Visiting the Kaluts of Shahad Desert in Kerman

Highlight of our time in Kerman was visiting the Kaluts and camping at the Shad desert with Mosslem. It was so fun walking across the desert barefooted, feeling the cooling soft sand rubbing against our feet. The desert was so peaceful and devoid of tourists when we were there (probably because it was winter). We managed to find great solace in the silence of the empty Shahad desert.

As we walked through the vast tranquil desert, we were impressed bt the amazing huge naturally formed yardangs (sand castles) of over 5 to 10 storeys high that towered over all of us. These natural landforms are made of sand and have been sculpted by the wind and elements over the years, resulting in these impressive towering  sculptures.

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The kalut desert is also known to be one of the hottest desrets in the world, with temperatures soraing to as high as 70 degrees celcius during summer. Because we went during winter, the sand was cooling enough to walk on barefooted.

Tip: Avoid coming here during summer, the heat would be too unbearable! Spring would be the best time to visit this amazing place.

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Before heading to our campsite, we stopped by this ancient fortress which was quite interesting and its watch towers and main entrance arch were still intact.

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Before the sun set, we quickly adjourned off to our campsite to set up our tent. There was actually a proper campsite there at the desert with huts made up of dried date tree leaves. Some of the huts were lopsided though possible due to the strong winds. Check out our cozy crib for the night! There was even electricity points here, no joke!

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After setting up the tents, Mosslem proceeded to prepare our dinner where he expertly tore apart the whole chicken, marinated it with the Iranian spices, and then cooked it over charcoal fire. The end product was delectable! The meat was so succulent, juicy and tasty! So yummy that I’m almost salivating as I’m typing this!

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Delicious tender chicken kebab cooked over charcoal fire!

After dinner, it was chilling time, just sitting by the fire under the beautiful starry night sky, sipping a cup of hot chai and enjoying each other’s company as we share our different travel experiences. The guys even went to climb up the hill in the middle of the night while Daniel and I stayed behind to look after our belongings. From the top of the hill, the guys used their torch to signal to us and it was funny seeing the blinking dancing lights at the top.

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The day before at the desert, Mosslem was trying to explain to us through his drawing how a date tree leaves look like.

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And true enough, it really does quite look like the real thing! The sunset here was really beautiful, We woke up early to catch the sunrise by the river and it was one of the most beautiful sunrises that we have ever witnessed.

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Visiting the kaluts in Kerman is definitely recommended if you’re travelling to Kerman in iran! But unfortunately it’s not easily accessible without your own car as there’s no public transport to the desert. You have to either hire a taxi or rent a car to get there. We would say it’s worth it though!

Have you seen the Kaluts before? What do you think about the natural sand castles of over 5-10 storeys high? Share with us your comments below 🙂