Protected Areas and National Parks in Iran Iran with different wet and dry lands with a combination of high mountains, desert lands, forests, and seas has created a special ecosystem in the Middle East and the east of Asia. It is located in the southern part of the Caspian Sea and north of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. There are two long mountain ranges named Alborz (900 km) and Zagros (1400 km) located in the north and west of Iran. In addition, the two main deserts of Dasht-e Kavir (77,600 km2) and Kavir-e Lut (51,800 km2)- the first Natural UNESCO site in Iran- are other natural attractions of the country. Rivers and lakes, wildlife, and the Hyrcanian Forest (UNESCO Natural Site), besides the different types of birds, a wide range of medical and therapeutic plants, Islands, and lagoons create the protected areas and national parks all over Iran. Here, we have listed the ten most beautiful ones below: 1. Golestan National Park 2. Kavir National Park 3. Lar National Park 4. Turan National Park 5. Tandoureh National Park 6. Dena National Park, 7. Khar Touran National Park 8. Khojir National Park 9. Jahan Nama Protected Park 10. Alborz Markazi Protected Area
Protected Areas and National Parks in Iran Iran with different wet and dry lands with a combination of high mountains, desert lands, forests, and seas has created a special ecosystem in the Middle East and the east of Asia. It is located in the southern part of the Caspian Sea and north of the Persian
Photography Travel to Iran: Kurdistan & Hawraman Valley Iran is a vast country with many special destinations for travel photography. Depending on the type of your photography and your travel time, there are so many places you could travel to. Kurdish regions of Iran in the two provinces of Kurdistan and Kermanshah are the most exotic destinations in Iran for Photography. The amazing landscape of the mountains, the architecture of the houses in the villages, and the people with special costumes create a perfect destination for photographers around the world. Kurdish people's culture and lifestyle in the mountains in Hawraman valley in the heart of Zagros mountains have attracted many travelers' attention. Moreover, UNESCO registered the Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanats on the Iranian UNESCO world heritage sites in 2021. This destination is noticeable regarding three main aspects of photography: Landscape photography Portrait Photography Architecture photography In addition to the three above photography types in Iranian Kurdish regions, people's lifestyle who are living in the mountains, the Kurdish dance, their very famous musical instruments of Tanbur and Daf, and their long stories of Kurdish histories are other highlights of this region. There are a couple of annual festivals such as Pire Shaliar and Daf music performed in the Hawraman region. These traditional festivals are very interesting and attract many people from different countries annually for photography travel to Iran. The Kurdish women work together with men in the fields. They have had a hard life in the mountains and have fought against enemies for years. Besides all the above elements of the Iranian Kurdistan region, the hospitality of Kurdish people in the mountains, their simple life, their clothes, customs, food, and old traditions have made this region one of the new destinations of Iran for those who would like to explore
Photography Travel to Iran: Kurdistan & Hawraman Valley Iran is a vast country with many special destinations for travel photography. Depending on the type of your photography and your travel time, there are so many places you could travel to. Kurdish regions of Iran in the two provinces of Kurdistan and Kermanshah are the most
Best time for Cycling in Iran (A Cycling Guide for Traveling in Iran by Bicycle) When is the best time to travel to Iran for a cycling holiday? You can cycle all year round as every corner of the country has something to offer, depending on the season and the region, and it is a great advantage. This means there is not a high season, low season, or off-season for cyclists like in many other countries. To answer this question, we need to explain a little more about Iran to find out when is the best time for cycling in Iran. Iran is a vast country with a lot of high mountains, deserts, rivers, many national parks, and natural protected areas. It has a varied climate with two seas, the Caspian Sea in the north and the Persian Gulf in the south, and has different ecosystems. It means when we have winter in the north, people are skiing in the Alborz mountains, north of Tehran, whereas other people in the south are swimming in the Persian Gulf. Moreover, when people in the southern part of Iran, or around the desert, are experiencing a very hot temperature between 50-60 centigrade in summer, other people in the north enjoy a pleasant temperature of 20-25 centigrade in the Alborz mountains. These varieties make ideal conditions for cycling tours in Iran, so depending on your time of travel and your interests, you can cycle all year round. Iran is not yet a well-known cycling destination among cyclists because of the lack of information for travelers and marketing for cycling tours. There aren’t any cycling maps or specific official trails for cycling either. Adventure Iran is a pioneer company that has started serious official research concerning the potential cycling routes of Iran. We
Best time for Cycling in Iran (A Cycling Guide for Traveling in Iran by Bicycle) When is the best time to travel to Iran for a cycling holiday? You can cycle all year round as every corner of the country has something to offer, depending on the season and the region, and it
Sistan and Baluchistan in Iran Sistan and Baluchistan province (also spelled Sistan and Baluchestan) is in the southeast of Iran on the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan. To the south lies the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman. This province is about the size of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, and Slovenia combined. As a result of its huge dimensions, there is a fair amount of driving from the north to the south. It has 1,100 km of land along the border with Pakistan and Afghanistan together with a coastal stretch of 300 km along the Indian Ocean’s Gulf of Oman. The inhabitants consist of two tribes, one is the Baluchi tribe, who are Sunni Muslims, and the other the Sistani tribe, who are Shi’a Muslims. Both speak Persian. The province is really amazing with huge contrasts between the deserts, snow-capped mountains, peculiar rock formations, an active 4,000 m volcano, Martian scenery, cliff-enclosed fishing villages along the coast, plus tropical rivers with the rare Mugger crocodile. This is a lesser-known destination in Iran but, at the same time, one of the most beautiful areas of our country. One of the places in the province you must visit is the famous Shahr-i Sokhta or “Burnt City”, (registered on UNESCO list in 2015), founded around 3200 BC. It is situated at the junction of the Bronze Age trade routes crossing the Iranian plateau. Another region is the Dasht-e Lut desert. The Lut desert was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016. It is one of the main highlights of Iran in terms of nature. Since Iranian deserts were on the Silk Road, there are many historical monuments and sites remaining from that period that are well worth visiting. Not only are there many different types of flora
Sistan and Baluchistan in Iran Sistan and Baluchistan province (also spelled Sistan and Baluchestan) is in the southeast of Iran on the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan. To the south lies the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman. This province is about the size of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, and Slovenia combined. As
Iran Silk Road Iran was known as Persia during the Silk Road period. It was the main ring of the chain from East to West. It was strategically placed for the Silk Road trade with several routes passing through Iran’s ancient and beautiful country. Nowadays, Iran is no longer considered so famous for the Silk Road route compared to other central Asian countries. The Iranian tourism industry did not invest much time in marketing this interesting piece of history due to Iran being at the center of several difficult issues during the last 40 years. Despite this unfortunate drawback, Iran is firmly back on the map. Thanks to its attractiveness, and numerous ‘little-explored’ parts of this amazingly diverse country, there is so much to offer experienced travelers wishing to journey through Iran’s part of the Silk Road route which runs from China to Turkey. One of the main highlights of the Iran Silk Road is seeing the many historical sites alongside this route. In Iran’s Silk Road, there are plenty of ancient castles, caravanserais, citadels, and mosques that date back over a thousand years. There are a huge number of caravanserais, a lot of which have been renovated as boutique hotels. In addition, there are numerous oases in use in the Deserts of Iran on the original path of the Silk Road. These areas are still inhabited. The names of a couple of them are mentioned in the books of Alfons Gabriel and Sven Hedin who crossed the Iran desert about 100 years ago. In the Iran Deserts article, we also recommended adventurous individuals should visit Iran’s deserts to enjoy the countless attractions on offer. Iran has many caravanserais, many of which have been destroyed, and some of them still remain in their original form. Some of them have
Iran Silk Road Iran was known as Persia during the Silk Road period. It was the main ring of the chain from East to West. It was strategically placed for the Silk Road trade with several routes passing through Iran’s ancient and beautiful country. Nowadays, Iran is no longer considered so famous for the Silk
Iran Deserts Iran DesertsThe deserts in Iran are probably its main attraction. These deserts are vast and spectacular covering 25% of the entire country. The two main ones are Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut, both being gigantic. Dasht-e Kavir, also called Kavir Desert, Iran Central Desert, or in Persian Kavir Markazi-e Iran is situated to the south of the Alborz Mountains approximately in the center of Iran. Lut Desert also called Dasht-e Lut, Kavir-e Lut or Dasht-e Lut Desert is situated in the south-east of Iran. It is also one of the two UNESCO natural sites of Iran that were registered in 2016. You might have visited deserts in other parts of the world but, by comparison, Iran’s deserts are a combination of them all in terms of natural attractions. They are made up of sand dunes, flat desert areas, salt lakes, dry lakes, wetlands, rock formations, canyons, rivers, various mines, birds, animals, flora, caves, high mountains and diverse coloured soils surrounded by villages. It’s possible to find a cluster of oases with agricultural areas in the middle of nowhere where you never thought there could be water. People still follow their customary way of life and live in their traditional houses. There are numerous citadels in these deserts dating back to over one thousand years. There is also an abundance of historical villages with special desert lands and Persian architecture built several hundred years ago. There are countless ancient Qanat “underground water channel systems” in many of Iran’s deserts dating back thousands of years. The Persian Qanat was registered in 2016 in the UNESCO heritage sites of Iran, which is one of Iran's historical phenomena. Persian cuisine is another attraction of our deserts, as you can find a wide variety of Iranian food on every corner. As you may
Iran Deserts Iran DesertsThe deserts in Iran are probably its main attraction. These deserts are vast and spectacular covering 25% of the entire country. The two main ones are Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut, both being gigantic. Dasht-e Kavir, also called Kavir Desert, Iran Central Desert, or in Persian Kavir Markazi-e Iran is situated to
