Maharloo Lake

Maharloo is a shallow endorheic salt lake in a basin south-east of Shiraz, fed by seasonal streams and with no outlet, so the water concentrates as it evaporates through the year and the salinity climbs. When conditions are right, generally in late spring, halophilic algae and brine shrimp multiply in the concentrated brine and the whole surface turns pink, in shades from pale rose to deep red depending on the day, with white salt crusts around the edges. It is a genuine natural phenomenon rather than a staged one, and it is unpredictable: in some years the lake is largely dry, in others it is blue rather than pink, and water extraction upstream has made low years more common. Flamingoes and waders use it when there is water.

What you actually see

• Pink brine water - algae and shrimp colouring the lake in late spring.
• White salt crusts - the shoreline where the water has evaporated.
• Flamingoes and waders - birds using the lake in wet years.
• The mountain rim - the basin enclosed by hills south-east of Shiraz.

When to go

April to June is the usual window for the pink colour, but it depends entirely on rainfall and evaporation and cannot be predicted far ahead. Half a day. Ask locally before making the trip.

Honest expectations

The lake is frequently dry or not pink, and many visitors arrive to find a salt flat. Water abstraction upstream is shrinking it year on year. There are no facilities, no shade and no marked access; the shore is reached on rough tracks. The salt crust is soft in places and vehicles get stuck.

Nearby

Shiraz is north-west; Persepolis lies north.