Jandaq Desert

The Jandaq Desert is another of Isfahan's most spectacular deserts, welcoming many lovers of nature tourism, desert trekking and sightseeing every year. It offers a rare opportunity to be in the heart of the wild desert landscape. You might think it has no entertainment or appeal, but with its starry night sky and unrivalled silence, it invites you to spend time in a piece of heaven on earth. It is also worth knowing that the sand, the gravel and the wind, which set these permanent components of the desert in motion across vast areas, create one of the most original and captivating real-life scenes in nature before your eyes. This is why many travellers and tourists from around the world head to this region every year to witness this beautiful natural phenomenon.

Jandaq is a hot desert region with little rainfall, and for most of the year it is dry with scarce water. For this reason, we recommend that you do not travel to this region in the first six months of the year. The second half of the year, however, is the time when this region is spectacular and unmatched. Days in Jandaq are hot, while nights are cold and bitter. So if you travel to the Jandaq Desert in the second half of the year, be sure to set out with full equipment, such as enough warm clothing and a blanket.

Although rainfall in this region is low, you may be surprised to learn that Jandaq saffron is among the finest saffron in Iran. In recent years, however, because of water shortages, the harvest of this plant has fallen sharply. A distinctive vegetation has also developed in the region, perfectly suited to the hot, dry desert climate. Trees and shrubs such as madder, wild almond, taq (saxaul), tamarisk, eshnu, asparagus, camel thorn and licorice, all well adapted to saline water, are found here in abundance. The region is also home to a wide variety of animals. Animals such as cheetahs, leopards, eagles, sand foxes, wolves, common foxes of various kinds, chukar partridges, see-see partridges, sandgrouse, ewes, goats, wild goats, mouflon rams, turtle doves and hares are permanent residents of this desert.