Qeshm Island - Largest Island in the Persian Gulf

At 1335 square kilometers, Qeshm Island is the largest island in the Persian Gulf. Qeshm Island is destined to grow into a popular tourist destination but for now feels relatively untouched.

Qeshm can boast of beautiful beaches an interior of beautiful hills and mountains, and a coastline dotted with Bandari villages.

It is on this island that you will find boat building yards turning out the lenges (large wooden cargo boats) that have criss -crossed the Golf for centuries, traditional fishing villages such as Laft and the world's largest known salt cave.

But it has to be said that outside of Qeshm Town there are not many facilities and much of the southern coast is a dedicated naval zone.

You can get to Qeshm by air, speedboat or car ferry.

Once on Qeshm Island it is fairly easy to get around either by shared taxis or minibuses.

Qeshm Town

Qeshm Town is the largest on the island and apart from one other resort is the only place that you will find accommodation.

Even though Qeshm Town has a long history there is really little to show for it.

The best known attraction in Qeshm town is the crumbling Ghal'e-ye Portoghaliha (Portuguese Tower). Admission here is free but to be honest once you have taken a photograph of a palm tree through the curved ramparts there is little else to do or see.

The Qeshm Museum has a mixture of natural, cultural and geological exhibits including Siamese twin goats, turtles and a pygmy white-toothed shrew. Open 9am-noon and 5pm-8pm Sat- Thurs admission is free. You will find the Qeshm Museum at Valiasr Blvd.

Probably the main draw for Iranian visitors is the extensive Bazar-e Bozorg. Frankly an uninspiring duty-free strip of duty-free malls.

All but one sleeping option on Qeshm Island are in Qeshm Town with the cheapest being located on Imam Khomeini Avenue.

You may want to take a look at Khalija Fars Hotel (basic but friendly), or the Golestan Apartment Hotel (attached bathrooms but book well in advance).

For midrange options you might want to try the Diplomat Hotel (some rooms overlooking the town and sea) the Park Hotel (choose this only if the Diplomat is full).

Diving off of Qeshm is a delight with some impressive coral reefs. The Dolphin Diving School (tel:021-7763-2085) is run by English speaking Siamak Derakhshan. Here you are given the option of boat and shore diving. Be sure to contact the school several days beforehand though.

When it comes to dining on Qeshm island you will find that many of the midrange hotels have restaurants but there are also plenty of restaurants in the shopping malls along Valiasr Blvd.

Out of Town

A great place to visit is the fishing village of Laft which is located 52km west of Qeshm town. It is here that you will see the fast-disappearing traditional cultures of the Persian Gulf.

Moving a few hundred metres north of Laft you will come to one of Qeshm's many lenge building yards.

The Harra Sea Forest can be seen from Laft with its 9000 hectares it is the largest mangrove forest in the Persian Gulf. It is possible to venture into the forest either by rented canoe or motorboat. During the spring you will find more than 200 species of migrating birds here.

2006 saw most of the western half of Qeshm island including the Harra mangroves being declared Iran's first Unesco Geopark. It is here that you will find Namakdan cave, the longest known salt-cave system on earth.

The best way to get out and about on the island is to hire a taxi as transport is infrequent. Plus your driver will have knowledge of the area and its history.

For now I think that a visit to Qeshm island is for the intrepid traveler but this is certainly a location to keep watching.