Lavandevil Wildlife Refuge

Spread over more than 1000 hectares, Lavandevil Wildlife Refuge is located five kilometers to Astara, in Gilan province. Lavandevil means the “Habitat of Flowers” in Taleshi language. Lavandevil has become the wildlife refuge especially for the birds. A part of Hyrcanian forests is joint to a part of the forests of Caspian Sea at this point and they are surrounded by the sea, lagoons, trees and sandhills. In the long-distance landscape, there are also pomegranate and rice field. Lavandevil Wildlife Refuge reaches Lavandevil city, from the south and to Astara from the north. It is the neighbor of Caspian Sea from the east and Astara-Landvil road, from the west. Qolam Mahale, Imamzadeh, Dadashabad and Sibly villages are placed around Lavandevil. The average height of Lavandevil Wildlife Refuge is twenty meters lower than level of free seas and the rainfall is also high.  

Although Lavandevil is placed in Gilan province, it is highly influenced by Taleshi culture and because of its neighborhood with Ardabil the influence of the people of this region is also observed. People in this northern region of Iran speak in Farsi, Azeri Turkish and Taleshi languages.  

Lavandevil is the refuge of species like wild boar, fox, Persian fallow deer, golden eagle, Eurasian golden oriole, pelican, marten, whooper swan, different ducks, heron, Slender-billed curlew and crane that are totally 125 species. Trees of Lavandevil are the habitat of Ring-necked pheasant that is one of the most beautiful birds of Iran.

Lavandevil Wildlife Refuge is also the host of many species of migrating birds that come here in order to escape from the cold weather of winter, because this refuge is placed on the route migrating birds from Siberia to the warn regions of the earth.

Approximately one hundred plant species, fifty medicinal plant species and sixty-five ornamental plants have been recognized in the region some of which are endemic, interesting among them are straw, cattail, local pomegranate, alder, common medlar, Pterocarya Fraxinifolia, Gleditsia, raspberry and lagoon plants.

In addition to the Lavandevil Wildlife Refuge, there are many other walkways that would be interesting for tourists such as Baba Hassan, Mohammad Doust and Baba Ali mausoleums, Sadaf 17-hectare coastal promenade, ancient village of Sibli, Laton jungle, Laton waterfall with about one hundred meters of height, Mieh Kumeh waterfall, Kuteh Kumeh hot water spring, Laton, Baba Ali and Esbine, coastal park of Lavandevil city near Chelavand river and Sibli rice field. Also, this region is the source of sand and shell and it has made some environmental damage.