Iran’s Lut Desert with its giant dunes, shifting sands, salt plains and wind-hewn kaluts provides an epic journey of breathtaking beauty and wilderness, as seen in these images from a 15-day trek with Secret Compass.

The massive desert, also known as Dasht-e Lut, has much to offer its visitors who are in search of new adventures; outstanding scenery and unparalleled serenity are probably tops on the list.

                                          Backpackers assemble to cross the Lut Desert in Iran. (Photo credit: Jerome Poulin/Secret Compass)

Between June and October, this arid subtropical area is swept by strong winds, which transport sediment and cause erosion on a colossal scale.

Seven years of satellite temperature data analyzed by NASA show that the Lut Desert is the hottest spot on Earth.

                                                   4WD vehicles cross the vast Lut Desert in Iran. (Photo credit: Jerome Poulin/Secret Compass)

Secret Compass’s first expedition to the Lut was so unique that it featured in National Geographic in 2016.

Traversing dunes, rock corridors, kaluts, meteorite fields and rocky terrain, such expeditions is essentially carried out by teams on foot, with support and water supply from 4WD vehicles.

Secret Compass is UK-based company that leads adventurous projects in the world’s wildest places.

                                      A traveler stands before a giant wind-hewn kalut in the Lut Desert. (Photo credit: Jerome Poulin/Secret Compass)

AFM/MG