Deserts might be some of the most inhospitable places on earth, but there’s a reason why many of us feel drawn to them. Despite the scorching days and freezing nights, these arid stretches of wilderness can make the perfect playground. There are all kinds of exhilarating activities you can only do in the desert, so if you like getting your adrenaline pumping, you’re spoiled for choice.
But if you’re looking for peace and solitude, you’ll find that too. Gazing out at the vast, silent desert can be awe-inspiring, and a sense of timelessness blows on the breeze. Plus, despite the barren landscape, there’s more life here than you might think. Deserts have their own unique ecosystems, and whether it’s desert-adapted animals or alien-like plants, the flora and fauna are like nowhere else in the world.
Then there’s the natural beauty. From rolling golden dunes to truly spectacular sunsets, the desert is utterly unique, and few explorers leave without being awed.
So, to get you inspired, here are eight desert adventures for your travel wish list.
1. Stargazing, Atacama Desert, Chile
Thanks to the lack of light pollution, most deserts are brilliant for stargazing. But for a seriously otherworldly experience, head to northern Chile’s Atacama Desert. Known for its geyser fields, ancient ruins, and flamingo-filled lagoons, at night, the blinding blue sky transforms into a celestial sphere of shimmering stars. This sunbleached, lunar-like landscape is a true heaven on earth for starseekers.
The Atacama is the driest non-polar desert on Earth and, thanks to its high altitudes, low humidity, and near non-existent light pollution, it’s now home to half the world’s ground-based astronomy projects. At around 2,400 metres above sea level, the stars are closer, clearer, and easier to observe, and you can spot distant galaxies and the hazy Milky Way. Plus, the nearby town of San Pedro de Atacama is a tourism hub, with all kinds of other epic adventures on offer.
2. Hot air balloon ride, Morocco
One of the best ways to appreciate the true size of our planet’s deserts is through a bird’s eye view. While you can enjoy small aircraft and helicopter rides over many deserts, hot air ballooning is an especially atmospheric experience – one you’ll likely remember for the rest of your life. Many hot air balloon rides begin at sunrise, and you’ll rise above the clouds, drifting slowly through the glowing dawn skies with the warm desert breeze on your face.
One of the best places for a desert hot air balloon ride is the Moroccan desert. Activity details vary by company, but generally, you’ll travel to the launch site by 4×4 (an experience in itself!), and set off at first light. From your unique vantage point, you can admire sensational views as you cruise over Berber villages, parched valleys, rolling dunes, ochre plains, and the rugged foothills of the Atlas Mountains.
3. Quad biking, Namib Desert, Namibia
Quad biking is one of the most popular and pervasive desert activities, and while it might look a little rough, it’s safer and smoother than you might think. You don’t have to hurtle across sand dunes at eye-watering speeds or bounce painfully over valleys and canyons. Unless, of course, you want to! Instead, you can drive at comfortable speeds, taking advantage of your vehicle’s strength and agility as you explore your barren surroundings.
Quad biking is available in almost all deserts visited by tourists, but it’s particularly enjoyable in Namibia. The Namib Desert runs the length of the country’s coastline, offering an astonishing array of scenery – so if you think you can’t enjoy gorgeous sea views in the desert, think again. In Sossusvlei, you can zoom over blinding white salt pans and past knotted, blackened trees, while in Swakopmund, the rippling dunes and shimmering blue ocean gleam under endless blue skies.
4. Sandboarding, Huacachina, Peru
Fans of board sports like surfing or snowboarding won’t want to miss sandboarding. Sandboarding (also called sand surfing) is, as the name suggests, the act of whizzing down desert dunes on a board. Even if you’ve never tried board sports, it’s worth giving this a go. All you need is a board and an up-for-it attitude – and the adrenaline rush you get as you zoom down the smooth slopes is second to none. If you don’t fancy standing on the board, why not sit or lie on your stomach?
You can sandboard in any desert with dunes, but Peru’s Huacachina is considered the best place in the world to try this sport. Located in Peru’s Ica region, the oasis of Huacachina boasts a stunning desert landscape, with dunes reaching up to 600 feet tall. While the sport itself isn’t especially difficult to pick up, trekking back up the dunes after each run can be challenging. It’s great exercise, though, and the sweeping desert views are the perfect reward.
5. Dune bashing, Lahbab Desert, Dubai
If you enjoy quad biking, why not try dune bashing? One of the newest desert crazes, dune bashing involves driving 4×4 vehicles at high speeds over ever-shifting sandbanks. You need to be a skilled driver to do this, so most dune bashing experiences involve qualified drivers getting behind the wheel, and customers coming along for the ride. But some companies allow their customers to do the driving themselves…if they’re sure they can handle it!
To glide down the soft sandbanks, the tyres are partially deflated, and the vehicle hits the dunes with full force, spraying sand through the air (you’ll want to keep your windows wound up!). The most popular place to go dune bashing is the Arabian desert, and there are companies located across the UAE. Dubai has the most choice, however, and many dune bashing experiences combine other desert activities, like sand boarding or camel rides.
6. Watching the sunset, Central Australian Desert
Located in the heart of Australia is the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park – the home of the massive red sandstone monolith Uluru. Visiting this UNESCO World Heritage site, which is half a billion years old, is one of the most popular things to do in the Australian outback…but if you want to truly appreciate the beauty of this ancient rock, and its remote desert surroundings, head here for sunset.
As the sun begins its descent, the rock formations start changing colour before your eyes. The terracotta stone first turns a fluorescent orange, then several deep shades of red, before finally glowing with blue and purple hues. The palette of the sky is just as varied, shifting from soft baby blues to vibrant bright pink. Head to one of the dedicated sunset viewing areas, and allow the scale and beauty of the half-lit desert landscape to take your breath away.
7. Hiking, Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA
If you fancy staying on your feet, and would like to take in as much nature as possible, why not go for a desert hike? While some deserts are mostly made up of seemingly-endless dunes, this isn’t always the case – and if you want to trek through one of the most vibrant and unique deserts in the world, head to the USA’s Sonoran Desert. While this vast desert stretches through California and parts of Mexico, the best trails (and scenery) are in Arizona.
Forget images of barren seas of sand; the Sonoran Desert is home to rugged forests, wide valleys, and forests of soaring saguaro cacti. Known as one of the world’s most ‘alive’ deserts, there’s all kinds of life to be found here. As you walk, you can listen to the rustle of mesquite branches, the chatter of the cactus wren, and perhaps even the haunting howl of a coyote. Keep your eyes peeled for roadrunners, mountain lions, bighorn sheep, bobcats, and zebra-striped lizards.
8. Camping, Wadi Rum, Jordan
For a truly immersive experience, why not think about spending the night in the desert? Sleeping under the desert stars, with nothing around you for miles but a quiet, empty space, is an experience you won’t forget. It also offers the chance to enjoy many of the activities featured in this article, from stargazing to watching the sunset to spotting wildlife to hiking. Camping is popular in many deserts, particularly the Sahara, but it’s especially magical in Wadi Rum.
Arguably the most impressive natural environment in the Middle East, Jordan’s Wadi Rum is the perfect place to spend the night. There are several Bedouin camps you can stay in, and your local hosts will show you the best of their desert. Hulking ridged mountains loom in the background, canyons and ravines cut through soft red sand, and natural rock bridges arch over hidden pools and secret springs. As the sun sets, the sky seems to burst into flame, and when night falls, a million stars glitter overhead.
Final thoughts…
From the red dunes of the Namib to the golden banks of the Sahara, the desert is far more versatile than you might think. While some deserts don’t boast much but seemingly-infinite hills of sand, others are home to rugged peaks, ancient monoliths, hidden pools, salt flats, and shady forests of cacti.
Some deserts are inhospitable wildernesses; others are teeming with life. What each desert has in common, however, is a sense of permanence, and if you’re looking to be humbled by the age, scale, and beauty of our planet, few landscapes instil such a unique feeling of wonder.
Despite the stillness of the desert, adventure absolutely abounds here. From stargazing in the Chilean Desert to watching the sunset in the Australian outback, many of the world’s most magical natural experiences take place in these stark, seemingly lifeless landscapes.
So, whether you’re looking to push your nerves to the limit, try new things, or simply appreciate the world from a new perspective, the desert offers a soul-stirring adventure for just about everyone.
For further reading, head over to our travel section. Here, you’ll find articles like 10 of the world’s most diverse and beautiful countries and 7 of the cheapest tropical destinations to visit in winter.
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Have you tried any of these desert activities before – or are you keen to set off on your own desert adventure? We’d love to hear about your travel experiences in the comments below.