeps its following.