As of today, in season, building toward peak (~November 1). Earth Exhibit tracks the live conditions and flags it the moment it is on.
Hormuz Island sits at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, and it is one of the great geological oddities of the planet — a teardrop of rock salt, gypsum and iron-rich evaporites that has slowly punched upward through the overlying rock as a buoyant salt dome.
As those layers rose and weathered, their minerals oxidized into an unreal spectrum: the Rainbow Valley alone is said to hold more than seventy distinct colors, soils ranging from blood-red and ochre to turquoise, gold, and chalk-white, with glittering salt mountains and a stalactite-filled salt cave nearby.
On the Red Beach, iron-oxide-rich earth stains the sand and shallows so that the waves themselves run rust-red; after rain, crimson runoff streams down the hills and bleeds into the Persian Gulf.
Unlike most phenomena on this list, Hormuz is here year-round — the landscape is permanent — but the colors are richest in the cooler months and intensify, deepening to vivid red, when rain dampens and freshens the mineral soils.
Where to see it
A taste of where to see it. The full map, exact coordinates and the best timing for each spot live in the app.
| Viewing spots |
|---|
| Rainbow Valley, Hormuz Island |
| Red Beach (Hormuz Island) |
This is the short version
This page shows a taste. The app has the full list of where to see this, the exact timing, and live conditions for 1,000+ natural phenomena worldwide, so you know the moment one is genuinely worth the trip.