Hormuz Island

Hormuz Island is located in the Strait of Hormuz, near the entrance to the Persian Gulf in southern Iran. It sits at one of the world's most strategically important maritime chokepoints connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.

Iron oxide in the island's mineral-rich soil gives parts of its coastline and beaches a pronounced red color. The same geological processes create other vivid hues across the island, including yellow, orange, and white mineral deposits.

Hormuz Island is accessible to visitors, typically reached by a short boat ride from the mainland port city of Bandar Abbas. It has become an increasingly popular destination for domestic Iranian tourism, drawn by its otherworldly multicolored landscapes.

The island features salt formations known as salt domes or diapirs, heavily eroded hills, and mineral-rich soils that create its distinctive multicolored appearance. These formations are the product of extensive geological processes in which underground salt deposits pushed upward through overlying rock layers over millions of years.