Ali Sadr Cave

Ali Sadr Cave

The massive river-cave system 70km north of Hamadan is normally visited as a day trip. It’s popular with Iranian tourists, but foreigners usually have mixed feelings, most stemming from the cost (10 times what locals pay) and the perceived commercialization. However, traversing darkened caverns by paddle boat and walking across subterranean islands is pretty special. Treat it as a cultural experience as well as a scenic one. A tour takes 45 to 90 minutes. Avoid (crowded) weekends and tip your guide.

Ali-Sadr is the world’s largest water cave, where you sit in a boat and watch the view. This cave is located at 48°18’E 35°18’N, in the southern part of Ali Sadr village. The cave is entered at the side of a hill called Sari Ghiyeh which also includes two other caves called Sarab and Soubashi, each 7 and 11 kilometers from Ali-Sadr Cave. Apparently, the water in Ali-Sadr cave stems from a spring in Sarab.

In the summer of 2001, a German/British expedition surveyed the cave, finding to be 11 kilometers long. The main chamber of the cave is 100 meters by 50 meters and 40 meters high.

The cave walls can extend up to 40 meters high, and it contains several large, deep lakes. The cave has a river flowing through it and most travel through the cave system is done by boat. More than 11 kilometers of the cave’s water canals have been discovered so far. Some routes are 10 to 11 kilometers long and all lead to “The Island”, a centrally located large atrium