In the late sixteenth century Shah Abbas I decided that the Caspian lowlands of Mazandaran should be part of his empire in more than name, and he laid out gardens and palaces there as a statement of power. Bagh-e Abbasabad, near Behshahr, is one of them, a Safavid garden spread over a wooded hill, with a chain of ponds, channels and pavilions fed by a mountain stream. The water is brought down from the hills above and runs through the garden in a series of terraces, with a small lake at the bottom, and its design is a good example of the classic Persian garden, a paradise laid out in geometry. It belongs to the group of Persian Gardens listed by UNESCO in 2011.
What strikes you here is the green. Behshahr lies between the Alborz mountains and the Caspian Sea, in a land of rice fields, citrus orchards and dense forest, and the air is humid and soft, unlike the dry plateau on the other side of the range. The Hyrcanian forests, among the oldest broadleaf forests in the world, grow on these northern slopes, and they are home to leopards, brown bears and a range of birds, and have their own UNESCO listing.
For riders, the coastal plain is flat and busy, with the main road full of lorries and small vehicles, so the best riding lies in the hills. Roads climb from the plain into the forest in bends and hairpins, with fog and wet leaves, and the mountains rise to the south. In summer the humidity is high and the coast is crowded with holidaymakers from Tehran, so spring and autumn are more pleasant. Rain can fall at any time of the year, and fog makes the mountain sections slippery.
Behshahr has about ninety thousand people, with fuel, food and hotels, and it is the best place to prepare for the mountains. Local cooking leans on fish, rice and sour pomegranate sauces, with walnuts and herbs. The garden is a good place to sit in the shade and listen to running water. Be sure to check current travel advice for Iran and the rules on foreign riders, and plan your route with local help where possible.