Over the years, I’ve visited various deserts while traveling around the world. A few that come to mind are Wadi Rum in Jordan, the Namib Desert in Namibia and taking a desert jeep safari (aka Dune Bashing) in Dubai.
The scenery is pretty amazing but the heat can make things a bit uncomfortable not to mention there being little refuge from the sun.
Lonely Planet put together a list of The World’s Ultimate Desert Dares which includes 10 challenges. The challenges were taken from Lonely Planet’s 1,000 Ultimate Adventures.
Check out the list:
- Blokart in the Mojave Desert, USA (involves piloting lightweight, wind-powered, three-wheeled vehicles)
- Horse trek across the Gobi, Mongolia
- Canyoning in the Judaean Desert, Israel
- Battle the black snake in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi
- Climb a mountain in the world’s oldest desert, Namibia
- Sandboard Cerro Blanco, Peru
- Cycle across the Simpson, Australia
- Run the ocean floor, Egypt
- Kite skiing in Antarctica
- Camel trek through Arabia’s Empty Quarter
I haven’t tried any of these activities above but did go sandboarding and walk up sand dunes in Namibia. Kim and I also went canyoning but it wasn’t in the desert. We tried canyoning in a rainforest in New Zealand. I’ve also had a chance to ride a camel in Israel.
Check out Lonely Planet here to find out about each of these Ultimate Desert Dares.
