Oceans of Dunes: The Romance of the Desert
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Like Lawrence of Arabia, some mad men are drawn to the desert. Its unforgiving challenges, ability to both fry and chill, and yet breathtakingly sensuous dune lines are often compared, by the poetically inclined, to a lover, usually female, and usually difficult. The endless, shapely and ever changing sand dunes radiate the romance of adventure and the sun beating against them creates enigmatic and confusing shapes to beguile those who dream of conquering her. I wish I was like the desert. Technology has got us to places once off limits, but technology still hasn’t totally beaten the desert, which makes it one of the few adventures we can embark on with the same gung ho attitude as old explorer heros like Lawrence. The desert bogs cars and trucks down in its unpredictable sands and you can easily become lost and run out of supplies, so the best way to traverse these great empty expanses is still by the ships of the desert, camels, and with a guide who has the directions from their GPS augmented by the stars. Some desert journeys are quests, Wadi Rum and Petra make their guests work for the pleasure. Your saddled camel could take you to Ksar Ghilane, every desert wanderers ideal oasis, a cluster of green palms surrounding a still pool. Or to the Oases of Zagora, travelling between deep rocky gorges and the huge dunes, Cheggaga and Djebel Saghro; the settlements you pass between here are like ornate red boxes and lives tick by as they have done for thousands of years. The old ways of life and ancient cultures are another of the deserts temptations. The desert festivals and historic journeys of the Tuareg Salt Caravans promise quiet evenings of ancient stories told under the stars sipping mint tea, and days traveling the same un-marked routes as a thousand years worth of forebears. Camels can be an acquired taste as I discovered on a trip into Australia’s red centre; they have a reputation for being docile work horses, but their gait rolls like the ocean, which may be how they got their nautical moniker, and if they don’t like you or another camel they’re not beyond biting. Some guides will lead you in on foot, where you’ll have the feeling of wandering aimlessly into oblivion, your feet crushing nothing but sand and your vista predictable. A trek through the Moroccan Sahara is a very different walk from one up a mountain, you have to be open to some serious self reflection, the vistas stimulus is unchanging but relentless. To capture all the sensuous majesty of the desert you need to see it from above, preferably from the cane basket of a balloon coasting silently above it. Easily the most romantic journey around. |
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More Beguiling Deserts » Most romantic deserts to traverse
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Sahara DesertDeserts in Sahara Desert, Libya The world's largest desert aside from Antarctica, the Sahara is bounded in the North by the Atlas mountains and covers 8.6 million square kilometers - nearly all of North Africa. Despite the extreme temperatures (up to 136C in the daytime and well below freezing at night), parts of the desert are now surprisingly accessible and there is a burgeoning tourist industry. Being under the trade wind belt gives the Sahara a constantly changing face; its enormous sand seas and dunes ('Chgaga', the tallest, is over 500 meters high) are re-sculpted daily by sand-filled air currents such as the simoom and sirocco. The pristine nature of the Sahara means that unusual discoveries can be made, such as the 19-mile wide meteor crater discovered in Egypt in 2006. The impact of the meteor heated the surroundings to such an extent that it melted the sand, forming lime green glass, pieces of which can be found amongst the dunes. Twisted rock formations rear up from a desolate landscape of dry river valleys and steep gorges, and caves filled with carvings and paintings from before the desert was formed, such as the Cave of Swimmers, bear testament to the desert's watery beginnings. Just as it can reveal wonders, legend has it that the Sahara devours cities, explorers and whole armies, as in the story of King Cambyses of Persia, whose army of 10,000 men disappeared there 2,500 years ago and the remains of which explorers are still searching for.
Review by Photo by flickr user bachmont |
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Arabian DesertDeserts in Egypt Almost all of the Arabian Peninsula is encompassed by this desert, which is comprised of the world's most extensive area of unbroken sand as well as rocky plains and highlands. Vegetation is sparse due to the hot days and freezing nights, and human activity has resulted in the necessity for much of the wildlife to be protected, though sand cats and oryx still survive here in healthy numbers. Military activity and oil production have inevitably affected the ecological balance of parts of this region, but the inviting mystery of its 'Empty Quarter' and the many archaeological marvels to be witnessed are testament to the enchanting nature a region rich in legends and history.
Review by Photo by flickr user Katiya Rhode |
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Gobi DesertDeserts in Mongolia Asia's largest desert, the Gobi, is a cold one, with temperatures dropping as low at -40C in winter. Given this, it would be easy enough to believe the tale that the land was rendered arid and dead by a curse which came from the lips of a Mongolian dark sorcerer as he was forced out of his town by the Chinese army. However, it is a region of grassland and mountains as well as sand, with some areas of complete dryness but for the summer monsoon, and some more populated, semi-desert areas with higher rainfall where cultivation possible. The more habitable areas play host to rare creatures such as the snow leopard and the Gobi bear. The first fossilised dinosaur eggs were found here and it is still a paleontologist's dream as well as a place of largely unspoiled beauty.
Review by Photo by flickr user edans |
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Sinai DesertDeserts in Egypt The Sinai Desert is a mountainous and historically significant desert that provides great opportunities for holidays. Invaded and ruled over centuries by outside powers (including the Egyptians, the Israelis and the British in recent years), the Sinai Peninsula is home to indiginous Bedouin tribes, a million of whom still live a nomadic lifestyle in the mountainous interior. Much of the modern Egyptian settlement and infrastructure is along the coastal strip, which depends almost entirely on tourism. Large concrete resorts and some of the best (though also most crowded) diving in the world attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Once in the interior, however, the landscape becomes dramatic, and the best way to experience it is to find a Bedouin guide and a couple of camels and take a walking safari. Many of the tourist companies on the coast will offer them - but most are day trips to crowded, over-touristed spots. To really get into the desert you need to spend at least two nights under the stars.
Review by Photo by flickr user Argenberg |
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The Wahiba SandsDeserts in Oman Sun was setting over the Wahiba Sands in Oman. A light wind blew up the face of the great red dune, carving a knife-edge between the golden sunlit side and the ribbed shadows of the leeward side. The wind blew little flurries of sand over the edge and dropped them on the other side, shaping and sculpturing the sinuous crest of the dune that led south into the distance.
I stood with three other visitors and our two local drivers, looking westward over the trackless sands, watching the sun drop towards the horizon, absorbing the changing colours of the sky and the quiet of the desert. A moment of peaceful reflection, then as the sun fell below the horizon we returned to our lifeline, the four wheel drives that had brought us up impossible slopes to our vantage point.
The Wahiba Sands leave an impression on everyone who visits. It's not a place to explore by yourself, much better to stay at one of several desert camps which offer accommodation in comfortable tents and trips into the desert with drivers who have lived all their lives here and tackle vertiginous sand slopes with nonchalant ease.
I was staying at Al-Areesh Desert Camp, accessed from Al Qabil on Highway 23, the Muscat to Sur road. It's a very good road, maybe best travelled by daylight as camels do tend to cross it. We left our car in Al Qabil, and a driver took us up to the camp in time to catch the sunset.
As well as the tents, the camp has a large roofed area with rugs and seats. When we returned from the dune, we found a meal was laid out with plenty of choice of food cooked to local recipes, spicy meat or lentils, with salad, and rice or flat paratha bread. Outside a campfire was burning and guests sat round under the stars.
In the morning, patterns in the sand revealed that far from being lifeless, the desert is home to many creatures. The mark of a lizard's tail and a jerboa's feet were clear among a number of other signs of the night's adventures. I was only staying for one night, on my way to the coast at Sur, but from the camp there are interesting visits to local markets, wadis and ancient villages available, so this is a good base to spend several days exploring this austerely beautiful part of Oman.
Review by Photo by Jenny Fowler |
