Autumnal colors of red and orange along with snowy mountains has bestowed Choghakhor wetland breathtaking beauty, Mehr New Agency reported.
The wetland in the highest spot of the country on Zagros peaks is among the most picturesque landscapes of Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari Province, which joins the Zagros massifs with Isfahan on the edge of Iran’s central desert. The wetland attracts many visitors from other provinces; however, the scope of tourism is far less noteworthy compared to the other more prominent and well known Anzali wetland in the northern province of Gilan.
The wetland enjoys beauty unparalleled elsewhere in the country; snow-white mountains now have imparted the landscape with a beauty along with the autumnal colors of red and orange. The clear waters of the wetland reflect the migratory birds flying above in the clear sky; there is symmetry when the imagery is reflected into the clear waters and creates unique beauties in the wetland.
Choghakhor international wetland also is home to a sheer diversity of plant and animal life; with over 2300 hectares of area in the vicinity of Boldaji, Borujen, and in the outskirts of Baraftab and Kolar local mounts, the wetland has an aquatic area of 1360-1500 hectares and average depth of 6 meters. It hosts more than 58 plant and animal species.
A local villager Ebrahimi said the cold season had been a great barrier in the way of tourists which prefer more favorable weather conditions; “The wetland freezes when temperatures fall below zero, and now it is on the verge of freezing. The wetland is a great potential tourist resort and these potentials should be exploited to attract more tourists to the region,” he added.
“In spring and summer, tourists swarm the region, providing locals with a source of income; they buy from locals their fruits, dairies and handicrafts,” said the villager.
“Surprisingly, few people know such a beautiful wetland with breathtaking landscape awaits the visitors in this part of the country; little work has been done to promote the wetland and the surrounding picturesque natural beauty by provincial tourism authorities. It has been eclipsed by Isfahan, which absorbs major portion of the flow of tourists coming from the region after visiting the deserts of central Iran,” he said.
He also lamented the fact that accommodation and hotel services are lacking and no significant shopping centers or restaurants offer recreation. Meanwhile the head of provincial Cultural Heritage and Tourism office Bahman Asgari said Choghakhor wetland has considerable tourist potentials. The wetland attracts tourists in different seasons, “since it offers different beauties in different times of the year.”
