Things to do in Kish Island
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Kish Island
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
The season, roughly 21 to 28 degrees, sea swimmable, with December to February peak and highest normal prices.
Nowruz around 20 March is the busiest fortnight of the year, with sell outs and price jumps.
Heat and humidity build fast, pleasant in early April and oppressive by late May, with prices easing.
Extreme heat at 38 to 43 degrees with heavy humidity, hotel discounts, empty beaches and night focused life.
Still hot early, easing late, and the value shoulder for heat tolerant travellers.
What's on
- Nowruz Around 20 March, holiday period roughly two weeks
Iranian New Year, the single busiest period on Kish, with full hotels and peak prices.
- Kish Summer Festival Summer, typically July to August, dates vary by year
Shopping promotions, concerts and night entertainment aimed at domestic visitors in peak heat.
Best things to do in Kish Island
Kariz-e Kish
A 2,500 year old underground aqueduct city that stays cool below the island while the surface bakes.
Greek Ship
The 1966 wreck of the Khoula F on the west coast, and the island's best free hour at sunset.
Harireh Ancient City
Ruins of an old trading port by the shore, low stone houses, a bathhouse and a mosque to walk slowly.
Kish Dolphin Park
The island's flagship family park, dolphin and sea lion shows plus a bird garden in one grounds.
Ocean Water Park
Iran's first themed water park, with slides and a lazy river, but men and women visit in separate sessions.
Green Tree Complex
A shaded park around one of the island's oldest sacred fig trees, a calm short stop near Harireh.
Pardis 1 Shopping Center
Duty free mall shopping is a core Kish activity, with imports priced below mainland levels.
Where to stay in Kish Island
East coast
first trip, all-round base
Walkable to the Grand Pier, Marjan Beach and the malls, with the mid-range and budget hotels.
Dariush Square
luxury resort stay in the centre of the action
Home to the Dariush Grand Hotel, east of centre with beaches, malls and restaurants in reach.
West coast
quiet, sunsets and seclusion
Home to Toranj Marine Hotel near the Greek Ship, spectacular and isolated in equal measure.
Best restaurants in Kish Island
Koohe Noor Restaurant
The island's special occasion room, a cave like setting with live music and strong seafood.
Darchin Restaurant
The consensus best all round kitchen on Kish, Persian and seafood cooking at fair prices.
Mirmohana Restaurant
A long running busy seafood house for fresh fish and shrimp in southern style.
Havari Restaurant
A smaller seafood pick with a local following for southern spiced fish and shrimp.
Foodland
The island's best known food hall, the cheap easy lunch for groups who cannot agree.
Amoo Akbar Restaurant
One of the island's oldest restaurants, kebabs and Persian staples at local prices, no show.
Outdoor things to do in Kish Island
Kish Cycling Track
A dedicated cycle path rings the whole island past empty west beaches and the Greek Ship.
Ladies Beach
The enclosed women only beach where women can swim in normal swimwear, unique in Iran.
Marina Kish Water Sport Club
The hub for scuba over the coral reef, snorkelling, jet ski and parasailing on the east coast.
Grand Recreational Pier
A long pier over clear water for sunset walks, pedal boats and glass bottom coral boats.
Marjan Beach
The island's main coral beach park, with a promenade, picnic shade and sunset social life.
Hendurabi Island
A near empty eco island by boat from Kish, with clear water and almost no settlement.
Best hotels in Kish Island
Toranj Marine Hotel
Suites built out over the sea with glass floors and full sunsets, isolated on the west coast.
Dariush Grand Hotel
A vast Persepolis themed luxury resort with gardens, pools and a private beach area.
Vida Hotel
A modern east coast hotel with large clean rooms, near the pier, beaches and malls.
Flamingo Hotel
The cheap tier for Kish, an older simple hotel near the malls used for location and price.
Is Kish Island expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | IRR 20,000,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | IRR 55,000,000 a person |
| Splurge | IRR 150,000,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Kish Dolphin Park: a few days ahead
- Ocean Water Park: a few days ahead
- Marina Kish Water Sport Club: a few days ahead
- Hendurabi Island: a few days ahead
- Toranj Marine Hotel: weeks ahead
- Dariush Grand Hotel: weeks ahead
- Koohe Noor Restaurant: a few days ahead
- Book hotels and flights well ahead for Nowruz around 20 March and for winter peak weeks.
- Confirm Ocean Water Park sessions, diving slots and Hendurabi boats a day ahead in season.
- Ocean Water Park is closed on Sundays and hosts men and women separately.
Is Kish Island safe?
- Men and women swim separately, photography is banned at the ladies beach, and alcohol is prohibited everywhere.
- From May to October, sightsee at dawn and retreat indoors at midday in extreme heat and humidity.
Kish Island travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Prices are spoken in toman where 1 toman is 10 rial, so confirm the unit before agreeing.
- Duty free prices are low against mainland Iran, not necessarily against Dubai.
- International bank cards do not work in Iran, so bring cash and change it locally.
Getting around Kish Island: public transport and more
- Taxis are plentiful and standard, and bicycles and scooters rent by the hour or day at the east end.
- Ferries run from Bandar Charak in about 1 to 2 hours, Bandar Aftab in about 30 minutes and Bandar Lengeh in about 2.5 hours.
- The coastal cycle path rings the island and is independent of car roads.
Who Kish Island suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Kish Island your trip
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