The Matinabad Desert Eco-Camp is a beautiful place in the Iranian desert. If you want to go on long walks through the desert and disconnect from your busy life for a while, it’s the right place.
I arrived at night after a long drive and the lights from the tents immediately transported me into the stories of one thousand and one nights.
The Matinabad Desert Eco-Camp is a unique and magical place. The Iran Doostan Tours Company had the idea for the first Iranian Eco camp in 2008. It’s located close to Iran’s largest national park, Dasht-e Kavir, and an impressive salt lake. There is a great coffee house on the top floor of the building and a nice restaurant a little further on that cooks with vegetables from the organic farm at the camp.
You can chose from different rooms or tents. Rooms with a bathroom, heating and all modern conveniences or simple Iranian village style rooms. Or you can just stay with a traditional Iranian nomad tent.
I stayed in a nice room with a bathroom and a toilet but would have preferred to stay in one of the tents. There is something magical about them, especially at night. The lights reminded me of a warm living room, an open fire and stories being told.
Internet didn’t work well at the camp. Once I gave up on trying, I noticed how relaxing it was not to use my phone, after all, I was in a desert about to drive further into the middle of nowhere. If I wanted a real experience it made sense not to be continually connected to the rest of the world. It was a welcome change to my daily habit of using a phone and the internet.
The Eco camp is a great place. The beautiful architecture and the atmosphere of the place gave me a well-needed timeout from my busy life.
If you wanna book a tour check out our friends at
IRAN Doostan
https://www.instagram.com/irandoostantravel/
https://irandoostan.com/
Matinabad Desert Eco-Resort – https://matinabad.com/en/
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