Unlicensed Tours to Lut Desert Banned

The office of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization in Kerman Province has banned the entry of any unlicensed tour to Lut Desert to organize tourism activities in the world heritage site. Speaking to ISNA, Mahmoud Vafaei added that any travel agency aiming to organize tours to the desert should coordinate with UNESCO's World Heritage Office in Kerman Province in advance and get the required license.

"Being lost in the extended desert, technical failure of vehicles and strong sand storms are among troubles that travelers might face in the desert," he said, adding that going on licensed tours helps prevent any inconvenience.

Lut Desert, a vast desert shared between the provinces of Kerman and Sistan-Baluchestan, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July, becoming Iran’s first natural heritage site on the list. Currently, travel infrastructures in the region include roads, tourist lodges and restaurants.

"Mahan Airline is also to launch a tourist complex in the desert, providing every facility needed by a traveler," Vafaei said. Referring to Kerman as a popular travel destination of foreign tourists in the last two years, the authorities hope the number of tourists will increase following the implementation of tourism projects. Locally called Dasht-e Lut, the salt desert in northeastern Kerman Province is the 25th largest desert in the world and one of the hottest places on Earth. It has recorded the highest temperature ever measured on the planet in 2005: 70.7 degrees Celsius.