Garo Cave

Garo Cave (also spelled Garav) is located in Duzin village, in Galikash County, Golestan Province. It is one of Iran's natural, pristine caves, formed entirely naturally by water eroding the rock. It has a narrow, short entrance in the rock, carved by seasonal streams. In spring, as rainfall increases and the snow melts, cool, clear water flows out of the entrance and fills the first passages of the cave.

The cave passage is mostly narrow and low, and it demands technical movement; most sections are traversed by crawling on your belly and bracing against the walls. After about thirty metres, the entrance passage ends at a steep slope leading into another, even narrower passage, which can only be passed with techniques such as bracing against the cave walls. Further on, the route includes a two-metre climb through a very narrow hole, followed by another four-metre climb, which finally leads to a fifty-metre sloping section. After passing this section and a small pool, a twenty-metre belly crawl brings you to the end of the cave.

The vegetation around the cave includes mountain plants such as wormwood (artemisia), milkvetch (gon) and a variety of medicinal herbs, which grow in the region's mild, humid climate. The wildlife around the cave may include mountain birds, bats and small animals such as lizards and frogs typical of humid ecosystems. Access to Garo Cave is open and free of charge. From Duzin village to the entrance there is a flat, clearly marked footpath that takes about 10 to 20 minutes. The best time to visit Garo Cave is spring and summer, when water flows through the cave but its level is low enough to allow safe passage. Because of the technical nature of the cave and its narrow passages, visiting requires good physical fitness, safety equipment and experience in exploring natural caves.