Neor Lake is located on Ardabil road to Khalkhal and is one of the best natural tourist destinations, especially in the summer. It is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Iran and is the starting point of one of the most beautiful hiking, cycling, and Safari routes which lead you to the charming Sobatan Village. Travelers can enjoy spectacular natural landscapes such as cliffs and native plants. The natural beauty of the lake motivates plenty of nature lovers and photographers to spend some time and record the most eye-catching images.
The lake is situated at the lower slopes of Baghru Heights of the Talysch Mountains. Elevation of the lake is 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) above mean sea level. It is 48 kilometres (30 mi) to the south east of Ardabil on Khalkhal Road out of which 18 kilometres (11 mi) is a hill section. The lake emerged during the Eocene geologic time scale. The Neor fault and another fault on the western part of the lake, which were active from the Eocene period, have contributed to the emergence of this lake. The basin receives an annual rainfall of 400 millimetres (16 in) with cold mountainous climate.
It is composed of smaller and larger basins, which get connected in rainy seasons forming a single lake. It has an average depth of 3 meters and is fed by springs in the lake bed. The maximum depth reaches 5 meters.
The lake contains fish species of rainbow trout; fingerlings were introduced with the objective of practicing commercial and sports fishing. Fingerlings are introduced into the lake every year to promote fishery practices. The fish feed on the Gammarus fasciatus found in the lake bed and grow into robust pink-coloured fish. Among the fauna species found in the lake area are ruddy shelduck, and swallows which are the migrant species.
