Showoon Nomad eco lodge

Showoon in the ancient Azeri dialect of the region means deep place or container which is indicating Showoon’s topography. It is located in east of Mughan county in Ardabil province on the border of Europe &Asia (Azerbaijan and Iran).
Mughan county is a major tourist destination in Northwest of Iran and a natural starting point for discovering the unique mountainous area and traditional way of life. The region is also home to Shahsavan nomad tribes, with its own dress and cultural values. Some of the villages, especially those located deep in the remote parts of the mountains, are still largely untouched by modern life. The main attraction for tourists visiting Mughan county is to visit the ethnic minority villages while there are many opportunities to experience the hidden trails, breathtaking scenery, fascinating local culture and way of life of the people. There are few options for accommodation outside of the hotels in Germi city other than sleeping in local houses or in tents outside one of the villages. Here began our idea of building Showoon Nomad Eco lodge. The Ecolodge is the only one of its kind in Iran and has a perfect location in the east of spectacular Mughan county. Showoon Nomad Eco lodge is based on sustainable principles to ensure minimum impact on the surrounding environment. We employ people from nearby villages and use local products and goods in order to bring economic benefits to the community. We also try to avoid polluting the area.
The aim of Showoon Nomad Eco lodge is to let you live in an Iranian pristine village in Moghan lea and experience rural, farm and nomadic life by participating in agricultural activities for few days. Everything is very basic and simple but we hope that the experience will be unique.
At Showoon we believe that both the environment and local community should benefit from our business. Rather than making a token donation here, we are committed to producing real sustainable benefits. Sustainability has been at the front of our minds since we conceived the Eco lodge. True to our commitment to sustainability, the water for the bathroom is heated using an eco-friendly system- solar water heater. The results indicate that the installation of these systems on average caused saving natural gas consumption, resulting in a reduction in fuel costs CO2, NOx and carbon monoxide. We recognize that some of the resources we use to run our Eco lodge are also valuable to the local community, therefore we work to share these resources. For example, by ensuring that all our recyclable materials are distributed locally, food leftovers are given to the local farmers to feed their livestock and, cans and boxes are given to the local people to reuse in their households. Our purchasing and sourcing decisions are given careful consideration and we buy local products whenever we can. Almost all of our food is bought at the local market, shops or directly from the mountain farmers. Our menu therefore always contains fresh, seasonal vegetables and fruit. Furthermore, chickens are raised on site in our own chicken farm as well as some herbs and vegetables are grown in our own garden. Few Eco lodges, from the most luxurious to the most basic, can claim to be 100% ‘green’. We face our own challenges from the local conditions, but we strive to operate in a sustainable way and have a positive impact on local communities through funding and education. We keep electricity use at the lodge to a bare minimum and ask all our guests to help us with this. Showoon Nomad Eco lodge is designed as a simple retreat in natural surrounds and therefore facilities have been kept to a minimum. We have a small shop where you can buy handicrafts made by ethnic minority people living in the area. At Showoon Nomad Eco lodge we try to reuse as much of our waste as possible – a task which is challenging in our remote location.
In corporation with a local farmer, a recycling system has been set up to reuse as much of our waste a possible ensuring all kitchen and restaurant waste is sorted and used effectively. At Showoon Nomad Eco lodge it is important that we find sustainable solutions that also benefit the local society, therefore we are proud to have these partnerships.