Maran Waterfall

Maran Waterfall in Tonekabon, also known as the Bride Waterfall (Aroos) or Khabkandi, is a very beautiful, high-volume waterfall in Mazandaran Province, in the area around Maran village in Tonekabon County. The waterfall pours down from the mountains of the Takht-e Soleyman region and is 62 metres high. Maran Waterfall is about 60 kilometres from the centre of Tonekabon and lies close to a village called Maran.

Maran Waterfall is located in a mountainous area with cool summers and cold winters. Considering the weather and the conditions for traversing the gorge, the best time to visit the waterfall is from mid-Tir to mid-Shahrivar (early July to early September). Also, because of the strong water pressure, small stones fall from above along with the water, and without a helmet they could cause serious injury. For this reason, swimming in the pool at the foot of the waterfall is not recommended.

The vegetation of the area is diverse and includes beech, hornbeam, Hyrcanian trees, oak, hawthorn, alder, boxwood, medlar, wild plum, ferns, iris, primrose, violet, borage, Damask rose, hollyhock, sage, water lily and more. The area is also home to a variety of wildlife, such as wild boar, leopard, brown bear, wolf, fox, jackal, hare, squirrel, deer and various birds. There are no amenities or sanitary facilities at the waterfall, which is completely unspoiled. The nearest place with such facilities is Maran village, which has toilets as well as local, traditional restaurants.

To reach Maran village, from Tonekabon you enter the Dohezar–Sehezar forests and take the Alamut road. This road is mostly unpaved and becomes very steep in the last sections near Maran. This route leads to the top of the waterfall; to see the bottom of the waterfall you must pass through the gorge. Traversing the gorge requires ropes of 70, 50 and 20 metres.