All branches of adventure tourism are somehow related to nature and are even sometimes considered as a sub-branch of nature tourism. Despite this, nature tourism alone includes dozens of sub-branches of special interests tourism. The scope of nature tourism could be as large as a country. A broad set of scattered resources, some unregistered and in many cases in deteriorating conditions, form the nature tourism possessions of countries like Iran.
As analysis of the natural geography of Iran and an assessment of the feasibility of each of the natural tourism attractions worth investing, demonstrate that tourism could be a unique and viable economic resource for the country.
Nature tourism in Iran seems to be primarily influenced by regional climate. It is assumed that countries like Iran which are placed in the continental high pressure area have an arid and semi-arid desert climate; whereas a set of geological folds has turned Iran into one of the highest plateaus of the world. Consequently the extreme contrast of the altitude to the latitude has made the natural state of Iran to be very much different from its geographical location.
Two high and vast mountain ranges of Alborz and Zagros placed at the heart of an arid and desert region have created a set of mountainous and forest landscapes with moderate climate and even glaciers. This geographic variety has prepared the ground for the highly diverse flora and fauna of the region. This has made Iran as one of the 5 countries of the world which have full biodiversity. In addition, the largest lake in the world located in the north of the country, the 1200-kilometer seashore of the Persian Gulf,50 lakes from among which 18 are listed in Ramsar convention on wetlands of international importance, and finally Urmia Lake, are known as one of the 59 biological resources on earth. The thick forests in the north-west of Mazandaran are the last survivors of such forests in the world and for this reason are considered as ancient forests. In most of the deserts in Iran, winds, the volume of smooth sand and the maximum temperature are registered to be at the highest level in the world. Moreover a variety of very old customs and life styles such as nomadic life which is dependent on climatic conditions are part of Iran’s tourism properties.
In fact, being among the first 5 countries of the world that enjoy the greatest diversity of climate means that Iran has the potential for any kind of ecotourism investment. Furthermore, the availability of the resources in the ecotourism sites of the country makes it easier for such investment without even relying on doubling the attractions.
2-1- The Importance of Nature Tourism:
Nature tourists in an international scale are within the age range of 35 to 54 and %80 of them are highly educated who mostly prefer group tours. Since most of nature tours last between 8 to 14 days, thus they are capable of attracting wider range of tourists for a relatively longer time. On the other hand, studies in North America indicate that nature tourists tend to spend around 1000 to 1500 dollars for their trips. Besides, international nature tourists usually spend a substantial sum for the purchase of souvenir and local food. Thus, in sum, it can be concluded that nature tourists spend more money in comparison to other groups of tourists.
American tourist information centers in 2000 announced that in a three-year period, there were more than 43 million nature tourists in this country; this number represents the status of nature tourism in America which has made it possible for at least 300,000 people to directly or indirectly earn their living this way. Countries like Costa Rica and Honduras in the continent of America have announced that almost %70 of their tourists are nature tourists. This means that nature tourism plays a significant role in the development of tourism industry.
Nature Tourism Attractions in Iran:
Nature tourism in Iran is usually divided into some categories and subcategories of watching wild life, nature photography, camping, hiking, mountain climbing, nature walking, desert tours, camel riding, forest tours, star gazing, etc.
-Watching wildlife:
Wildlife tours such as watching Iranian zebras in Tooran national park and Iranian yellow stag in Urmia national park are among the programs.
-Bird watching:
It includes programs such as watching birds in Miankaleh and Boojaq lagoons, Bakhtegan and Tashak Lakes and desert birds in Maranjab desert and Kaveer National Park.
-Watching flowers and plants:
Watching Chelcheraq lily in Roodbar in mid-June, inverted tulips in Shahr-e-Kord in mid-April, and also Hirkani forests in Gorgan and Anzali plus palaver plains in Tehran in April.
-Nature photography:
Taking pictures of the hottest desert in the worlds in Fall and Winter, Persian Gulf coasts in Qeshm, Hera forest, and the thick forests of Guilan.
-Camping:
In Neor lake in Ardebil or Kelardasht from Spring to Fall; and Tar Lake in Tehran.
-Hiking:
From spring to Fall, Aahar, Rineh and Fasham in Tehran are suitable places for hiking; Karaj in all seasons is quite suitable too.
-Trekking:
Abnik, Verjin and Band-e-Eish in Tehran plus Alvand in Hamedan are suitable places for trekking.
-Sea tours:
Include watching coral coasts in Persian Gulf, cruises between Persian Gulf ports, watching Dolphins in Qeshm and Kish; watching turtles in Qeshm, glass-bottom boat riding in Qeshm and Kish.
-Nature walking:
Condor near Varish and Asalem in Khalkhal from Spring to Fall, Tarom in Zanjan in Spring, Qasre-Bahram in Varamin, are good places for nature walking.
-Nature Discovery:
It is possible to have such tours around all cities of the country, yet a few are referred here: Khajeer National Park and Sorkhe-e-Hesar in Tehran; Golestan Forests and Deylaman from Spring to Summer
-Camel riding in desert:
Kavir -e- Mesr around Semnan, Halavan -e- Tabas village, Naeen and Kavir -e- Maranjab.
-Watching natural landscapes:
Arasbaran forests; Kavir -e- Maranjab, Alamoot castle ,Avan Lake, Anzali Lagoon are among the most prominentPlaces for nature watching.
-Desert Tours:
From Qasr-e-Bahram to Maranjab Caravansary in Spring and Fall and winter; Kaveer-e-Shahdad in Kerman in Winter, Kavir-e-Maranjab in Fall.
Star Gazing:
Rahagh village near Qom, Dehnamak Karavansara in Garmsar, Maranjab and Qasr-e-Bahram.
Forest tours:
Zanjan to Masooleh, Sharoud to Sari; Alamout to kelardasht are suitable four-day paths.
It is worth mentioning that almost in all the above trips, there are a lot of marginal attractions namely in the area of cultural heritage, handicrafts and anthropology which enrich the tours.
