A desert is an awe-inspiring place with its magnificent sand dunes and strange rock formations, ancient relics, and boundless stretches of life living on its fringes. But the desert can also be a harsh and hostile place for travelers. Many novice travelers find themselves in an extremely unforgiving environment, dusty, grubby and fraught with hardships. Following a few rules and tips will make your next trip to the desert more comfortable, enjoyable, and successful.
Tips for Traveling to the Desert
If you are traveling on Iran Desert Tours, you should know that many tours and tour leaders are familiar with the safety tips for traveling to the desert, you don’t have to do much. While the desert is a beautiful environment, it is harsh. Safety in the desert tour is one of the most important aspects of traveling to these areas. To maintain safety in desert trips, knowing the best season to travel to the desert is better and bringing the necessary equipment for the desert tour. Also, traveling with a good guide can increase the enjoyment and safety of the desert tour. In addition to all this, it is necessary to know information about the animals that you may see on the desert tour. How to navigate in the desert, and is it possible to see a snake on the trip to the desert? In this case, what should we do to keep ourselves safe on the desert tour?
Traveling to the desert is one of the most enjoyable types of travel. Some people prefer to travel to desert areas with family and friends without a tour or guide, and others are interested in traveling with a tour. The important thing is to observe safety tips on desert trips. In the following, we review some key items.
Necessary equipment for the desert tour
Hiking in the Desert
You should avoid walking in the heat of the desert. Early mornings and after the evening is the best time to hike in the desert. Avoid walking in noons and afternoons. When walking or hiking, maintain a slow and constant pace and take frequent breaks. During your breaks, try to sit on an elevation as this is where the floor is the coolest. Just a foot or two off the ground can get pretty cool.
Carry extra water on your trip to the desert:
When you go to the desert, you need a lot of water. Two to six gallons are recommended per person per day, and having at least an extra gallon in your vehicle is a good safety measure. If you get lost, it’s almost impossible to hit a spring or river, so don’t risk it.
Don’t forget your tent and camping equipment:
If you want to camp in the desert on your trip, you need a tent and camping equipment for sleeping. Information on overnight camping equipment can help you stay overnight in the desert. Read some of the accessories that you must have with you:
Thin blanket on desert trips: Instead of taking an extra jacket to warm yourself, it is better to bring a thin blanket. You can warm yourself with it during the day as a blanket and when it gets dark.
Small pillow: If you are traveling to the desert on tour, don’t expect the guide to bring you a soft pillow. It is better to take a small pillow for yourself.
Neck Wallet: Using a neck wallet is a great way to keep your valuables safe and generally organized during your trip to the desert. Keep your phone, wallet, map, keys, and other essentials securely around your neck in this handbag. It’s a great way to keep your gear secure during a day of hiking in the desert!
Using a neck wallet is a great way to keep your belongings safe on your backcountry trips.
Don’t forget sunscreen: nothing ruins your trip like a sunburn. Sunscreen is almost as important as water when traveling to the desert. Try to use sunscreens with high SPF.
A hat, gloves, and a jacket: The desert is hot, and it may seem strange to have such items on your desert tour must-have list. But in the desert, as the days are hot, cool and relatively cold nights await you. So take these things with you as a precaution.
Sunglasses: Besides a hat and sunscreen, sunglasses are another essential item in the desert tour. A good pair of sunglasses can make all the difference when you’re hiking in the desert.
A brimmed hat: since you may be exposed to the sun all day, it is better to have a suitable hat; To protect your eyes from sunlight and your neck from sunburn.
A Mirror to Signal in the Desert: This one might sound weirder than the previous ones. But in the desert, you have the sun, And if you get lost, you can signal with a mirror and save yourself from trouble.
Pocket power bank: If you plan to use your camera or smartphone for music, communicating, taking photos and videos, or anything else, To ensure that the battery does not run out, it is better to have a power bank.
Proper boots for desert hiking: You will need the right boots to do any desert hiking. Wearing boots is not only for comfort while walking in the desert, but it is also one of the ways to maintain safety in the desert tour. Because by wearing sandals, animals like scorpions may bite you easily. Buying the right shoes for hiking is one of the things you should know. In addition, if you are afraid of snakes and are worried about encountering snakes during desert trips, you must read this article.
Ointment or insect repellent bracelets are one of the necessary accessories for desert trips: there are insects in the desert that, if you are not careful, you may be their dinner! Protect yourself from mosquitoes, bedbugs, and ticks by using insect repellant ointment or bracelets to stay safe on a desert tour.
Travel Insurance: There are many things that you may encounter while traveling. So it is better to get reliable insurance for yourself before traveling to the desert. Of course, by traveling with a tour, you don’t need to worry about insurance; Because one of the services of tours is insurance.
First aid kit: Whenever you are outdoors, you need to carry a first aid kit. Desert trips are no exception to this rule. Whether it’s a scraped knee or a headache, you must be prepared for anything. Therefore, one of the necessary pieces of equipment in the desert tour is the first aid kit that the guide carries.
GPS, map and compass essentials for desert navigation: It is a big mistake to get lost in the desert without a GPS, and an even more significant error is not having a backup map. Anticipate technology failure by considering all possibilities. Stick to the basics, like a paper map and compass.
Suitable Clothes for a Desert Tour
Use clothes that are made of mixed materials and dry quickly for the trip to the desert. Wearing pants will protect you from sunburn, and using a long sleeve linen shirt will be helpful for you. Anyone who has experienced outdoor recreation knows that linen clothing is the worst type of clothing for hiking. Because it does not dry easily if it gets wet. But in the desert, this feature of linen clothes is helpful to keep the body cool. It is also handy to use a damp handkerchief to reduce the heat of the air.
What not take with you on a desert tour?
Jeans: Don’t bother wearing tight jeans in the desert. Jeans and traveling in the desert do not go together.
Beautiful jewelry and clothes: There is no need for jewelry on such a desert trip.
Unnecessary electronics: You certainly don’t need your iPad, Xbox, or computer in the desert!
Valuable items: You don’t need to bring your expensive items with you on this trip, just bring the necessary and suitable items for your trip to the desert.
The Wildlife of the Desert
One of the ways to maintain safety in the desert tour is to get familiar with all kinds of desert animals and prepare to deal with the dangers that may be lurking.
Camel: One of the animals living in the desert is the camel, and camel riding has become one of the common pastimes in the deserts.
Scorpion: Scorpions are one of the dangerous creatures in the desert. Don’t miss the article “Beware of insect bites while traveling” to learn about the types of scorpions and ways to treat their stings.
Lizards: Lizards also live in some deserts. It can be said that Bzmjeh is the most dangerous type of lizard that you have to watch out for in some desert areas such as Aran and Bidgol deserts.
Monitor lizard: َAs the name suggests, this lizard is perhaps one of the most dangerous types of lizard. Having said this, although the lizard’s poisonous bite can kill small animals, it is not fatal to humans but can still cause severe pain.
Other animals that we may see on the desert tour: In addition to the above, deserts are home to other animals such as beetles, lizards, foxes, rabbits, mice, and animals such as deer, goats, sheep, deer, etc.
When is the best season to travel to the desert?
The best season to travel to the desert is autumn and the months of April and April in spring. Because the desert weather in these seasons is moderate and mild during the day and a little cold at night.
Finally, you don’t need to worry about anything by picking up the desert tour supplies and traveling with an experienced guide. Because the tour guide is not only familiar with the weather condition, geological position, and topography of the deserts, he will solve it in case of any danger.
Stay in the desert
Usually, one day is enough time to travel to the deserts of Iran and enjoy the desert atmosphere. But if you want to visit other nearby attractions besides the desert, you need more time and an overnight stay. It is better to use accommodations instead of camping to maintain your safety. There are all kinds of ecotourism accommodations and all types of Iran tours in the deserts and nearby cities. In some cases, you can even go to a resort in the heart of the desert itself, such as Matin Abad Desert Eco-Camp, Ateshoni in the Mesr Desert, and the Varzaneh Oasis Recreation Site in the Varzaneh Desert.
Desert Destinations in Iran
Maranjab Kashan Desert: By traveling to Maranjab, you will not only enjoy the beauty and entertainment of the desert, but you can also visit important historical monuments such as the underground city of Ouyi.
Khur and Biabanak Mesr Desert: Mesr Desert is a desert that has been featured in many Iranian movies. The movie ‘So Close, So Far’ was filmed in the Mesr Desert, and after that, the name of this desert became very popular. Mesr is a village in Khur and Biabanak districts with many names, such as Chah Daraz and Kalate Yusuf. Jandaq is located 45 minutes away from this village, and it is 8 hours away from Tehran. Mesr has a boulevard around which you will find accommodations and coffee shops. When you reach the end of the boulevard, the golden ramparts will appear. The amenities in the Mesr desert are better than in the rest of the Iranian deserts.
Helwan Desert of Tabas: As the name of this desert shows, Helwan desert is near Tabas and in the South Khorasan province. A large part of the Helwan desert is sandy, and in the eastern and northern areas of the edge of Rigzar, there are salt and clay marshes of the desert plain and Namak-Khor lake.
Dasht Lut: Lut Desert or Dasht Lut is one of the most special deserts of Iran. Once, the hottest place in the world was recorded in this desert, which was 70 degrees Celsius. Lut desert is a vast area with an area of 40 thousand square kilometers. Lut Desert is one of the most inaccessible places in the world, and in some parts of it, there are no living organisms, not even bacteria.
Shahdad Kaluts: Kerman’s Shahdad Kaluts was ranked the fourth natural attraction in the world several years ago in the National Geographic magazine due to their extraordinary beauty. This area is also known as the imaginary city of Kalut.
Abuzaid-Abad desert in Kashan: Abuzaid-Abad desert in Kashan is one of the best options for desert trekking. In addition to the Abuzaid-Abad desert, you can also visit the underground city of Ouyi. One day is enough to see the desert of Abuzaid-Abad and some attractions around it. We suggest that you include watching the desert sky in your schedule.
Varzaneh desert of Isfahan: Varzaneh desert is in Isfahan province and the closest desert to Tehran. The whole Varzaneh region is also known as the Khara desert, but there is a big difference between the known Varzaneh region and the Khara deserts. Khara sands are loose and not suitable at all for desert climbing; on the contrary. Varzaneh desert has many dunes, and the view of the desert from the top of these dunes is spectacular.
Matin Abad, Isfahan: What adds to the charm of Matin Abad is the presence of the first eco-camp in this area. Natural energy is used in this eco-friendly residence, and its proximity to the desert areas of Isfahan and Kashan attracts many tourists. By traveling to Matin Abad, one may see some animal species such as sand cat, sand fox, rabbit, and birds such as raven.
Rig-e Jen desert of Semnan: Rig-e Jen desert is a vast sea of sand that has swallowed many creatures due to its pits and salt marshes, and this issue has fueled many rumors about this area since the distant past. In the desert, because of its silence, every sound is heard louder than usual, and the eyes see only sand and mirage. All these things together can take you deep into the stories you have heard from this area.
Ardakan Golden Sand Desert: Golden Sand Desert is located between Bafq Desert, Saqand Village, and Bayazeh Village. The golden sand dunes are spectacular; some are so high that they look like mountains from a distance.
Caracal Desert: Caracal Desert is located in Yazd province and Bafaq city. Sometimes this desert is also called Sadegh Abad, so if you hear it, you know that it is Caracal. It has become famous because of its proximity to a village with this name. The Caracal Desert is the birthplace of a very beautiful feline of the same name. Caracal is one of the central deserts of Iran. One of the significant points of access to the Caracal desert is the asphalt road to the desert itself, which makes it easy for everyone to access.
RezaAbad desert: RezaAbad is located in Shahrud city and in Semnan province. To see the village of Reza Abad, you can experience staying in one of the villages of RezaAbad or Qala Bala. The best travel time to go to the Reza Abad desert is spring and particularly autumn.
