Top 3 deserts to explore on a trek

Covering a surface area of approximately 14 times the size of France, the Sahara Desert is the largest sand desert in the world and has always captured the imagination of men. It stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea and from North Africa to Sub-Saharan Africa, and crosses around 10 countries including Morocco, Mauritania and Egypt.



While sand remains the key emblem of the Sahara, the landscapes are rich and varied, and are not limited to expanses of dunes stretching out as far as the eye can see. In particular, there are vast rocky plains, rocky plateaus, mountain ranges and basins.

 

Between the Berbers, Tuaregs and Moors, the nomadic populations living in the heart of the Sahara are extremely hospitable and the camel teams are always happy to discuss their way of life with trekkers.

 

The Sahara Desert is characterised by a very hot and dry climate where it hardly ever rains. One of the features of the Sahara is the unparalleled thermal range one can experience: rising to 50°C in summer, it can drop to -10°C in winter, and the average temperature difference between the day and the night is 30°C. It is from November to April that the Sahara Desert offers the best conditions for hiking and trekking enthusiasts.

It is a sand desert over 200 km long that flirts with the Indian Ocean and is a sheer delight for the eyes. Its magnificent dunes, with colour shades oscillating between orange, pink and red that contrast with the azure blue of the sky, reach up to 200 metres high forming the perfect playing field for hikers eager for adventure and a change of scenery.

The Wadi Rum Desert, located at the southern end of Jordan, is one of the most captivating deserts on the planet, very strongly linked to the memory of Lawrence of Arabia. The term Wadi means "valley" in Arabic. As its name suggests, the Wadi Rum desert is a valley that has been carved out over the centuries by the erosion of a stream in the sandstone and granite rocks, which are very common in this region.



It is in the heart of a real maze of monoliths and immense sandstone cliffs that lovers of the great outdoors can gobble up in a few days. In particular, there are some superb natural arches that you can climb up to get some breathtaking views of this fabulous desert.