Chabahar

Chabahar sits on the Makran coast facing the Gulf of Oman, the main Iranian port on open ocean rather than the Persian Gulf, and the landscape around it is unlike anywhere else in the country. The Martian Mountains are a run of soft sedimentary hills eroded into ridges, gullies and pinnacles that run along the coast road for kilometres. Lipar lagoon turns pink from algae in the right conditions. Mud volcanoes at Tang bubble cold grey mud out of low cones. The beaches are long and largely empty, and the Baluchi culture of the region, with its own language, dress, embroidery and music, is distinct from anywhere else in Iran.

History

The name is a shortening of chahar bahar, "four springs", for a place where every season feels like spring. Nearby is Tis, a fishing village and former port dating from 2500 BC and known in the time of Alexander the Great as Tiz; Afdhal al-Din Kermani wrote of its trade in 1188, and Alberuni wrote that the coast of India began at Tiz (Wikipedia, Chabahar).

What you'll find

• The Martian Mountains - eroded ridges and pinnacles along the coast road.
• Lipar pink lagoon - algae colouring the water in the right season.
• Cold mud volcanoes - grey mud bubbling from low cones inland.
• Baluchi culture - language, embroidery and music distinct from the rest of Iran.

When to go

November to March; summer on the Makran coast is extremely hot and humid, and the monsoon affects the sea. Three days to see the coast properly. A car and a local driver make everything easier.

Before you go

It is remote and the overland approach is very long. Facilities outside the town are minimal. Foreign visitors to this province face additional formalities and independent travel can be restricted, so check current requirements before planning. Summer is not viable.

Nearby

The Makran coast road runs west; Zahedan lies far to the north.