Located in the extreme north west of Iran in meshkin shar (khiav), it is the country's second highest peak. At 4,811 metres it is taller than Mount Blanc in the Alps. The mountain offers many attractions throughout the year. On the slopes of the mountain the mineral water from springs attracts large amounts of tourists each year, many have faith in healing properties believed to be in the springs. The nomadic people of the area live in small villages, with their round "Yurt" tents appealing to tourism. Sabalan is a volcanic peak, and at 3,600 metres you can see gigantic 'sculptures' which are eroded volcanic stone outcrops which resemble animals, birds and insects.
Savalan is a large andesite stratovolcano, the second highest volcano in meshkin shahr (khiav)Iranian Azerbaijan (North West Iran) after Mount Damavand. The volcano is quite old, as its rocks have been dated to 5.6–1.4 million years. Some references state that volcanic activity continued into the Holocene, less than 10,000 years ago.
The summit region has several peaks exceeding 4,500 metres (14,800 ft), primarily along a southwest-northeast trending ridge. The highest point 4,811 metres (15,784 ft) is at the northeast end of the ridge, and is separated from the 4,620 metres (15,160 ft)+ group of southwestern summits by a 4,190 m (13,750 ft) col.
The mountain is located in a continental climate with hot, dry summers and extremely cold, snowy winters. Precipitation falls primarily as snow in late autumn, winter, and spring, and is sufficient to sustain seven glaciers near the summit above 4,000 metres (13,000 ft). The largest of these were more than 1.5 kilometres (1 mi) in length as of the 1970s. There are also extensive rock glaciers, several of which are more than 3 km (2 mi) in length.
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Location: Ardabil province
Elevation: 4811 m (18,406 ft)
Days of trip: 3-4 Day from Tehran to Tehran (Without heavy traffic you need 8-10 hr driving from Tehran to start point and 1-2 days for climbing)
Attention: In holidays there is heavy traffic in all roads around Tehran.
Best time to visit: Jul to Sept
Daily time visit: No limit
Difficulty level: Difficult
Requirements: (Depend on your plan) Guide or GPS track, water, food, warm and waterproof clothes and tent, waterproof shoes, headlamp, satellite phone and...
Also need technical mountaineering gear if decided to climb in cold weather.
Legal permission need: No
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Overall risk: High altitude, storm
Animal risk: Yes
Lost risk: Yes
Rescue: Yes, you can call 115 but maybe take a long time to find you. There is no road.
GSM Mobile Antenna: No
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Hotel: No
Village: No
Shop: No
Gasoline: No
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How to get there:
1- Go to east terminal of buses in Tehran (more info)
2- Take a bus ticket to "Meshkin shahr"
3- Take a 4wd vehicle to the base camp
4- Start mountaineering 6-8 hr to Sabalan peak
Nearest airport: Ardabil airport
Nearest train station: There is no station less than 100 km
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Location on map:
GPS elevation profile:
Pictures:








More Pictures:
http://www.anobanini.net/forum/showthread.php?3127