Nayband Coast

Nayband National Park is a protected area managed by Iran's Department of Environment, located in Asaluyeh County, Bushehr Province, on the coast of the Persian Gulf. It can be regarded as the only marine national park in Iran, and lies 35 kilometres from the city of Asaluyeh. The area covers 49,815 hectares across two provinces: Bushehr Province (Asaluyeh County) and Hormozgan Province (Kushkenar). Of this, 27,000 hectares is sea and the rest is land.

The area is unique for its diversity of wildlife, which includes mouflon and wild sheep, wild goat, ibex, gazelle, jebeer and leopard. The jebeer is also called the Indian gazelle or desert gazelle. It is slightly smaller than a gazelle, with an ochre-coloured coat and a white patch under its belly. Other wildlife includes turtles, dolphins, whales, sharks, crabs, mudskippers and mangroves. You can also see agamas, a kind of lizard, moving about in the sun on the brittle, sharp rocks of Nayband Cape. The vegetation includes mangrove forests and other aquatic plants such as seagrasses and algae in the coastal ecosystems, and salt-tolerant, hardy plants such as tamarisk, saltwort, shast-arusan and camelthorn in areas away from the coast. Other plant species found in the highlands and elevated plains include jujube, Persian mesquite (Prosopis cineraria), sacred fig, Sodom apple, caper-like Calotropis, Zygophyllum, daphne and aloe, among others.

With its beautiful sandy beaches and clear waters, the Nayband protected area in Bushehr is an ideal place for a variety of enjoyable activities, such as walking on the beach, fishing, photography, diving and swimming. The area lies in the south of the country, next to the waters of the Persian Gulf, and has a hot and humid climate. The best time to visit Nayband National Park is therefore late autumn and winter. Early spring, before the weather heats up, can also be a good time.

The park is accessible by car, but some sections of the road are unpaved. There are no facilities such as restrooms, a park or shops in the area, so bring food and drinking water with you before setting out. Overnight stays in Nayband National Park are possible by camping. You can also spend the night in Asaluyeh. The Pazarland tourism village in Shirino Port, with its varied accommodation units such as tube-shaped lodgings or irregular-shaped huts, can be an attractive option.