Atlas/africa-middle-east/Deep field file

Signal verified · updated 2026-09-03

Qeshm Island

Iran's largest island in the Strait of Hormuz, a UNESCO Global Geopark famed for the Valley of Stars, salt caves and mangrove forests.

26.767° N55.773° E
site access marine
Qeshm International Airport (GSM)
Valley of Stars
Chahkuh Canyon
Portuguese Castle
Formation
folded sedimentary rock; salt diapirs, caves and badlands erosion landforms
Population
117,774
Water
Persian Gulf
Access
moderate
01

Every required movement

The passage
to Qeshm Island.

Fly to Qeshm International Airport (GSM) or take passenger/car ferries from Bandar Abbas (Shahid Bahonar and Shahid Zakeri ports).

  1. 01
    Qeshm International Airport (GSM)

    Nearest recorded air access

    Schedule or condition may change · verify
  2. 02
    Water crossing

    Bandar Abbas-Shahid Zakeri passenger ferries; car ferry from Bandar-e Pol; dhow trips to Hengam Island.

    Schedule or condition may change · verify
  3. 03
    Entry check

    Iran visa required for most visitors; Qeshm free-zone entry rules can ease access - check current rules.

    Schedule or condition may change · verify

Research, then reserve

These searches open a third-party travel service. Some links may earn Lonely Island a referral fee; ranking never depends on commission.

What the chart cannot hold

What becomes visible when you follow valley of stars beyond the familiar map?

Arrow-shaped Qeshm runs ~135 km parallel to the Iranian coast, separated by the Clarence Strait. A free trade-industrial zone with fishing and dhow-building traditions, it is Iran's premier geotourism destination within the Qeshm Island UNESCO Global Geopark.

Settled since Elamite times; Portuguese held nearby Hormuz (1507-1622); Safavid Persia retook the strait; long a fishing and trading island, declared a free zone in the 1990s.

02

Field ledger

The useful
details.

Coordinates
26.77° N · 55.77° E
Sovereignty
Iran · part of country
Nearest mainland
Iranian mainland at Bandar Abbas across the Clarence Strait
Best recorded window
October-April (cooler, dry).
Permits / entry
Iran visa required for most visitors; Qeshm free-zone entry rules can ease access - check current rules.
Languages
Persian, Qeshmi Arabic dialect, Bandari
03

Community intelligence

Notes from
the crossing.

Share firsthand conditions, access changes, respectful observations, or a question for someone who has been.

No traveler has left a public note here yet.

The empty ledger is part of the mystery—and an invitation to be useful.

Travel information changes quickly. This field file was last revised 2026-09-03. Confirm all transport and permit details before booking.