Kabudval Waterfall

Kabudval, in the local Katouli dialect, is made up of two parts: "kabud", meaning blue, and "val", meaning stream. The area was given this name because of the clean, blue river that flows through its forests. It lies in part of the Hyrcanian lowland forests in the Alborz range. Its varied vegetation is home to a number of animal species, and the area has a series of waterfalls, a large lake, and one of the most beautiful all-moss waterfalls in Iran.

At the entrance to the forest, beside the road, lies a reservoir dam lake, which is fed by a main spring upstream of the waterfalls and by the Zarrin Gol River. Further along the route, as you enter the forested section on the slopes of Mount Harun, you will see a series of small and large waterfalls in the main valley, about seven in all. The main waterfall, which is completely covered in moss, is the fifth one in this series.

This beautiful waterfall is about 11 kilometres from the city centre, and the walking section has steps to make it easier. Every year, when the cold season begins, the moss on the waterfall dies off, and when spring arrives, fresh, lush new moss covers the whole waterfall again. Spring brings mild, pleasant weather, while summer is hot and dry. Each of these two seasons has its own beauty; autumn is cool, and winter is cold and damp.

Kabudval Waterfall is fed only by the spring above it, a spring that wells up from the ground at a high elevation. No other water source, such as a permanent or seasonal river made up of surface runoff, flows into it along the way. For this reason, the water of the waterfall is clear, transparent and drinkable, and Kabudval is known as the cleanest waterfall in Iran. Please remember that swimming in the deep pools of the waterfall is very dangerous because of underground currents.