Hara Forest
One of the mangrove forests in Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf, which known as Qeshm's Green gold and it is the habitat of trees that are rooted in water is Hara Forest. This forest is one of the best natural attraction in the world. The trees of this forest are green throughout the year and reach 3 to 6 meters in length. The forest is always green in four seasons. Interesting thing about this forest is, these trees has been in salty water from million years ago untill now and they have adapted perfectly, so they feed from this salty water and filter the salts from water then make the water taste sweety for themselves. Some birds like big herons, Western reef herons, Indian pond heron, Spoonbill, Grey plover, Curlews and Large white-headed gulls.
Description
The total area of the forests is estimated at 7,500 hectares, of which 2,400 hectares are located in Qeshm Island. The exciting feature of these trees is that over the course of millions of years, they have found excellent compatibility with salty water. So, they feed on salty water and by the repel of salt, will make the water naturally fresh. Due to suitable conditions, the mangrove forest is a safe home for migratory birds from tropical regions. Therefore, this forest is considered as one of the best areas for bird watching different species of birds. The forest is also an excellent home for fish, mollusks and crustaceans.
In fact, there is some interesting activities that you can do and enjoy in Hara Forest, such as; boat riding, bird Watching, photography. The best time that you can visit this forest in middle of autumn till April and May. When you look at the trees, they seem like they are floating on the waters. You can watch that the forest is a factory that makes the salty water to sweet water. The normal water level of this forest is 1.5 meters. But when the water tide, the trees goes under the water and it's the best time for fishing and when the water is in tide, trees looks like they have grow on the land. Tide time on this forest is every 6 hours.
The Unique Ecosystem of Hara Forest
The forest found in coastal areas in tropical regions. At high tide, the tree coverage may only be seen above the salt water level , while the rest of the tree parts are under the water. Only at low tide, one can see the trunk and aerial roots of mangroves. Mangrove forests can easily grow in salt water. Mangroves may have been flowering plants that were pushed to their limits due to lack of capacity in competing with other earthly plants. They have then adapted to the difficult conditions of the intertidal zone, which has formed this unique ecosystem.
How to reach
This forest is located on the northern shores of Qeshm Island. You need to know that Qeshm is a small island and you can get access to this beach by taking a taxi. The only way to get into the forest is through the water route and there is no access to this forest by dryness. It's best to get help from a expert leader to boat riding and go between the trees of the forest.