2 Days tour of Lut desert | Kaluts, Citadel of Bam (or Rayen) & Shazdeh Garden
Camping in middle of surreal Kaluts (or Kalouts) of Lut desert, what can be possibly better?! We will take you to fascinating Dasht-e Lut (Iran’s first natural world heritage); visit many sites on our way (like Nebka mounds, qanat systems and salt river*) and at last arrive at our camp site** in the outstanding Kalouts (it’s not actually a desert but some call it as “Kalout Desert”) for seeing the sunset*** and spend a unforgettable night over there.
In the following day we will see the great citadel of Bam where along with the city garden of Bam**** are another word heritages of Kerman . Last but not least we will conclude our journey by seeing the Shahzadeh Garden of Mahan in the evening.
* Salt River may be dry in summers
** Staying at a nearby ecolodge is possible (and recommended in summer time).
***There is a chance that sky is not clear due to clouds or dust
**** You can choise to see the citadel of Rayen instead
Itinerary
Day 1:
We will start our trip around 2 p.m.* . In our 2 hours drive to Lut desert we will cross Sirch village and Palver mountains where the weather is cold even in summers and as a result you may experience a temperature differential of 25 degrees in just one hour!
In Lut we will visit Nebka Mounds, qanat systems (ancient water system in Iran), Salt River and Egg Hills and later on we reach the Kalouts before sunset. Taking as mush time as we need, we will cherish the solitude that can be only found in Lut. Meanwhile, taking the most precious souvenir to get, photos.
After sunset we can either spend the night in a friendly ecolodge nearby or camp in midst of Kaluts. By telling anecdotes, drinking hot tea beside fire and eating our home made dinner it will become a hell of a night. Finally there would be enough time to look up and nothing is like a night sky full of stars.
Day 2:
Early in the morning after seeing the sunrise and having our breakfast; we will head for Bam (or Rayen) which will take around 3 hours of driving. Later and after reaching Bam we will visit the citadel and couple of cool places around there and eventually hit the road again for the last item; Mahan.
Since we get to Mahan around noon, our first itinerary is going to eat at a friendly local place with delicious home made Iranian dishes. Afterwards, we visit Shahzadeh garden of Mahan where you will be amazed by how the Persian gardens work and why this is the best in the world.
Eventually we will will be in Kerman in the evening.
Tour Details:
Starts: 2 p.m. in day 1 *
Ends: 5 p.m. in day 2 *
Driving Hours: 7-8 hours
Highlights: Nebka mounds, Kalouts, Salt river, Egg hills, stargazing, seeing Milky-way, night photography, camping, Bam (or Rayen) citadel and Shazdeh garden.
Transport: New car in good condition with AC
Options: Camel Riding, 4×4, traditional hammam
Children Friendly: Yes
* Timetable may vary a little throughout the year.
Includes:
Over View
- 2 days
- Best time: Winters
- Group size: Up to 12
- Meals: 2
- Accommodation grade: Camping or ecolodge
- Physical rating: 2 out of 5
- Age group: +8
Pricing
- One person: €210
- Two persons: €120 per person
- Three persons: €90 per person
- Four persons: €80 per person
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We have visited Bam and Kalouts desert with Ali and the trip was amazing. Ali knows a lot of Iran's history and he explained it to us very good! He is very friendly! I recommend his tour for sure! It has been an excellent experience for my parents and me!
In the hot month of June my wife Esther and I visited Kerman as a part of our 4 week Iran tour. We had for 2 days Ali Askhari as guide and driver. Ali proved to be a nice guy who takes his job as guide serious. The first day we went to the Lut desert to see the Kalouts during sunset. On the way there we first made some detours to a beautiful shrine and a huge waterreservoir. We had a stop at a ecolodge where Ali organised a (not planned) 4x4 to go into the desert. Next to a realy fantastic scenery we also had a lot of fun standing in the back of the truck with temperatures up to 50 degrees! Back to the ecolodge for diner Ali took us first down to a qanat which was very interesting regarding the importance of these water supplies in Persian history.. The next day we made a long trip to the citadel of Bam where Ali told us all about the history of this amazing site. On the way back we stopped in Mahan for a nice lunch in the garden of a ecolodge before we visited another beautiful shrine and at last the Bagh-e Shahzde. Then Ali hurried back to Kerman where he booked a Hamam for Esther which was very appriciated after a long hot day! Ali speaks well English, drives safe and has knowledge of both local spots and famous sites. For sure Ali's mission is to make a tour special and interesting for his "clients" which he treats as friends. Again thanks for making our Kerman visit a highlight of our Iran tour!