Kharturan Desert

Kharturan Desert lies in the eastern part of Semnan Province, 140 kilometres southeast of the city of Shahrud. The desert covers 1,470,640 hectares and consists of 3 sections. About 75 percent of its total area is set aside as wildlife habitat, and 8 percent is known as Kharturan National Park. The remaining 17 percent forms the Kharturan Protected Area. The Kharturan desert region is the second-largest protected area in Iran and is home to more than 300 animal species. It is considered the largest biosphere reserve in the world after the Serengeti in Africa, which is why it is of such great importance.

The wildlife of Kharturan includes 41 species of mammals, 167 species of birds, 42 species of reptiles, 2 species of amphibians and 72 species of snakes, some of which are very rare. The animals and birds of Kharturan include the Persian onager, Persian leopard, Asiatic cheetah, red fox, wild goat, goat, wild sheep (ram and ewe), gazelle, goitered gazelle, caracal, jird, striped hyena, wildcat, sand cat, houbara bustard, see-see partridge, chukar partridge, ferruginous duck, green-winged teal, heron, Henderson's ground jay, falcon, golden eagle, saker falcon, eagle owl, Egyptian vulture, and others. Reptiles include the monitor lizard, agama, various tortoises, and snakes such as the Persian horned viper, Latifi's viper, the spoon-headed snake (Kafcheh mar), the Levantine viper and others. The desert's remarkable vegetation is also interesting in its own right. Besides its animal diversity, the area has notable plant diversity. Plants such as Zygophyllum (Qeych), Caravan-killer (Karvan-kosh), wormwood, camel thorn, milkvetch (Gavan) and tamarisk and saxaul (Gaz and Taghe) make up a large part of the vegetation of the Kharturan Desert.

As you would expect, desert regions have a very hot climate. For this reason, the best time to visit Kharturan is the second half of the year. If you plan to stay overnight in Kharturan, be aware that winter nights there are very cold and harsh. Kharturan Desert is in Semnan Province, 140 kilometres southeast of the city of Shahrud. There are several ways to reach this beautiful desert, and you can approach it from different provinces. The route depends on where you start. Wherever you are in Iran, first make your way to Shahrud, and from there follow one of the routes below to reach the Kharturan Desert.