Qeshm Island

Qeshm is the largest island in the Persian Gulf, about 135 kilometres long, and it is geologically unlike anywhere else in Iran: salt domes have pushed up through the sedimentary rock and been carved by rain and wind into canyons, caves and hoodoos, and much of the island is a designated geopark. The main sites are spread along the coast and interior, the Valley of the Stars, Chahkooh canyon, the Namakdan salt cave and the Hara mangrove forest in the strait. Fishing villages on the north coast still build wooden lenj boats by hand, a shipbuilding tradition recognised by UNESCO, and the island has its own dialect, dress and music, with a strong Bandari culture distinct from the mainland.

What you actually see

• Salt dome landforms - canyons, caves and hoodoos carved from rising salt.
• Hara mangrove forest - tidal channels in the strait north of the island.
• Lenj boat building - wooden ships still made by hand on the north coast.
• Bandari culture - dialect, dress and music distinct from the mainland.

When to go

November to March; summer on the Gulf is extremely hot and humid. Three to five days to cover the island. A car or arranged driver is needed since sites are far apart. Nowruz fills the island.

Honest expectations

Summer is genuinely unbearable and most visitors come in winter. Distances are large and public transport is limited. The island is a free trade zone with a lot of shopping malls and unattractive development along parts of the coast. Water and shade are scarce at the geopark sites.

Nearby

Hormuz Island is a short boat ride; Bandar Abbas is on the mainland.