Laft

Laft sits on the northern coast of Qeshm facing the mainland across the strait, and it is the most photographed village on the island for two reasons. The first is the wind towers: badgirs of the type common in Yazd stand over the houses here in numbers, catching the Gulf breeze and drawing it down into the rooms. The second is the harbour, a tidal inlet where wooden dhows sit on the mud at low tide and float at high, with boatbuilding yards along the shore where lenj vessels are still made by hand. Above the village is Berkeh-ye Talaa, a field of several hundred hand-dug water wells collecting rainwater, which is how the settlement survived on an island with no rivers.

What you actually see

• Wind towers over the houses - badgirs catching the Gulf breeze.
• Dhows on the tidal mud - wooden boats sitting and floating with the tide.
• Hand-dug well fields - several hundred rainwater wells above the village.
• Boatbuilding yards - lenj vessels still made by hand on the shore.

When to go

November to March. Half a day. Late afternoon for light on the wind towers and the harbour. High tide floats the boats and low tide exposes the mud; both are worth seeing.

Honest expectations

It is a working village and residents are photographed constantly; ask first. Facilities are minimal. The harbour is muddy and smells at low tide. Summer here is oppressive. Mangrove boat trips leave from here and touts work the waterfront.

Nearby

The Hara mangroves are offshore; Qeshm town lies east.