Mahrloo Lake, a pink lake in Shiraz
Traveling to the beautiful city of Shiraz, in addition to its numerous tourist and historical attractions such as Persepolis, Pasargad, also has stunning natural landscapes.
Maharloo Salt Lake known as “Darycheh-ye-Namak” is a beautiful pink seasonal salt lake, situated in “Sarvestan” in “Fars”, southeast of Shiraz, Iran.
If you are planning to have a memorable trip and take memorable pictures, you must travel to the pink salt lake of Maharlo specially in spring.
The fascinating salt lake captivates visitors with its numerous natural attractions.
Enjoy sightseeing around the lake, beautiful mountains and natural scenery on one side and Maharlu pink salt lake on the other side.
The name “Maharloo” comes from a village to the west of the lake and it means “High Land” as the village is located on high ground compared to the lake and other villages surroundings.
One of the important characteristics of Maharlo is that it is seasonal, which means in the summer season, this lake almost dries up, and with the beginning of the autumn and winter, when the rains increase, the lake is filled with water again. The water of this lake is supplied through atmospheric rains and some rivers of Shiraz, Chenarah and Sultan Abad.
The water of this lake is not suitable for drinking due to the existence of various salts such as potassium.
In different periods of year, the color of the lake changes according to the water level, the higher the water level, the fainter the pink color of the lake, and the lower the water level, the more evaporation rates and obvious the pink color will be.
Why is Maharloo Lake Pink?
The high rate of evaporation of water causes overgrowing of red algae in the bottom of the lake due to the salt present, which leads the water of Maharlu Lake turning red.
If you also like to see the beautiful pink and red color of Maharlu Lake more clearly, we suggest you taking a tour in the middle of Summer, because the water of Maharlu Lake evaporates and this is where the pinkness of Maharlu Lake water becomes more visible.
The best time to visit this attraction is from July to September. However, this must-see aatraction is highly dependent on weather conditions which can be unpredictable and uncontrollable. The color of the lake changes according to the water level, the higher the water level, the fainter the pink color of the lake, and the lower the water levelis, the more evaporation and obvious the pink color would be.
Additionally, it is the habitat of many migratory birds, most of them stay in this area until the middle of the autumn such as Flamingos. Other species of birds that live in this wetland include coots, grebes, herons, mallards, ducks , teal, etc. Moreover, other animals such as jackals, lizards, geckos, wild cats, hyenas and foxes can also be seen around the lake, as a wildlife refuge.
However, if you would like to visit Maharloo Salt Lake for its beauty or taking a boat in the deepest part of the lake, it is better to visit in the rainy season from December to April. If you are a “bird watcher” the best time to visit is from March to May, when migratory birds, including flamingos, are at the lakeside. You can visit Maharloo Salt Lake in Iran during the wet or dry seasons, depending on what you are looking for.
Interested in visiting Maharloo Lake?
We have prepared tours that include the city of Shiraz for you.
