A Peaceful Stay in an Iranian Desert Eco-Resort

We are proud to introduce one of the world’s best practices in eco-tourism to our national and international desert lovers.

After two years of research, we decided to design a location in the Iranian desert so our guests can experience peaceful full-star nights after a fun camel back riding and a walk on the hot sands of the desert during the day.

And we decided to do this task as best as possible by following all environmental and industrial requirements.

The Matin Abad eco-camp and organic farm are located 60 km from the city of Kashan one of the tourism attractions in central Iran.

The eco-resort is in the heart of an Iranian desert one side facing the highest central mountains of Iran, Karkas Mountains, and the other side facing the Dasht-e Kvir Desert and a salt lake.

In this eco-resort, our guests get the opportunity to experience a variety of desert activities. All the nature lovers can enjoy trekking on camels or on foot, bike ride between the sand dunes and mountain gorges, desert walk, safari short trips with Jeeps or ATV bikes, and star gazing at night.

The eco-resort will host the guests in rooms designed in a Carvanseraei style building, in tents, and in Iranian village-style rooms named Koomeh.

The rooms of Carvanseraei are equipped with air conditioner, bathroom, western toilets, two beds, refrigerator, and TV set.

There is the possibility of adding an extra bed if it’s needed as well. Iinterior of the rooms is designed using thatch, brick, and plaster which gives you the sense of being in a traditional Iranian desert home.

On the roof the complex there is a special suite room called Shahneshin (the place of the King) which has a panoramic view of the beautiful desert and farms.

Our tents are fully equipped for a comfortable stay in the desert. Electricity is available for the tents. During the hot days mosquito nets are used as a natural air conditioner to get air circulation and for the cold season a heater or Korsi (traditional Iranian heater) will make the air in the tent pleasant. Rug, mattress, pillow, blanket, and sheets are available according to the number of people that have reserved the tent.

There is enough space between our nomad tents to provide adequate privacy for our guests and they are located close to the main complex, bath, and restrooms.

By using the green technology we are trying to have the least impact on our fragile desert. 70% of the energy needed for heating clean-water comes from solar energy that can provide enough energy for the stay of about 100 people per day.

Eco-friendly lights are installed in the camp and the guests are supplied with limited electricity in order to lessen the oil/gas usage and carbon dioxide emission.

Organic production from the organic farms of Matinabad is another factor that makes this camp the most credible eco-camps and responsible tourism in Iran.

We match ourselves to the universal CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and SRB (Socially Responsible Business) that are set by the international organizations of Tourism and Ecotourism in order to be a reliable model to promote education, consideration, and respect the ethical codes.

You will enjoy the taste of traditional Persian dishes cooked by the Matin Abad locals in the restaurant. Every meal that you eat in the camp is prepared from the most natural and organic products from the earth.

The restaurant is surrounded by sand hills, green farmlands, and a Camel House. At night when you walk out of the restaurant take a look at the sky to appreciate the magnificent gorgeousness of the Milky Way galaxy in the night sky of the desert.

We started the waste-management by educating the Matin Abad locals about the importance of environmental-friendly attitude.

We have trained our hosts to protect the nature by recycling, using fewer pesticides and toxicities, and proper use of energy sources. So they can be a good model of a friendly and responsive connection to nature and people for our guests.

Dr. Klaus Topfer, the former UNEP Executive Director and German Minister of Environment handed the Dr. Taghi Ebtekar International Award to Mr. M.Ali Ashraf Vaghefi the managing director of Iran Doostan Tours for the founding of the first Iranian Eco-desert camp Matinabad, on March 14 of 2015 in Tehran.

In 2014 Matin Abad Desert Camp & Organic Farm was known as one of 18 best practices by UN DESA in sustainable (eco) tourism initiated by governments, NGOs, and private sectors, in developing countries, including SIDS, with potentials for replication elsewhere.

We have had the honor to be the host to many honorable individuals in our eco-camp such as Masoumeh Ebtekar the Vice President of Iran and the head of Environmental Protection Organization, Majead Ansari the Vice President for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Masoud Soltanifar the Iranian Vice-President and Head of the country’s Cultural Heritage Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, Mahmoud Goudarzi the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sport, FAO representative, ambassadors of Germany, Austria, Spain, Russia, Hungry, and Kuwait.

Matinabad held the celebration for The World Day to Combat Desertification in 2013 as the host, to inform people about the human impacts on nature and the importance of community participation in finding effective solutions to stop destroying the nature by human.

We have marked our calendar for the ancient Persian celebrations such as Nowruz, Ylda (winter solstice, Mehregan, Pomegranate Festival, and national and religious Eids, as well. Our eco-camp has been the host of rally game races for three times so far and we will be hosting more such events in the future.