About Ovan Lake
Ovan Lake is one of these pristine natural lakes of Iran in Qazvin province, which shines like a beautiful Jewel in the mountainous and pleasant weather area of Alamut Qazvin. The proximity of Lake Ovan to Tehran has made this place a suitable place for one-day nature tours and hosts hundreds of domestic and foreign tourists every year.
You can see this lake, which is one of the wetlands under the protection of the Environmental Organization and has been registered in the list of the national and natural heritage of Iran, 75 km northeast of Qazvin city. Be our companion on a trip to Qazvin province and a lake excursion in Ovan Lake
Where is Ovan Lake
Ovan Lake is located in the city and village of Moalem Kalaye, one of the districts of Rudbar Alamut, Qazvin province. This lake is located in the northern half of Alamut, on the slopes of Khashchal mountain, 75 km northeast of Qazvin city and among the four villages of Ovan, Verin, Zovar Dasht and Zarabad in Qazvin province. This lake, which is known as Negin Alamut, is one of the beauties of this region, which is one of the most important sights of Qazvin, next to Alamut Castle.
Ovan lake access route
The access route to Ovan Lake is as follows: you have to take the Tehran-Qazvin highway. You have reached the entrance of Qazvin and in the local people’s term, Gharib Kash Square, you will see the Alamut sign on your right. You continue the route of Qazvin and Alamut, which is a spectacular route full of green plains and of course mountainous and difficult to pass and full of dangerous and very beautiful passes. If you pass Rajai Dasht and walk for about three hours, you will reach a two-way road. One way goes to Alamut and the other way to Avan lake. After traveling for eight kilometers and passing through the green village of Zarabad, you will find Avan lake when you pass the last pass.
- Distance from Qazvin to Lake Avan: 75 km
- Distance from Tehran to Lake Avan: 215 km
- Distance from Karaj to Avan Lake: 175 km from
- Karaj-Qazvin freeway
Introducing Evan Lake
Ovan lake with a beautiful and unique view is located among the four villages of “Avan”, “Verin”, “Zvardasht” and “Zarabad”. Awan means a tub full of water and a place where water gathers. This lake has an area of more than 70,000 square meters and its depth reaches about 6 meters in the deepest part. This lake does not directly receive water from its external environment, and its only source of water is precipitation and springs on the bottom of the lake. Also, a small river is formed from the overflow of the lake, whose water is used by the farmers of Koushk and Ayin villages.
Plant and animal species of Avan lake
If you look at the lake from the top of the surrounding mountains, you will see them surrounded by beautiful vegetation. The plants that continue to the foot of the high mountains around the lake and the stable mountains also surround it like a gem.
Around Lake Ovan, tree species such as willow, plantain, tabrizi, apple, cherry, cherry, elder, hazelnut and walnut; There are herbaceous plants such as fennel, artichoke, and Shirin Bayan. In addition to these, various other species from the gramineae and leguminous families can also be seen in the Avan watershed. Among the plants inside the lake, we can mention the reed in the water (phararmites australis), submerged plants (potamageton crispus) and blue fork (ceratophylum demersum).
Their wildlife also includes goats and goats, which have decreased significantly due to excessive hunting and destruction of their habitat. Leopard, brown bear, fox, jackal, wolf, boar, sheng, black-eared or wild cat, all kinds of eagles, eagles, falcons, owls, partridges, cuckoos, woodpeckers, magpies, and all kinds of sparrows, frogs, turtles, Crab and… All kinds of fish including colorful trout, carp and duck live in this lake.
Fun in Ovan Lake
- Birdwatching: Lake Evan is one of the best places for those who are interested in wildlife, especially birdwatching, because birds like swans, geese and ducks migrate to this place during the migration of birds and in the autumn season, and there is a good opportunity to watch it.
- Sports fishing: fishing is prohibited in Avan Lake, but every year the Wildlife Monitoring Department of Qazvin Environmental Protection General Department issues fishing permits in the lake on several occasions based on the ecological conditions of this wetland, and in this case fishing (catch and release) is allowed. is done and many sports fishermen and fishing enthusiasts from all over the country participate in this sports-recreational program.
- Ice skating: one of the activities you can do in this lake is the exciting sport of ice skating, which can be done in winter due to the cold weather and freezing of its surface.
- Boating: In Lake Evan there are pedal boats for boating and enjoying this fun activity.
- Mountaineering: The heights around Avan give you the opportunity to see and enjoy Avan from a height while climbing.
- Photography: The beauties and landscapes around them are the best subjects for photography. If you are into photography, don’t miss capturing the beautiful views of Evan, especially the morning fog over the lake.
The best season to travel to Lake Evan
In the spring season, Avan lake and its nature have double beauty, and in the summer season, it is a fun resort for tourists. To enjoy its pleasant weather, the best time to visit is from May to October. Due to the high altitude of the lake and its location on the slopes of Khashchal mountain, the climate of the lake is very cold in winter and autumn.
Stay in Ovan Lke
If you plan to stay the night by the lake and camp, take the necessary equipment with you, because it is far from the city. In the autumn and winter seasons, the temperature is very low, sometimes up to -20 degrees Celsius, and at night the temperature reaches -12 degrees Celsius. So, if you plan to go camping around this lake, bring warm and suitable clothes.
If you want to spend the night in a lodge, there are many eco-tourism lodges in the Alamut region and in villages near the lake such as Zarabad and Verban, where you can stay the night to explore this region of Qazvin with more patience and time.
Ovan Lake facilities
There are not many tourist facilities for visitors at the side of Ovan Lake. It is better to take lunch and dinner and necessary items with you. By the lake, there are beds for sitting and drinking tea, restrooms and places for travelers to pitch their tents, and there is also a space for parking tourists’ cars.
It is better to know that both in Rajai Dasht and Moalem Kalaye (11 km after the Deakin junction) there are cafes and restaurants nearby where you can have breakfast.
Don’t worry about your car running out of gas; Because Rajai Dasht and Moalem Kalaye both have gas stations.
Points to follow when visiting Evan Lake
- In order to preserve the ecosystem of Lake Evan, hunting is prohibited in this place. So, in order to preserve the wildlife and the environment of this lake, avoid doing these things separately.
- Swimming in Evan Lake is prohibited due to the sediments on the lake floor and existing plants, and it is considered a dangerous activity for tourists.
Environmental threats of Ovan Lake
Ovan Lake is not only a recreational place for tourists and travelers, but it is very important from the climate and economy, especially for the people of the region, and any kind of change in the condition of Ovan Lake will severely affect the lives of the people and the ecosystem of the region, to the extent that if If this lake does not exist, a large part of the agricultural products and the climate of Alamut will be affected and the economy of the region will be challenged.
Some factors affect the ecosystem of this lake, which include:
Ovan is one of Iran’s freshwater lakes, which relies on underground water sources for its survival, and not much surface water reaches it. In addition, the increase in drought in the last few decades and the excessive intake of water from this lake by gardeners and farmers have put unprecedented pressure on Jewel Alamut’s water reserves.
The destruction of lawns and meadows around the lake causes that when it rains, several tons of sand and soil are poured into the lake in the form of polluted mud water and block the boiling holes of the underground springs on the bottom of the lake, which causes the lake’s water level to decrease.
Entering polluted water of human and agricultural waste water from villages like Ovan and Vargal into the lake water. The entry of this polluted water causes the two elements nitrogen and phosphorus, which are the main elements and are also called nutrients, to increase in the water of the lake, which causes an excessive increase in the types of aquatic plants and phytoplankton, and after a while due to Putrefaction creates a stench. Also, the increase of these plants, especially at night when photosynthesis is not performed, takes the dissolved oxygen in the water and the fish in the lake get suffocated, and in the early morning, piles of dead fish are placed on the water. In other words, this event is called the process of premature aging of the lake, which leads to the destruction of the lakes
The excessive presence of tourists and swimming in the lake has caused problems for the life and survival of animals in the area and caused birds such as cormorants and cockatoos not to travel to this lake as in the past.
Illegal fishing of native and migratory birds of the lake
Question of Alamut & hashashins
