Iran - The Namakdan salt cave in the west of Qeshm

Qeshm is the largest island in the Persian Gulf, some even tell us it is the largest in the world. We are sceptical, but smile and think to ourselves that they probably mean the largest in Iran. The island has an eventful history. It used to be called Alexandria and was much sought after because of its location. If we could, we would look as far as Dubai. Only 150 kilometres separate us. Various powers such as the Elam Empire, the Umayyads, the Abbasids, the British and the Portuguese fought over the island over the course of time.

Today, Qeshm is primarily known for its nature. The island is a UNESCO Global Geopark, which means that it is of particular geological interest. There are salt caves, mangrove forests and the so-called Valleys of the Stars with their unusual limestone formations. These landscapes tell stories from a time when the area was still largely under water.

As we drive across the island, which is around 150 kilometres long and 40 kilometres wide, we notice that we are already very impressed by nature. We hardly see any greenery, but the many beautiful beige-brown desert colours inspire us. The rock formations promise something beautiful.

The road to our next destination is then a bit bumpy: 12 kilometres of stony washboard track. Our Felix is rattling and I'm starting to worry whether the lockers will stay in place. Gerd almost wants to turn round, but eventually we make it and arrive.

Today we visit the Namakdan, one of the longest salt caves in the world. These caves are not only remarkable because of their size, but also because of the extraordinary salt formations that can be found there. We should actually have booked a guided tour, but somehow it doesn't want to take place today. So we explore the cave on our own.

At the entrance we pay our obligatory million, get a cup of tea and have to look at some nice books. Only later do we realise that this is a sales event. Well, thick illustrated books really aren't our typical souvenir and so we manage to put the books, which show really great photos, back and go on a discovery tour on our own.

We leave the headlamp - what kind of professionals are we? - We leave it in the car, of course, so we have to use our mobile phones as a light source. Instead of the 6 kilometres indicated, we only walk a few hundred metres into the cave. And we are all alone here. The whole thing is fascinating. Stalactites and stalagmites made of salt form unique structures that shimmer in different colours depending on the incidence of light. These salt caves were formed when salt water emerged from underground springs and crystallised over millions of years.

As we leave the cave again, the heat beats down on us. It's warm, which is what we wanted. But so warm straight away? The wind from the sea saves us a little on our subsequent hike through the valley, so the 30 degrees and the mercilessly burning sun are easy to bear. And we decide: From now on, we will always camp by the sea, wherever there is a breeze.

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Merci for "travelling with us

We are thinking about taking another break from travelling in the summer and visiting our families in Germany and Switzerland. One of the ideas is to organise a Lecture about our long journey to the Persian Gulf to prepare. If you would like to, what would interest you the most? We will also tell stories here that don't find a place here on the blog. We're thinking of the Bern and Berlin area - simply because we have family there. But other places are also conceivable. Feel free to write to us.

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