If you are a mountain person and love a good trek or hike then head to Darakeh, a village in the north-eastern part of Tehran where several trails into the mountains will leave you spoilt for choice. All the trails are dotted with gurgling streams and gushing waterfalls brought to life mostly by melting snow.
If all that hiking and the long trek leaves you tired and in need of some breathing space then by all means stop, look around and take in the beauty of the landscape. You can also kick off your shoes, perch yourself atop some rocks and dip your feet in to the cool water. The tingling sensation that runs through your body is just the thing to make you feel alive!
While you are in Darakeh, do take the opportunity to experience life in a Persian village. Tea is a favorite drink in Iran and the trails of Darakeh are dotted with tea houses where you can rest, sip on some black tea sweetened with sugar cubes and just sit back in the warmth of tea rooms covered with Persian carpets in warm colors like red and maroon with black.
If you are in Darakeh during spring you can take your pick from one of the most delicious, fresh and colorful fruits of the season – shahtoot, or mulberries. The mulberries are large, dark, sweet, plump and delicious.
Early morning is the best time of the day to start out for Darakeh, so leave early before the sun rises too high in the sky. Should you decide to go early and on a Friday, you will find that you are not alone in your quest for natural beauty and in your desire to get away from the big city as several hundred of city dwellers from Tehran will also be in Darakeh enjoying some hiking and spending time in natural settings.
