
Driving the dangerous Haraz Road in the Alborz mountains
Iran, asia
200 km
2,701 m
hard
Year-round
Okay, road trip lovers, listen up! If you’re in Iran and craving an adventure that'll take your breath away (literally and figuratively), you NEED to experience the Haraz Road, aka Road 77.
This 200 km stretch is the lifeline connecting Tehran to the Caspian Sea coast at Mahmudabad. We're talking a fully paved route that punches straight through the Alborz Mountains, so buckle up for some serious elevation – you'll climb to a whopping 2,701m above sea level!
Picture this: stunning scenery, twisty turns, and a bunch of tunnels. Sounds dreamy, right? Well, heads up, this beauty comes with a bit of an edge. Keep an eye out for potential mountain and snow slides. Also, this road can get super crowded, especially on Iranian weekends (starting Thursdays) and holidays, so plan accordingly. Sometimes, the police make it one-way to handle the congestion. But hey, a little chaos is part of the adventure, isn't it?
Where is it?
Driving the dangerous Haraz Road in the Alborz mountains is located in Iran (asia). Coordinates: 30.2292, 55.4711
Road Details
- Country
- Iran
- Continent
- asia
- Length
- 200 km
- Max Elevation
- 2,701 m
- Difficulty
- hard
- Coordinates
- 30.2292, 55.4711
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