Dasht-e Lut

Temperatures of up to 70° Celsius have been measured in the Lut Desert in southern Iran, making it one of the hottest and driest places in the world.

Since I wanted to spend a night in the desert Lut to take some photos of the starry sky, I booked into one of the "Eco Lodges" there, which was recommended to me by the hostel in Kerman. At the hostel they had said that the night would only cost about 10 Euro per night, but then it turned out that the price was actually 18 Euro/night. And as there is also no shop nearby, I have no other choice but to book a dinner and breakfast in addition, which then costs an extra 7 Euro. But for one night, it's ok.

In the late evening I set off to drive further into the desert. At first it looks surprisingly green, as strange trees and bushes grow everywhere. As I drive on, the vegetation suddenly disappears and a huge flat plain spreads out up to the horizon.
About 40 km further on, I finally reach the famous rock formations called Kalut. Large snow-white areas between the rocks reveal that the desert Lut is a salt desert.
As the underground is not sandy but rather hard and dusty, one can also easily leave the road and make a small excursion into the desert. Between the rock formations, I discover two cars with seemingly Iranian tourists that are having a picnic here and are obviously waiting for the sunset.
Surprisingly fast the sun disappears behind the mountains and bathes the sky in a yellow-orange light.

Finally I make my way back to the Eco-Lodge. After dinner, when it is really dark, a little hike into the desert is on the agenda to take some pictures of the starry sky.