In the past, people perhaps liked to travel somewhere full of trees or to go to green spaces or stay by the sea. But traveling to the desert has become popular since some years ago. The Dagh Sorkh Desert is one of those travel destinations.
One of the well-liked deserts of Isfahan province is the Dagh Sorkh Desert near Ardestan. To reach the Dagh Sorkh, enter the Tehran-Qom highway, follow the path of Kashan and after three hundred sixty kilometers, reach Ardestan. It is about sixteen kilometers from Ardestan to Zavareh. There are about twenty-five kilometers from the city center of Zavareh to the center of Desert. After Zavareh, you reached the Karimabad village. From here starts the desert.
A not-so-tall mountain range and forest of Haloxylon shrubs have separated Iran's central desert from Dagh Sorkh. This desert is located northeast of Zavareh. It is about fifty kilometers long and twenty kilometers wide and it seems like an oval on the map.
There are several routes where one can walk in Dagh Sorkh, but the Karimabad route is more popular. There is a road that reaches the heart of the desert from this village. For most months of the year, the route is dry and safe. But on certain days, especially during and after the rain, the Dagh Sorkh is wet and the salt layers of the earth are filled with water. Desert touring in such a situation is by no means the easy and wet and sticky ground is a trouble maker. That's why it's best to check the weather before traveling.
After passing the forest of Haloxylon shrubs and Tamarisk trees, the desert landscape comes to life. There is spectacular saltwater on your way as if it was made of hundreds of salt polygons. A little further along you came to an area known as Cauliflower. The area seems to have been manually plowed. This makes walking a little harder. As you go through it, the fields become smoother. The color will turn yellow first and then darker and brown. But eventually, you step on soft sands, somewhere in the middle of this desert near Tele Sheitan (the tepe of the devil).
The characteristic of the Tele Sheitan is talus is that it is the color of a desert, with no salt in it. Tele Sheitan is made up of large and small hills and this is one of the main attractions of the Dagh Sorkh Desert. Many tourists camp in the Dagh Sorkh Desert and observe the stars until the dawn. You can watch the desert landscape in the daylight from above.
Visiting Sorkh Desert, it is advisable to travel with a guide or tour to visit the Red Desert. Enough water, light food, proper footwear, sun hat, and sunscreen should never be forgotten.
On the way backئ, you can take a tour in Zavareh. The traditional and preserved architecture of Zwakar will make you satisfied. Although there is no sign of modern buildings, there are plenty of narrow streets and old houses.