Rood Afshan Cave is located 120 km east of Tehran near a village of the same name in Damavand. Rood Afshan is a green village with large gardens, abundant springs and a river full of water called Dalichai. Dalichai originates from the waters of the Tar and Hawir lakes, which are formed by the melting of the Qara Dagh glaciers. This cave is located in the south of the village and on the southern slope of the valley where the Dalichai River flows. One of the main features of Rood Afshan Cave is its entrance, which is one of the largest openings among caves in Iran. Other features of the cave, its large halls can be mentioned.

Access to Rood Afshan Cave

Drive from Tehran to Firoozkooh road. 30 km after Damavand, you will reach Seyed Abad village. In Seyed Abad, leave Firoozkooh road and drive to the right side of the village of Kalak. After the Kalak, you will reach the crossroads of Rood Afshan village. Drive another 10 km to reach Rood Afshan village. The parking lot of Rood Afshan cave is located after the village and in front of the cave. After crossing the river Delichai and passing a relatively steep slope in 20 to 30 minutes, you will reach the huge entrance of Rood Afshan Cave.

To reach the entrance of the cave, which is located at altitude of 1915 meters above sea level, you have to walk about a kilometre on a steep slope. The difference between the height of the river and the entrance of the cave is about 130 meters. The entrance of the cave is located in a large pit with a diameter of about 100 meters and is not visible at all until it reaches its vicinity due to its location in the pit. Only when you reach the edge of the pit can you see the huge entrance to the cave. This entrance is very wide and arched. The entrance of Rood Afshan cave is 40 meters wide and 12 meters high.

The first hall of Rood Afshan cave

After crossing the entrance; Continue down a steep slope to reach the floor of the first hall. The temperature drop is quite noticeable when passing through the inlet. This hall has dimensions of 80 by 100 meters and its height is 25 meters, which is one of the largest halls in Iran. On the roof of this huge anticline, due to the strength of the layers, there is no sign of breaking or falling rocks. At the end of the first hall, you will find a number of porches made of stone and some small pottery, which shows that the cave was inhabited in the past.

This hall is the last place that is lit by sunlight, and by crossing it and entering the cave corridor, you will plunge into absolute darkness for a short distance.

The second hall of Rood Afshan cave

Passing through the stone wall, you will reach the second hall. This wall is 8 meters long and 1.5 meters wide. At present, a part of this wall has been destroyed and a gate 2 meters wide has been created, which forms the entrance of the second hall. At the beginning of this hall, there is a small anticline with a height of 8 meters, then we reach the larger anticline. The dimensions of this hall are about 50 by 60 meters and its height is 20 meters. This hall does not have any cave stones.
Cave stones are structures that are formed by the dissolution and deposition of minerals during the flow of water inside caves; Such as stalactite and stalagmite.

The third hall of Rudafshan cave

The third hall has dimensions of about 40 by 50 meters and a height of 15 meters. The whole hall is covered with beautiful pebbles and drips, and extraordinary columns and waterfalls.

The best time to travel to Rood Afshan Cave

The best time to travel to Rood Afshan is from late May to early October; However, it is possible to visit this Cave all year round and even during autumn and winter. 

Necessary equipment to visit RoodAfshan Cave

• To enter Rood afshan cave, it is necessary to have all the caving equipment. You should get a list of these equipments from the cave guide.
• Enough water
• Food for a full day
• Due to the cold water, be sure to wear appropriate clothing.
• Be sure to bring proper shoes with you
• You need a headlamp to enter the cave and helmet
• Many parts of this cave can be visited without the use of ropes. But at the end of the cave there is a deep well that requires rope and specialized caving tools to enter.

What is needed for caving in Iran?

First, you need to have enough knowledge to do caving. This knowledge is acquired by participating in training courses. You can take these courses in your own country or in Iran. If you want to study these courses in Iran, you will need 2 to 3 days. After these trainings, you can visit a large part of the caves of Iran.

Second, you will need caving equipment. Equipment without which it is not possible to cross a cave. You can bring this equipment with you or get it in Iran.

Third, you need to select an experienced team to enter the cave with. Without an experienced team, entering the cave can be very dangerous.

Women’s caving in Rood Afshan cave

caving is one of the sports that has grown rapidly in recent years in Iran and women are also active in it. In Iran, there is no restriction on the presence of women in this sport and thousands of interested people do this sport.

Iran caving tour, best caving team, canyon guide in Iran?

Contact me to introduce the best caving teams in Iran. Teams with whom you can visit each of Iran’s cave in complete safety. You will also not need to bring caving equipment.

Mehdi Gholami.