In 2022, life tends to keep our heads down, our minds racing, and, for many of us, our minds racing. Meditation and silent retreats aside, vacations, while a great way to get away from work, don't always give us the chance to zoom out and take stock. With that in mind, let us suggest the perspective-shifting experience of an endless sandscape. Empty space, open skies, and an elysian aura—here are seven of the most awe-inspiring (in our opinion) dune bashing holidays.
01. Camp San, Botswana
San Camp Main Area, Kalahari Desert, Botswana. Photo courtesy of Natural Selection Travel
Nature truly outdoes itself in the Kalahari Desert. A stunning land of gnarled baobabs and black-maned lions, the vast desert landscapes are reminiscent of Rothko's color studies, and San Camp catapults you into the very heart of them. You'll quickly feel at home in the vast, canopy-covered spaces, where mahogany desks and well-worn vintage chests are arranged, and a campfire blazes. Outside, sun-drunk meerkats squabble in the dust while herds of zebras lazily graze on the plains. Everything here is solar-powered.
naturalselection.travel
02. Longitude 131°, Australia
Dune Pavilion at Longitude 131°, Yulara, Australia. Photograph by Mr. George Apostolidis, courtesy of Longitude 131°.
Rising majestically above the surrounding red sands, Uluru stretches as far as the eye can see across the entire horizon. But it's the monolith's all-consuming aura that truly permeates the place, and it's this same intangible air that gives Longitude 131º its magnetic appeal. Beneath the stretched canvas roofs, low-slung armchairs sit alongside ceramics handcrafted by Anangu artisans, and out in the raw, unfettered desert, the mighty rock looms. The primal splendor of this endless landscape quickly grabs your breath away, but go even further with dawn hikes between the sandstone domes of Kata Tjuta, chopper flights, and Harley-Davidson rides along the outback highway.
longitude131.com.au
03. Dar Ahlam, Morocco
Swimming pool at Dar Ahlam, Sahara Desert, Morocco. Photo courtesy of 700,000 Heures
It's this profound sense of peace that is most apparent at Dar Ahlam. Except for the occasional whistle of the wind through the foliage, all is eerily silent. Flooded with sunlight by day and illuminated by flickering lanterns at nightfall, this unusual kasbah—standing like a jewel on the edge of the Moroccan desert—has been attracting serenity seekers for decades. Beyond the perimeter, towering dunes and gorges await, but warmer moments are best spent by the jade-toned pool, where swifts swoop and billowing canvas sails cast shadows on sun-baked tiles.
slh.com
04. Under Canvas Moab, US
Suite Tent at Under Canvas Moab, Utah, USA. Photograph by Bailey Made, courtesy of Under Canvas Moab.
This collection of canvas-covered accommodations is scattered throughout Utah's beautiful Canyon Country, where the call of the wild is immediately palpable. And while you're technically camping, you're not roughing it. Large beds sit atop wooden floors covered in cowhide, energetic showers wash away lingering desert dust, and all eyes are on those epic sandstone plateaus. It's once the heat subsides and night falls that the next-level desert landscapes really come to life, so plan a moonlit off-roading tour through the harshest, most rarely seen areas of Arches National Park. It's not for the faint of heart, but on a nighttime expedition, you might see coyotes, bobcats, and mountain lions prowling.
undercanvas.com
05. Three Camel Lodge, Mongolia
View of Three Camel Lodge, Gobi Desert, Mongolia. Courtesy of Nomadic Expeditions.
As you travel along dusty paths, past petrified trees and sun-bleached bones, you'll glimpse the narrow plumes of smoke rising into the sky before discovering this remarkable desert refuge. A collection of generously furnished, felt-covered gers, well-positioned for near-total immersion in the Gobi wilderness. In these parts, little has changed for centuries, and few places on the planet are as mysterious. Under clear skies, time unfolds in a series of spirit-lifting adventures: climbs along the shifting dunes of Khongoryn Els, fossil digs under the watchful eye of paleontologists, and hikes through the strikingly green Yol Valley, named after the large-winged predators that nest in its crags. Back at base, wood stoves chase away the night chill while the echoes of Mongolian throat singing create a strangely hypnotic soundtrack.
threecamellodge.com
06. Awasi Atacama, Chile
Awasi Atacama Pool, Atacama Desert, Chile. Photo courtesy of Awasi
Wedged between the Pacific and the Andes in Chile's arid north, the Atacama offers a stark, surreal beauty. Gleaming salt flats transform into ochre dunes of planetary proportions, centuries-old petroglyphs litter twisting ravines, and puffing volcanoes rise above sun-baked craters. The terrain is so extraordinary that NASA commissioned swathes of it for simulated Mars expeditions. Awasi Atacama is the most brilliant starting point, drawing inspiration from the desert's pre-Incan past with its adobe dwellings. Guests will be given their own rugged 4x4 to speed across the hot, mineral-rich land, and you can while away the evening by the fire, sipping pisco sours and gazing at the cosmos.
awasiatacama.com
07. Six Senses Shaharut, Israel
Master bedroom of the private reserve at Six Senses Shaharut, Negev Desert, Israel. Photograph by Mr. Amit Geron, courtesy of Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas.
With its sun-baked escarpments, rolling dunes, and oasis-like wadis, the remote Negev has a special allure. The equally impressive Six Senses Shaharut stands out from a timeworn ridge in splendid isolation. Winding paths snake through the copper-colored earth, connecting villas made of rough-hewn local stone, amulets hanging from trees clink in the breeze, and the rugged mountains of Edom are ever-present on the horizon. When you can no longer bear the sweltering heat outside, retreat to the vine-enmeshed spa, where Nabataean animal statues occupy sleek alcoves and sound healing sessions restore inner calm.
sixsenses.com
Text by Ms Harriet Charnock-Bates
