Three islands in the Persian Gulf are the most visited: Kish, Hormoz and Qeshm.
KISH. Once a kingdom living from the trade and cultivation of pearls, then a luxury club during the Pahlavi era, Kish became after the Islamic Revolution (1979) an island of leisure and shopping, with a more liberal atmosphere than in the country. For a Westerner, it is undoubtedly the least interesting destination of the three islands: shopping has nothing to do with Dubai, and if Kish is not devoid of natural riches, Hormoz and especially Qeshm are incomparably more interesting.
HORMOZ. This island populated since pre-Islamic times was conquered by the Portuguese in the 16th century, chased out the following century by King Abbas I aided by the English fleet. The island retains the remains of an important Portuguese fortress, nice beaches and several beautiful natural sites (salt waterfalls, rocks reddened by iron oxides, mangroves, cliffs plunging into the sea).
QESHM. The largest island in the Persian Gulf is worth a stay of several days, to explore its natural wonders – canyons, astonishing rock formations, beaches, mangroves – and its villages, such as the port of Laft. Occupied since Antiquity, Qeshm also preserves several historical sites: caves built in the Parthian and Sassanid times, a Portuguese castle, ancient mosques.
If these islands (Qeshm and Hormoz) are easily visited during a trip dedicated to the Persian Gulf, they can constitute – especially Qeshm – travel destinations in their own right.
The port village of Laft, in Qeshm. Photograph: ©Patrick Ringgenberg.