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“Desert Dreams”
The lines and waves of the Sharqiya Sands Desert blur as the rising wind whips the sand up into the setting sun.
“The desert never leaves you.”
My driver, who had declared his love of the desert as we were driving into it, said this with awe in his voice.
I agree with him. I too, love the desert: there is something mystical about the way seas of sand drape and fold into the distance. The shimmering light is mesmerising; the dry heat wraps you in a blanket of support and warmth; and the soft sands and sensuously billowing dunes invite you to lie down in them. There is a poetry in this landscape which is both timeless and ever-changing. It gets into your bones – into your soul.
It also gets into your hair and your teeth and your eyes!
The winds had picked up, and even with my tightly-wrapped Bedouin headscarf, the sand was biting into my hands and eyes. “You’ll be finding bits of it, years from now!” my driver continued with a soft laugh.
We were in the Sharqiya Sands – also called the Wahiba Sands after the Bani Wahiba tribe who are the predominant Bedouin residents there. This desert stretches across 200 kilometres (125 miles) of loosely-populated space between Oman’s Eastern Hajar Mountains and the Arabian Sea. The area is less than three hours from Muscat – the country’s capital – and is often referred to as “Oman’s adventure playground”.
On our way in, we stopped at the nearest town to have the tyre pressure reduced in our modern four-wheel drive before driving off the bitumen and into the uncharted sands.
I say ‘uncharted’ because it is: GoogleMaps is no help here. Our guide/driver from NTT Tours knew where he was going, but there were no roads, signposts, or markers. Just sand. Even the tread-marks of previous vehicles were not good indicators, as they could have been from campers who were heading into the wilds. We, however, were over-nighting at the evocatively-named 1000 Nights Sharqiya Sands Camp, which the driver somehow found. While it may sound as if I am being overly dramatic, a family who were self-driving chose wait until we were ready to leave the next day, and to follow us out of the desert and back to the closest town: they were concerned about getting lost or stranded!
The resort is in a magic location, nestled at the foot of a large dune. In the afternoon, we drove high into the hills to watch the sunset. The next morning, I set off well before sunrise to climb the soft sand behind the resort to wait for daybreak.
Join me for some desert landscapes:
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Toyota Four-Wheel Drive
With four-wheel drive and reduced tyre air pressure, a modern, air-conditioned and comfortable vehicle can take you almost anywhere! We drove high into the undulating dunes to wait for the sunset.
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Afternoon Sands
The waves and ripples of sand – amber-tinted by the afternoon sun – stretch out into the distance.
Waves and Dunes
The dunes rise up to 100 meters (330 feet) high, …
Patterns in the Sand
… with ripples and waves of sand running between them.
Curves and Waves
The seductive curves stretch out before me …
Late Sun on the Sands
… as the sun goes down.
Wind and Waves
Afternoon light emphasises the shadows carved out of the sands …
Almost Abstract: Patterns in the Sand
… by the rising winds.
Sunset Sands
The sun drops further in the sky …
Almost Abstract: Parallel Waves
… and all around me the patterns shift and flow.
Predawn Footprints on the Dunes
I set my alarm very early the next morning, and set off with a head lamp and my cameras to climb the dune behind the resort. It wasn’t as dark as I’d expected, but I’d forgotten how hard it can be to climb through sand. On the steeper sections, I was on all fours like a bear, trying not to sink too deeply, and using my hands to keep from tumbling backwards. Finally, I reached the top and an undulating vista stretched out before (and behind!) me.
Rippled Dune Rising
Almost Abstract: Ripples and Waves
Constant Motion
Wind whips at the edges of the dunes where they fall in corrugated stripes into the valleys between them.
Sunrise over the Sharqiyah Desert
Finally, the sun creeps over the horizon.
Morning on the Desert
It turns out I am not alone; …
Morning on the Dunes
… a small group watches the morning break from a distant dune …
Footprints
… and tracks all around me show where small creatures have been.
Sunrise over the Camp
As the sun rises, I can see my resort below. It was time to head back and have breakfast – after I brush the sand out of my teeth!
Fortunately, sliding down the dunes in daylight is easier than climbing up them in the dark.
Unfortunately, the rising sun also shone light on a disappointing amount of litter, thoughtlessly dropped by travellers and tossed by the wind. I filled a chip bag I found half-submerged with refuse I collected on my walk back to camp.
This beautiful desert deserves better from us!
Until next time –
Happy Travels!
[…] sensually seductive place, with the sands ebbing and flowing over the dunes into the distance (see: Sand Songs and Desert Dreams). But, don’t be fooled! Once that sun rises over the horizon, the temperatures will skyrocket […]
[…] towards the green date palms after two days in the magical Sharqiya Sands Desert (see: Sand Songs and Desert Dreams and Life in the Desert), it was easy for me to conjure up romantic notions of starry nights, […]