Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Explore the biodiverse waters of the
Harra Sea Forest
(
Click here
)
Marvel at the sculptural Chahkooh Canyon in Qeshm's extraordinary
Geopark
(
Click here
)
Eat and sleep with the locals in a
homestay
(
Click here
)
Watch endangered Hawksbill Turtles lay eggs on the beach at
Shibderaz village
(
Click here
)
Take an early-morning speedboat to the former Portuguese outpost of
Hormoz
Island
(
Click here
)
Kish Islandشیک هريزج
0764 / POP 20,667
'Oh, but have you been to Kish? You absolutely must go.' Travelling in Iran you're likely
to hear this more than once. And when you ask what is so special about Kish, you're told:
'But Kish is wonderful; everything works there. The beaches are clean, the buildings are
modern and there's duty-free shopping. It's just like Dubai!'
And yes, all of this is true…to a degree. Since the 1970s, when the last shah tried to
transform this desert island into a playground for the rich and famous, Kish has become
the Iranian equivalent of Hawaii, the Costa del Sol or the Queensland Gold Coast - a
beach resort where visitors can swim, shop and sample a laid-back and relatively liberated
local lifestyle. Here, women let their headscarves slip back a bit, wear sandals, water ski
(albeit in hejab-style wetsuits) and ride bicycles; men wear T-shirts and shorts, openly
smoke qalyans (water pipes) and indulge their wives and children with ice cream and trips
to the mall. It's all very different from life on the mainland.
As a result, Kish is booming. Hotels, apartment blocks and retail complexes dominate
the once-deserted desert landscape, domestic tourist numbers are on the rise and the island
also hosts a steady stream of Filipino workers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who
come here on so-called 'visa-change flights' to wait for their Emerati working visas to be
extended.
However, there aren't any compelling reasons for Western tourists to join these throngs.
Males and females can't swim or sunbathe together, the shopping is lacklustre (cheap
products from China, India and Korea), there are few historical sights and the cost of liv-
ing is considerably more expensive than elsewhere in the country. So if you're after an
