The Kondara River is a right bank tributary of the Varzob River, which it meets at an altitude of 1,100 m (3,600 ft). It flows west to east for 12–15 km (7.5–9.3 mi), in a valley about 2 km (1.2 mi) wide. The slopes of the gorge vary from gentle with a loose surface to steep and rocky. In the upper course of the river the gorge is blocked by the cliff of the watershed between the Luchob and Varzob rivers, a plateau known as the Ruidasht which varies in altitude from 2,400 to 2,850 m (7,870 to 9,350 ft). The IBA includes the entire gorge from the eastern slope of the Ruidasht plateau to the Varzob. The main part of the IBA lies in a zone of woodland and shrub vegetation with a relatively high annual rainfall of over 1000 mm 1,000 mm (39 in).[1]
