All you need for sandboarding is shorts, a T-shirt, and an open mind. With that, you will be well on your way to mastering sandboarding.

While it looks pretty easy, it is actually much like snowboarding…except you won’t hurt your butt as much when you fall. The interesting part about sandboarding is that you have to wax your board before each run or else you won’t be able to slide on the sand. (Don’t worry, I forgot to wax my board a few times too when I first tried sandboarding last year.)

It takes the same ability to maneuver and guide the board to excel at the sport. Once, you have it down, you’ll want to sandboard all over the world and it will take you to some pretty spectacular spots.

From Chile to Japan, here are the 6 best sandboarding locations around the world:

1. Atacama Desert, Chile

The Atacama Desert is a pretty special place. It’s strangely fascinating. It is considered the driest place on planet Earth and has incredible natural landscape. It’s also quite high at 2,400 meters (7,840 feet) above sea level. It is a vast difference from the Chilean Patagonia region at the southern tip of the country.

For a massive desert, it surprisingly has a lot of nature and wildlife roaming around. Regardless, in between sightseeing, sandboarding is a major draw in the Atacama Desert. It’s truly a unique experience. Imagine holding your board and looking out on a landscape that looks more like Mars than Earth.

There are endless sand dunes for you to board, but it’s best to go with a tour company as they provide all of the equipment. There are plenty of companies that provide the service in the nearby town of San Pedro and they all offer the same service.

Be sure to bring plenty of water since the combination of dry air, altitude, and heat can quickly make you dehydrated. Luckily, the tour companies provide refreshments.

2. Cerro Negro, Nicaragua

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Nicaragua is one of those countries that has quickly become a go-to destination on many travelers bucket list. In my opinion, it’s for good reason too.

The Central American country has built a reputation among adrenaline seekers. They often come to the 728 meter (2,388 foot) Cerro Negro (Black Mountain) Volcano to get their thrill-seeking kick. The volcano is actually one of 19 active volcanoes in the region that make up a chain running from northwest to southeast.

Located an hour drive from Leon, you can actually do a whole range of activities on the mountain. One of those activities is sandboarding down the mountain.

You first have to put on a ridiculous space suit and goggles. You actually sandboard from the top of the volcano by hiking up the rocky part and sandboarding down the sandy side.

Be prepared to wipe out on your run down the mountain and catch a mouth full of lava. You’ll definitely get it in your hair so it may take a few days to wash out. Sandboarding down Cerro Negro is a great daytime activity if you find yourself in Leon, but plan to be gone the whole day.

3. Huacachina, Peru

It’s hard to talk about sandboarding and not mention this small desert town. Huacachina has become famous for its sandboarding. Some would argue it is the best of all the sandboarding locations in the world, but that is always up for debate.

The tour has been available for over 12 years and involves a thrilling dune buggy ride out into the desert. If you only visit one of these six sandboarding locations, this should be it.

4. Port Stephens, Australia

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Our next sandboarding location takes us across the world to Australia. Located north of Sydney, Port Stephens is unique in that you can sandboard and go watch dolphins or whales on the same day.

Australia is a great country for sandboarding since it has a lot of massive dunes throughout the country. It’s one of the more scenic sandboarding locations since it is right on the water and if it gets too hot you can jump right in the water. Port Stephens cannot be missed!

5. Negev Desert, Israel

Covering half of Israel’s total land, the Negev Desert is massive and is filled with more sand than anyone knows what to do with.

The landscape is similar to that of the Atacama Desert except that the Negev is actually a rock desert so there are less flat and sandy areas to choose from.

As a result, the tour groups must drive into more remote and less accessible parts of the desert. The area where you can sandboard is actually the only place in the entire Negev where you can safely do the activity.

There are tour groups that do sandboarding but be aware that it is quite expensive. However, they do provide tea in a Bedouin-style hut after sandboarding so that makes the experience worth it.

6. Tottori, Japan

What comes to mind when you think of Japan? I bet adventure sports, especially sandboarding, is not what pops up, but you’d be surprised that Japan actually holds one of the best lesser-known sandboarding locations in the world.

The sandboarding culture is certainly not as big in Japan so you’ll find fewer people doing it, which is great news for you.

Tottori, located on the beautiful northern coast of the Sea of Japan, holds the largest sand dune in the region. The spot is idyllic and sandboarding here is almost a “Zen-like” experience.

The runs are open from March to December due to bad weather during the other months, but reservations should be made ahead of time to guarantee your spot. Also, there is no transportation except bus to the sand dune. Sandboarding and sushi… Sign me up!

Know of any more awesome sandboarding locations? Leave a comment below!

Suggested next reading: 10 Awe-Inspiring Hikes You Need To Do In Your Lifetime

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1. Valle De La Luna

Moon Valley as it is known in English, has some fascinating rock formations that have been carved out of thousands of years by wind and water. Its landscape is often used by NASA for testing their new rovers due to the environments tough terrain and rocks. Today, many visitors come from all over to see these strange rock formations. They are stunning and many look like man-made sculptures. Interestingly enough, much of the area used to be a salt lake that dried up and now looks the way it does. It is also impossible for humans or animals to live in this area due to the complete lack of humidity. One thing Moon Valley does have going for it is its incredible sunsets. Honestly, I do not think I’ve seen a more beautiful sunset. Imagine beautiful rocks covered in a fiery, orange hue as darkness falls upon the desert. The sunset alone is worth coming to Moon Valley for.

2. El Tatio Geysers

You know when they say the expression, “The early bird gets the worm”, they are talking about getting up absurdly early. Well, I’m pretty sure the person that made this expression up was talking about the El Tatio Geysers because you have to arrive early to get a glimpse of this unique natural phenomenon. You’ll have to get up early. 4 AM early. With all this being said, the geysers are well worth the trip. El Tatio (The Oven), the third-biggest geyser field in the world, is home to over 80 geysers. While the geysers may be warm, the air is freezing cold so you’ll want to wear as many layers as possible. (Now you may ask why it is so cold in a desert. Great question! The Atacama Desert is about 4,000 meters or 13,000 feet above sea level.) Regardless, just getting to the geysers is a journey. You will go over incredibly bumpy dirt roads and it will be completely dark out except for the bright stars. Once you do arrive around sunrise, you’ll see the geysers steaming and suddenly the entire area will be filled with steam. Think of the geysers as a natural Jacuzzi. Once it warms up a bit, it is time to take a dip in the hot springs that are also on site. The combination of getting up early, going for a refreshing swim in hot springs, and fresh breakfast makes for a morning well spent!

3. Stargazing

It’s no coincidence that the driest place on planet Earth also has some of the best stargazing known to man. Wherever you are staying in town, it’s hard not to see the incredibly bright stars, but to get the best view you have to go on a tour outside of town. The Atacama is home to the largest public observatory in South America and you can find tours. The two and half hour tour that is lead by a local astronomer will run you through how to look for constellations, tell you about the history behind each Zodiac, and will go more in depth about specific stars in the sky. The best part is that there are 10 different telescopes on site that allow you to see constellations, nebulas, and stars close up. Funny enough, the only time the tours do not run is when there is a full moon out because the moon is too bright to view others stars. Problems that only occur in the driest place on Earth.

4. Laguna Baltinache

 

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20 minutes outside of the town, lies a secret lagoon. In fact, there are seven of these hidden lagoons. The best way to describe the area would be to tell you to imagine Lake Louise from Banff National Park in the middle of a desert. The water has the same aqua blue color that Canada’s Lake Louise has. The best time to go is in the morning before tour groups arrive during the day, but you have to rent a car and go. The best part about the lagoons is that you can take a swim in them to cool off and enjoy the otherwise bizarre scenery. Be sure to check out Laguna Baltinache when visiting the Atacama Desert.

5. Chacabuco Nitrate Village

 

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Another interesting fact about the Atacama Desert—as if there were not enough already—is that it is home to some of the largest nitrate reserves in the world. Nitrate was known as White Gold and many came to the desert to get rich quick. Eventually, all of the countries in the surrounding area when to war over the region. Eventually, scientists figured out how to mass produce nitrogen on an industrial level and the mining was rendered useless. Today, there are tons of these nitrate ghost mining towns all over northern Chile. Unfortunately, many of the former mining towns became prisons for political prisoners during Pinochet’s ruling during the 1970’s. The most well known of these mining towns is Chacabuco that was shut down in 1938. Located only about an hour and a half drive from the Atacama, Chacabuco is spread out, but remarkably, still has quite a few buildings that are standing to this day. The town had everything you needed for daily life from food halls to entertainment. The sites were designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2005.

Suggested next reading: Why A Visit To Pucón, Chile Is An Absolute Must

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Situated at the northern limit of the African continent, Morocco spreads from the snow-capped high peaks of the Atlas Mountains to the Sahara Desert. A big part of the country’s territory was crossed by trading caravan routes connecting the Mediterranean to the famous Timbuktu, Mali—the terminus of a trans-Saharan caravan route. Nowadays, various trails in the desert include different sections of those old caravan routes. This way, avid travelers or explorers can get a feel for the wild and unwritten rules of life in the desert.

While it might seem challenging and intriguing to go on your own in the desert (unless you’re an expert), it’s far better to pay a tour agency and an official guide to safely take you into the middle of the wilderness. There are numerous tours that drive visitors to popular or remote parts of the desert. However, not all of them are official, professional, or quality tours. A Moroccan desert tour usually includes transportation (jeep and/or camel—it depends on the tour you’ve booked), food (three meals per day), bottled water, and staying in a camp overnight (tent, showers, and rudimentary restrooms). Different terms and conditions may apply, though, and this totally depends on your knowledge and negotiation skills.

With all this in mind, here are the 6 most important things you should know about Moroccan desert tours — and how to choose the right one before rushing off to the desert.

1. Morocco has two desert regions to choose from

Morocco actually features two desert regions with sand dunes—Merzouga and Zagora-M’Hamid. Merzouga’s desert is situated approximately in the middle of the country, near the border with Algeria. It mainly features sand dunes spread over a limited area (a surface of nearly 100 square kilometers). Merzouga is easily accessible from the touristic Todra Gorges and the Ziz Valley—approximately 40km from Rissani, a small town in Eastern Morocco which is located at the crossroads between these two key sights. Merzouga’s desert features one of the most fascinating sand dunes in Morocco, the famous Erg Chebbi (160m in height). One or two days spent in the area are enough to get a fair feel of the desert atmosphere.

On the flip side, a vast desert region lies between Zagora and M’Hamid (300km south of Merzouga), near the border of Algeria. This is the gateway to the Sahara Desert and it features a unique combination of isolated sand dunes and extremely dry and rocky areas. Zagora is more difficult to access—400km from Marrakesh, from which the last 100km snake slowly along the windy Draa Valley. However, Zagora’s desert features the largest and wildest sand dunes in Morocco, the famed Erg Chigaga (300m in height). Once you are there, it would be great to consider spending at least a couple of days in the area, so that you have enough time to experience the true beauties of this remote part of the country.

 2. You can do jeep tours as well as camel trekking

If you don’t have too much time to invest in your desert adventure, then a jeep tour is the best option for you. You can reach remoter parts of the desert faster and can even stay in a camp with tents overnight. In terms of time management, a jeep tour is more recommended for the Zagora-M’Hamid’s dunes, while a camel trek is preferred for Merzouga’s ones.

However, if you want to truly experience an authentic tour, a camel trek is the best choice you can make—and Erg Chigaga makes that a worthy challenge. Camels will carry everything you need in the desert. You can walk or ride a camel—very painful at times but you quickly get used to it. Along the way, you will have to stay in several camps, in oases or nearby different water sources such as wells or springs. This way, you will experience the real life of a camel caravan (without goods to trade, of course). In the same time, you will be surprised to see how fast and constant a camel can walk, covering even 40km per day.

3. Research the Moroccan desert tours market in advance

There are a lot of official travel agencies that organize tours in the desert. But there are fake guides that will try to gain your confidence as well, promoting great discounts and promotional prices. If you see a jeep following your car in Zagora and trying to sell you a tour when you stop at the traffic lights—as happened to me—ignore it. To choose the best tour for you, consider researching the market a bit before you go. Google “Moroccan desert tours” and see the range of tours in terms of duration, length, costs, and complexity. Having this kind of information will then help you to negotiate a better deal.

As a general idea, most of the tours around the Zagora-M’Hamid region include Erg Chigaga in the route. You will need a two-day trip if you take a jeep tour and a four-to-five-day one if you decide to ride a camel. From Merzouga, tours include Erg Chebbi and you will need only one or two days if you go on a camel and stay overnight in a desert camp.

4. Don’t underestimate the challenges of the desert

Wind, water, insects, and not least walking in the sand, the desert can be tough. Days in the desert are very hot even during fall (86-95°F / 30-35℃), while nights can be very cold (less than 50°F / 10℃). Once the sun sets, a wind continuously blows during the night, challenging even the most professional of tents. If you bring along your own tent, make sure to anchor it well in the sand or in the rocky terrain.

Despite all the myths, there is enough water in the desert and good guides know the location of water sources (wells, springs, oasis, etc.) However, this water is only good for camels, showers, and cooking (if well boiled). Bring your bottled water along the way (and negotiate this with the agency beforehand) or use a filter and pills to purify the water. Your stomach won’t be used to the local bacteria so take care.

I know it’s a pleasure to walk barefooted in the soft, orange sand (especially after a long day of trekking), but be aware that local insects and even scorpions might bite your toes. I got a swollen toe once because I ignored this basic rule. It took me several days of antibiotics to be able to walk again. Since then, I have always worn trekking boots (more comfortable to walk in) or at least sneakers in the desert. Forget the sandals!

Also, even if it seems amusing and apparently easy to hike the dunes, walking in the sand is rather difficult. Hiking a sand dune may be a true challenge for a beginner. You will take a step forward and two steps back and have the feeling you are never approaching that top of the dune.

5. Don’t miss stopping at a nomads’ camp

Nomads stay in the mountains during summer when it’s hot, and come down to the desert in winter when it’s pleasant to live there. More likely than not you’ll book on the Moroccan desert tours that depart in autumn or spring when the temperatures are acceptable. In that case, nomad families with their goats and camels will be there, so make sure to ask your guide to stop in one of the camps along the way (or maybe make a short detour). Nomads usually settle near an oasis or a spring for a couple of months. This way, you will have the chance to get an insight into their lives and feel like you’re in a National Geographic documentary.

6. Don’t forget to enjoy the mint tea and traditional tajine

The Moroccan mint tea is a widespread tradition all over the country. You are offered hot tea in Berber villages in the High Atlas Mountains as well as in nomads’ camps in the desert. The hot tea rises your body’s temperature and helps it to adapt and resist the high temperatures. And that double spoon of sugar put in your glass of tea will give you more energy than you can imagine.

Besides the mint tea, the tajine is the most well known Moroccan traditional dish. Every region has its own tajine recipe but no matter where you eat it, it is cooked in a special ceramic pot that is shut close. The dish has a special taste when cooked on a wood fire in the desert. And if your guide is a true local, he will bake you a flatbread in the hot sand. You will be surprised to see how tasty this bread is.

Suggested next reading: 7 Stunning Locations You Need To Experience In Africa

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Jaipur – The Pink City

After spending two nights in Agra, we hopped on the 11pm night bus and arrived 6 hours later tired, confused and not at all in the mood for the con-artists that are the tuk-tuk drivers in this city. We eventually found a man willing to take us the 2km to our hostel without ripping us off too much more than usual.

We stayed at The Mellow for two nights, just outside of the city center, and it’s one of the nicest places we stayed in the whole country! The staff was so kind, they do good food in the rooftop cafe and the rooms were big, clean and air-conditioned, with en-suite bathrooms and lockers for valuables.

We spent a day walking around the “Pink City” and realized pretty quickly that it’s more like the “Terracotta City”. All the attractions are very expensive to get into, so we decided to be stubborn and only pay to get into one, the Hawa Mahal, which was a rip off because it’s more impressive from the street outside.

You can do an easy walking (or shopping) tour around the main sights of the city, and it’s not too pricey to take a tuk-tuk out to the Jah Mahal and the Amber Fort. The highlight for us was a sunset visit to the Monkey Palace, and after following a crowd of people we found a huge festival at a temple complex hidden in the hills.

Bundi – The (Mini) Blue City

From Jaipur we took the 6 pm bus, getting us (almost) to Bundi at 10:30pm. We were just dropped at the side of the road and luckily there was one tuk-tuk driver willing to take us the 2km into the city center. If you’re alone someone will probably take you on their motorbike for a cheaper price, just be careful.

We stayed at The Raj Mahal Guesthouse for two nights and had a lovely time. It’s a beautiful building with incredible rooftop views, balconies, and bathrooms in the spacious rooms and delicious home-cooked meals. There are a ton of good rooftop restaurants nearby that’ll give you perfect views of the fort, but most are caged because of the monkeys!

There’s not much to do here except getting lost in the winding streets lined with blue buildings, it’s a much more beautiful and peaceful alternative to Jodhpur (which we avoided after hearing so many horror stories of women being groped). You can see the peaceful Sukh Mahal or the Taragarh Fort for a hefty price; it’s apparently lovely inside. Walk up the hill to Mordi Ki Chatri for the best free view of this colorful city.

The highlights of Bundi for us was being randomly dragged into an Indian wedding where we ate delicious, free food with the locals and took a million selfies, it was a cool experience! Then we found a puppy. A tiny little thing, furless from mange, weak from malnutrition, on the brink of death. So we decided to take her! We found a box and some rags, took her to the local vet and then onto the bus to make our way to TOLFA, the animal hospital in Ajmer.

Pushkar – The Camel Fair

It’s been over four months since I was here, but I’m still not over what happened. As soon as we arrived in Pushkar I ignored my instinct to get to the hostel first and instead battled our way through hordes of people trying to find medicine for the puppy. Within a minute of finding a pharmacy my bag had been stolen and I lost everything valuable and important to me, including almost all of my photos from this trip. It was absolutely heartbreaking and I was so close to giving up and going home, but I’m glad I didn’t.

Pushkar would be a great place to visit at any other time of the year. You have some amazing hostels and restaurants to choose from, the shopping was amazing, and with all the lakes and rolling hills around you, it’s a beautiful place to relax. If you’re determined to visit during the world famous Camel Fair then be prepared to be hassled, ripped off, groped, maybe even robbed, and book your accommodation well in advance, the only place with room for us was the awful Bonfire Hostel, avoid this place like the plague.

Bikaner – The Rat Temple

If you’ve ever seen the British travel comedy show, An Idiot Abroad, you may have seen the episode where Karl Pilkington is forced to visit a rat temple in India. This is one of my favorite travel shows and I had to follow in his footsteps. It’s a two-day detour minimum, but it’s worth it if you’re into tight spaces full of humans, rats and a smell like the butt of Satan.

Bikaner itself is a pretty dismal place. We stayed at the Hostel Arya Niwas which was nice enough, very basic but with a cute little courtyard to relax in and you can get food here, which is good because there wasn’t a single restaurant around. Literally nowhere to buy food which is very strange in India, but there was a bottle shop. Priorities.

The whole point of going to this weird, empty city is to visit the weird, busy temple. We took a local bus from Bikaner to Deshnok, the actual location of the Karni Mata Temple. It must have been the busiest day of the year because there were about 10,000 people queued up to enter, but we got to use our white privilege to get in through a side door. It was an intense experience. Imagine being trapped inside a trash compacter except, instead of trash, it’s rats and rat poop and bits of food and humans that are pushing you along the narrow corridors and there are rats E V E R Y W H E R E and bowls of sour milk with rats in and did I mention the poop!? Anyway…

Jaisalmer – A Desert Safari

This city inside a fortress is definitely one of my favorite places in India. We arrived at night after taking a local day bus from Bikaner to the main city of Jaisalmer and rode a tuk-tuk into the fort itself, where you’ll find restaurants, shops, and hostels galore. The gorgeous sandstone buildings and narrow, winding streets make you feel like you’ve gone back in time and it makes a nice change from the chaos of the bigger cities.

Most guesthouses will offer some sort of “Desert Camel Safari”. There are hundreds to choose from, they all sort of offer the same thing but you can tailor it to your needs and some are pricier than others. Bonus points for finding one that will give you dirt cheap accommodation in the fort, we stayed at the lovely Shiva Guesthouse and had our own private room with en-suite for $1 a night, plus they have a great restaurant and the staff is amazing.

On the other hand, our “Desert Camel Safari” was a bit disappointing. We chose not to ride the camels because they looked sad, so we basically paid 2000R (£22) to be driven 15km into the desert, eat dahl and sleep in the sand with the beetles. I probably would have found this to be a magical experience if it wasn’t for the beetles, but the guys rigged up a sort of safety net for me and I was so grateful. Also, I recommend taking alcohol and a pack of cards!

Udaipur – The City of Lakes

Udaipur is known as the “city of lakes” and it is stunning, I fell in love with it. We spent some time walking along the river, through winding streets, finding hidden places to take photos of the white city skyline and some amazing restaurants to eat at, my favorites were The Little Prince and Bridge Corner.

We stayed on the little (almost) island of Tripur at the amazing Hostel Crawl. It’s a very tall building with large, clean rooms, en-suite bathrooms and an amazing rooftop space perfect for watching the sunset or sunrise. They also have some sick Harry Potter wall art that’s worth checking out if you’re into that… I definitely am.

We didn’t find much to do in this city except wandering around getting lost, eating good food and spending a lot of money shopping. You can visit the City Palace, the Jagmandir Palace or take a boat tour around the lake to see it all, but not with a puppy so we missed out on this. It’s definitely a city I would recommend spending a few days in just to unwind from the chaos of the rest of Rajasthan.

And that pretty much sums up our tour of Rajasthan! We saw temples and tombs, deserts and lakes, we rescued a puppy and I had all my valuables stolen, we missed out on some places and explored a couple places that are ‘off the beaten path’. It was a (mostly) great two weeks and is something every traveler visiting India should experience for themselves!

For more from Josie Acland click here.

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