The largest dune in the world. The largest dune in Europe is growing! Sandy islands near the Dune of Pyla

(dune du Pilat), located near the city of Arcachon.

This is the highest dune in Europe, its constantly changing height - from 110 to 130 meters. From the satellite, the dune looks like this.

And this is a view of the entire three-kilometer dune from a quadrocopter (from Wikipedia).

The dune began to form about 4 thousand years ago: under the influence of the storm winds of the Bay of Biscay, quicksand began to layer and gradually move to nearby settlements.

Where did the sand come from? Weathering and the waters of the bay destroyed the mountain ranges of the Central Pyrenees, the stone turned into sand, which was carried away to the sea by rivers, and the tides (there are ebbs and flows here) returned the sand back. The wind from the bay drove the sand towards the land, there were forests in the way of the sand - this is how the dune grew.

At some point, Napoleon issued a decree that forests should be planted in abundance around the dune - to protect the territories. And there was something to defend: the dune kept advancing and advancing, in the thirties of the last century it even managed to swallow up the whole house, which was very imprudently built not far from it on the way of advancement.

The width of the dune is about 600 meters, it has a long gentle slope from the sea side and a rather steep slope (up to 30 degrees) from the forest side.

So we arrived at the reserve, built on the leeward side of the dune.

The weather was cloudy, with occasional heavy rain, but we still hoped to climb up.

National park in front of the dune. It has a cafe, some amenities, but the cafe, of course, does not work in winter, there are very few tourists in winter, the weather is not conducive to visits. But in the summer there is a continuous flow of tourists, and about two million people visit the dune every year.

Here we are already approaching the dune. Do you see the top of the covered tree in the center of the frame? So, a few years ago there was a cafe under this tree. You can imagine how fast the dune advances.

The ascent is relatively gentle at first, then it becomes very steep and there you have to go not “head on”, but diagonally to the side: it takes longer to climb, but it’s a little easier.

And the situation was, to be honest, very unfavorable: on the dune, even when climbing, a very strong wind was blowing, which threw sand in the face. And when we went upstairs, there was a hurricane-like wind at all: it practically knocked down and pulled the smartphone out of my hands: I could barely hold it.

This is a view of the forest from the top of the dune.

And this is the view for which we climbed up - the Bay of Biscay. Well, at least he managed to take one shot - it also rained there, the situation was somewhat extreme.

In the summer, of course, it's a completely different matter. The wind is very mild, and for tourists they are also laying a staircase of 260 steps. Tourists go upstairs barefoot (the sand will get into any shoes) and then they walk there along the three-kilometer dune zone.

Very interesting place, glad I visited. Well, I'll try to somehow come in the summer - everything should be completely different here.

Before that, I was only on. Also a very interesting place, but here the dune is much more impressive.

Deserts are reputed to be deserted and lifeless, but at the same time they are incredibly beautiful, especially when viewed from above. Different types of sand, topography, wind and climate - all this creates a colossal amount of landscapes. Wandering dunes form an endless number of ever-changing shapes. The photographs in this collection were taken by astronauts and satellites and capture the most...

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Deserts are reputed to be deserted and lifeless, but at the same time they are incredibly beautiful, especially when viewed from above. Different types of sand, topography, wind and climate - all this creates a colossal amount of landscapes. Wandering dunes form an infinite number of ever-changing figures.

The photographs in this collection were taken by astronauts and from satellites and captured the most beautiful, most memorable, vast desert regions of our planet.

Algerian Sand Sea

The sandy sea (Erg) of Issaouane extends over 39,000 sq. km. in eastern Algeria. This sandy sea in the middle of the Sahara Desert is made up of three types of dunes. Mega dunes, also known as whalebacks, formed over hundreds of thousands of years and are hundreds of kilometers long. Mesoscale dunes form the top of the mega dunes, and their gradual displacement can only be seen after decades. Smaller dunes form around larger dunes. They take on various forms under the influence of the winds and are in constant motion.

In a photograph taken by ISS astronauts in 2005, mesoscale dunes have taken the form of starfish-like dunes and crescent-shaped dunes.

*Click to see a larger photo

In a photograph taken by ISS astronauts in 2006, huge rounded shapes are mega-dunes. The smallest dunes look like wrinkles against the background of large dunes.

Imperial Dunes of California

The Algodon dune field, located on the border between Mexico and Arizona with California, reaches a width of almost 10 km and stretches for 70 km. These dunes are most famous as the dunes of the planet Tatooine in the Star Wars universe. In their open spaces is the official National Park, which is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The only man-made structure among the dunes is the American Canal, which cuts its way through the dunes near their rise at the Mexican farmlands. You can see it on the right in the photo. The photo was taken by astronauts from the ISS in 2005.

White sands in New Mexico

The sands of the dunes of the White Sands National Monument are particles of gypsum, an evaporite mineral that has accumulated as a result of the evaporation of large masses of water. In place of these dunes, a shallow sea dried up several hundred million years ago. Several thousand years ago, a huge lake evaporated here. Such dunes are quite rare, because gypsum usually dissolves easily in water and is subsequently carried by rivers. Here, its particles have been preserved due to the fact that there is no access to the sea from the basin where they are located. In turn, the water from the rivers flowing into this basin dried up, and the gypsum was not washed out.

The dunes in southern New Mexico cover an area of ​​more than 700 square kilometers. Almost half of the area is under the protection of the national park. This photograph of the area was taken with the Advanced Land Imager from NASA's Earth Observing-1 satellite.

Rub al-Khali (Empty Quarter) Desert in Saudi Arabia

This aptly named desert is the world's largest sand sea and covers an area of ​​more than 580,000 square kilometers. The photo shows part of it, located in Saudi Arabia, but this sea is also in Yemen, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

The gray and white spots between the pink sands represent plains covered with dry salt. The temperature in Rub al-Khali (literally translated as "empty quarter") reaches 54 °C. In such heat, only some species of plants, spiders and rodents that live here can survive. The sand covers one of the most oil-rich areas in the world.

This photo was taken in 2001. using Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) on the NASA/USGS Landsat 7 satellite. Below you can see a close-up photo of the dunes. Learn more about Rub al Khali in this National Geographic video.

Dunes of Tifernain in Algiers

This part of the Sahara Desert, located in the east of Algeria, adjoins the dark gray Tinneart plateau. On top of the old large dunes, star dunes were formed by the action of the winds, and sedimentary rocks, along with salt, collected in small depressions between the dunes. The climate is now dry and hot, but the valleys carved by the rivers on the border of the plateau testify to a wetter climate in the past.

This photo was taken by astronauts from the ISS in August 2009.

Unyanga lakes, Chad

These finger-shaped lakes are what is left of a single large lake that began to shrink about 5,500 years ago. The sand was driven up by the wind and partially filled the lake basin, breaking it into several separate ones. Nine out of ten lakes are fresh water, they take water from the aquifer underground. Ancient pollen found among the sediments in the lakes showed that the area used to have a temperate tropical climate.

The highest and oldest dunes in the world

In the Namib Desert, you can find dunes about three hundred meters high. They were carved by the winds blowing along the Atlantic coast of Namibia. The Namib Naukluft National Park, pictured here, is one of the largest parks in Africa. It is inhabited by hyenas, jackals, geckos and other rare animals. In addition, this desert is considered one of the oldest in the world - the climate here was dry even 55 million years ago. Today, its area receives an average of only 6 cm of precipitation per year.

The following photo was taken in 2000 by the Landsat-7 satellite operated by NASA and the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey).

This topographic image was created by combining a photograph taken in 2002 with topological data obtained by the ASTER equipment from the Terra satellite. In 2009, he celebrated his tenth anniversary.

Great sand dunes of Colorado

This collection of dunes, located near the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in southern Colorado, was designated a national monument in 1932 and a national park in 2004. Every year it is visited by 300 thousand visitors. Although these dunes cover an area of ​​just under 80 square kilometers, they reach 230 m in height and are the tallest dunes in the United States.

This image of the Great Sand Dunes National Park (above) was taken by the Ikonos sensor aboard the GeoEye satellite in 2005.

The lightly colored sand of the dunes was formed from sedimentary rock that was gradually weathered by the adjacent mountains and settled in the lake. The lake periodically dried up, and the wind blew the rock from its bottom.

And this one - by the ISS astronauts in 2007.

Sactoria: ciliates that have lost their cilia

Smooth, almost sandless, flat-bottomed bowls, bordered by huge dunes, which in turn are covered with small jagged dunes, resemble honeycombs in the very center of the Sahara.

The sandy Murzuk Sea in Libya contains numerous rows of such large dunes, referred to as "draa". The smaller dunes, which can be seen in the photo below, consist of many star dunes, linear longitudinal dunes, and curved transverse dunes. The weathered side of the smaller dunes is smoother and flatter than the opposite side. This photo was taken by ISS astronauts in December 2008.

Lake Eyre in Australia

Heavy rains in early 2009 began to fill the bottom of this huge dry lake in the Simpson Desert in Queensland. In the photo you can see the water flowing into the lake. It was taken on May 9 by the Landsat-5 satellite. Together with water, plants and thousands of birds appear.

The image below, taken by a satellite on February 18, shows how dry this area remains for much of the year.

Outcrops in the Sahara

Dune-sheltered sandy rivers meander around exposed rock in this very dry and barren section of the Sahara in Libya. This photo was taken by the Terra satellite in 2002.

Scars of Australia

This part of the Simpson Desert in Australia's Northern Territory is covered in desert scrub that gives it a greenish tint and prevents the dunes from being blown over by the winds. However, a fire that broke out here a year before this photo was taken in 2002 burned some of the vegetation, exposing the sands underneath.

The strange pattern in the sand must have been caused by a 90-degree turn in the direction of the winds during the fire. This photo was taken by ISS astronauts.

The dream to visit Africa was born a long time ago from books and countless films about wildlife, thanks to which I knew from childhood the names and habits of all antelopes, cats and other inhabitants of the legendary endless savannahs. Finally, the time has come when I had a company of like-minded people in the person of my three friends, but never before has any other trip cost us so much effort and doubt, which are to blame for malaria, sleeping sickness, crime and a host of other dangers that may lie in wait for the company of girls on Black continent. We managed to overcome all doubts and eliminate internal obstacles - we purchased air tickets, booked lodges and transfers, and exciting adventures were already waiting for us ahead!
Arriving in Windhoek, we loaded into a minibus, which soon stalled on a red dirt road in the middle of the savannah: the first time - before entering the gate of the Erindi nature reserve, after which the driver was able to fix the car and start, then we drove into the gate of Erindi, and, not reaching 24 km before the lodge, the car stalled again. The driver this time could not start it, although he was smeared all over in red dust, lying under the bottom of this shabby wreck. As a result, in the midst of the afternoon heat, without any air conditioning, we waited for transport from the lodge for 3 hours. Finally, a local ranger arrived in an ordinary jeep, and the four of us hardly climbed into the cabin. Jumping on potholes and forcing large red puddles carved in the middle of the road, we felt like the heroines of 19th century novels, the first explorers of African expanses who exchanged European comfort for dangerous and dubious adventures. Here we first felt the flavor of real wild Africa!
Despite the monstrous delay, we were still fed some lunch, and most importantly, we had time for an evening safari! The first African safari leaves an indelible impression and is remembered for a lifetime, and I am glad that we had it in Erindi, where the red earth with picturesque termite mounds and mountains form truly fantastic landscapes.

We were just delighted when the four of us climbed into the seats of our special huge jeep on high wheels, and a charming dark-skinned driver began to show us the first animals: a herd of impalas was just crossing the road, a green bee-eater was sitting in a tree next to us, miniature ones were hiding in the bushes in the distance antelopes and graceful oryxes, cheetahs rested in the shade nearby.

We carefully peered into the surrounding landscape in search of animals and found more and more of its inhabitants. We have a real hunting passion! At sunset, we were allowed to walk a little on the savannah (around the jeep, of course), we watched a huge centipede with countless legs crawl across the red earth. The drive back to the lodge was no less exciting: at dusk, the bushes illuminated by the headlights seemed mysterious, and we noticed a small fox trotting in front of us. Sometimes the driver drove the car straight into the bush, apparently cutting off the winding sections of the road known to him alone, in order to bring us to dinner faster. Stars appeared in the sky. The abundance of insects was confirmed by the way they swirled around the lanterns and any light sources in the evening. Entering our room from the street, we could not avoid letting in uninvited guests: praying mantises, butterflies and other inhabitants of the savannah, because they instantly reacted to the light inside.
Even before sunrise, we went on a morning safari, which gave us many unexpected encounters: graceful lyrehorned tall buckeyes, waterbucks, wildebeests, marabou storks, ostriches.

More than anything in the world, I love those days when every step, even if it is very insignificant at first glance, made intuitively, serves as a link in the logical chain of a unique, irresistible in beauty flow of events that used to be unattainable dreams, and even natural phenomena are formed in such a way, that the world appears before my eyes in all its original splendor. This fleeting and fragile beauty of the world, inexhaustible and generous with miracles, always makes me feel a deep happiness. And our second evening in Erindi was exactly like that.
We left for the evening safari at 16:30. We again reminded the already familiar ranger of our dream of seeing giraffes. As soon as we left very close to the lodge, we noticed a lioness wandering along the road and a lying lion - it was unplanned luck.

After watching them, we continued to move towards the mountains. After a short search, the ranger suddenly stopped the jeep and showed us in the distance in the lowland the long necks of giraffes towering above the acacia trees. Hooray!!! Our joy knew no bounds, finally we found them! When we got very close to the giraffes, the graceful animals crossed the road and stopped at the acacia right next to us. There were three of them, and they posed for us in the rays of the setting sun with such dignity, which is peculiar only to them.

Having admired the giraffes to our heart's content, we set off to track down the very rare Hartmann mountain zebras that live only in Namibia, and here we were also lucky! True, the striped horses began to run away from us into the bush, but our ranger generously agreed to pursue them across the impassability.

We did not succeed in overtaking the herd, but this reckless excitement allowed us, quite by accident, to frighten off a rhinoceros at a watering place. Cautious and very rare animal, of course, instantly disappeared into the bush, but the impression of meeting with him was the most vivid and memorable for the entire safari.

As soon as the sun disappeared below the horizon, the clouds began to acquire bright scarlet hues.

It was impossible to tear our eyes away from the play of colors, but nevertheless we began to move towards the lodge, and suddenly, to the right of the road, we saw delicate silhouettes of giraffes right against the backdrop of a fiery sunset: a spectacle that had descended from the pages of National Geographic magazine.

As soon as we sailed from the pier in the morning, two huge pelicans landed on the deck of our boat.

We watched a giant fur seal rookery located on the beach of Cape Cross, after which another guest climbed onto our ship - a black cormorant.

At the port, we were provided with a personal off-road jeep along with a pleasant driver in a cowboy hat. On the way we stopped to admire a large colony of pink flamingos.

We were aware of the hostility of this environment - it was impossible to stay here for a long time without water - and at the same time we were delighted with the wild beauty of these places. The real adventures began when the driver decided to take us on a local rollercoaster: the jeep would either slide down the steep slopes of the dunes under its own weight to the singing of the sands, or climb up with a roar at the same angle. This made us dizzy quickly, but he did not come down to the packed sand until he had exhausted us properly.
The well-worn minibuses we used to plow the dirt roads of Namibia certainly leave a lot to be desired. So the next morning, another copy that we got also caused great concern on the steep climbs on the way to Sossusvlei - our springboard for exploring the Namib - the oldest desert in the world, the same age as dinosaurs. We drove to the lodge through a mountainous rubble desert. It was so hot here that just a few minutes spent in the sun could cause sunstroke. We met only two cars, and the driver of one of them asked for directions from our Namibian. Finally, we arrived at Sossusvlei Lodge - this oasis of civilization in the middle of the desert, delighting the traveler with air conditioning in the sealed rooms of the reception and tour desk, free water and boiling water in the same place, a small pool, pleasant houses half stone and half tarpaulin, well, wild oryx, behind which you can always watch from anywhere in the lodge. After a short rest, we went out to spend the sunset in the desert. We dined at wrought-iron tables in the open air by candlelight, tasting local dishes and watching the stars - the evening turned out wonderful!
Early in the morning we got into a safari jeep and drove to the gates of Sossusvlei to the opening of the red dunes reserve. We met the dawn on the way, watching in the distance a rising balloon and oryxes on the slopes of small grassy first roadside dunes. From a high point below, a picturesque valley of dunes appeared before us, illuminated by the first orange rays of the sun.

The Namib Desert, which translated from the Nama language means "a place where there is nothing", extends almost 2000 kilometers along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and goes deep into the continent for a distance of up to 160 kilometers. The fantastic color of the sand is due to the high content of iron in it.

At first, we quickly rushed along the paved road past dune No. 45, along the steep ridge of which numerous tourists were already climbing, and then we began to slowly make our way along the quicksand to our main goal - the Dead Valley. Once there was an oasis formed by the waters of the river, but about 1000 years ago, giant dunes blocked their inflow. The dry climate of the valley ensures the ideal preservation of trees that have died from drought. A couple of kilometers from it, our walk began, during which, of course, we made an attempt to storm the highest dune named Big Daddy, 325 meters high, from which the best view of the desired valley opened.

Unfortunately, we did not have enough strength to climb to the top of this dune: it turned out to be simply inaccessible physically, like Everest.

I think that we could get up if we started doing it before dawn, but in the heat it was no longer possible. I reached the farthest along the crest of its foothills right across the virgin soil and rolled down to the far edge of the white clay valley at the moment when I realized that I did not have enough water with me, and even if I climbed, I simply would not have enough resources to Return trip. It was incredibly nice to feel hard, petrified clay under my feet instead of quicksand!

On the way back, our jeep suddenly dug into the sand, and any movement of the wheels only made the situation worse: they dug even deeper.

We had to get out of the car to lighten its weight and the driver's attempts to do something - next to it, the voluminous crown of an old acacia just created a saving shadow. It should be noted that the desert is still not lifeless in places: underground waters still feed the local regions, and trees with green leaves grow along the entire roadway, as well as clumps of tall grass that serve as food for the local inhabitants.
Drivers passing by with tourists only laughed at our misfortune. Only one of them tried together with us to push the car out of the pit, but we did not succeed. Finally, help arrived, and our jeep was pulled out by some kind people with a rope. When we hit the pavement, we were blown by a hot wind of such force, as if we were under a huge hair dryer turned on at full power. The dunes became completely colorless and flat: they no longer aroused the delight that we felt in the morning, admiring their fantastic colors and shadows. We arrived at the lodge probably the last of all the tourists, terribly tired from the heat and adventure. I spent the rest of the day photographing the irresistible oryx and the world's most bouncy springbok antelopes grazing near our cabins.

All this was accompanied by a strong dust storm. And on the day of departure at 5 in the morning, the canvas walls of our house began to make noise from a new dust storm that suddenly swooped in: we didn’t manage to sleep anymore, but we felt the force of the wind well.
Before leaving Namibia, we still had time to get acquainted with a new family of Bushmen.

We also managed to take a walk with a tame cheetah - it turns out that they are easily tamed, like dogs, with which, in addition to their docile disposition, they have many features of physiology and behavior in common: non-retractable claws, susceptibility to canine diseases, hunting style, so you can even come across the opinion that the cheetah is as if it were an intermediate link between the canine and feline families. The peaceful nature of the cheetah contributed to the fact that the inhabitants of many countries of Asia and Africa from ancient times began to use it as a hunting animal for hunting, and the colonialists of Namibia continued this tradition. However, our big cat walked very quickly to where she was interested, completely ignoring the people who were struggling to keep up with her, who sometimes had to wade through the bushes so as not to lose sight of her. She did not obey the ranger at all, and only when she was tired herself did she lie down on her side to rest in the thick bushes. The cheetah did not cause any fear in us - it is not an aggressive animal at all. And when I scratched our spotted cat behind the ear, she began to purr just like any other cat, only much louder.

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1. If you drive sixty kilometers from Bordeaux towards the coast, you can find an amazing piece of land that seems to have forgotten that it belongs to Europe...

2. Dune in Pyla is the largest sand dune in Europe.

3. Dune is located 60 km from the city of Bordeaux in the Gulf of Arcachon in France. This is the largest dune in Europe. Its dimensions are truly African - the volume is 60,000,000 m³, 500 meters wide and it rises above sea level to a height of 130 meters.

The shape of the dune is very steep on the side facing the forest, people like to do paragliding here. At the top, there is a stunning view of the sea and the dense pine forest.

5. It is believed that it began to form 8000 years ago under the influence of winds and tides, which pushed the purest sea sand from the ocean shallows onto land.

6. An interesting fact is that the dune is constantly moving towards the forest. The speed of movement is not constant. In a year, the dune moves 5 m deep into the coast. Over the past 57 years, the dune has moved to a distance of about 280 meters.

7. This Great Dune migration has already buried more than 20 houses in its sands. In 1987, the road was closed in the northeastern part of the dune, after an avalanche of sand collapsed on part of it. Now this road has completely disappeared into the sands.

9. Climbing to the top of the dune is not easy, but the magnificent, simply mesmerizing view of the largest dune in Europe, Arcachon Bay and the Pyrenees mountains, which are visible on a clear day, is worth the effort.

Sand dunes, which are the result of centuries or even millennia of accumulation of windblown sand, can be found all over the world, from arid desert regions left over from prehistoric lakes and ocean beds to barriers between land and sea. Sand dunes have protected the Earth from harsh winds and rising water levels for centuries, and have provided unique habitats for numerous animal species that have adapted to the rough, sandy environment. As with any mountains, when it comes to size and structure, some dunes are many times superior to others.

1. Dune in Pyla, France

This massive mound, located right in the middle of a huge pine forest, by the Atlantic Ocean, and the French Arcachon Bay (Arcachon Bay) is the highest dune in Europe. At the top, which offers a breathtaking view of the surrounding contrast of nature, this huge dune is more than 100 meters high, and it towers over the waters of the bay by as much as 106 meters. How this dune actually formed is still a mystery, but it's one of France's hidden tourist treasures.

2. Big Daddy, Namibia

A sand dune called Big Daddy, which towers 304 meters above the Namibian landscape, draws tourists and locals alike to spend a day rock climbing on its rusty red slopes. Some do it for the unforgettable views from the top, while others do it for the opportunity to show off later. Being the highest dune on the Sossusvlei plateau is no small feat. While Dune 7 (located along the Tsauchab River) is the tallest dune in the Namib Desert, climbing Big Daddy is considered one of the must-do activities in this arid, desert climate. It's probably because it's much more fun to say, "I climbed all the way to Big Daddy" than to say that you spent the whole day climbing Dune No. 7.

3. Ynyslas, Wales


Pronouncing the name of this place, the sand dunes of Inislas, can be difficult, but a visit to this place is a must. Here you can enjoy some of the most beautiful views in all of Wales. Sitting on the very edge between sea and land, Inislas is an ever-changing palette of colors and shapes, with wildflowers dotted along the slope facing the sea in summer and a ridge that continues to grow millimeter by millimeter every year, thanks to that the wind continues to bring sand here. In addition to the beauty of the dunes, Inislas also provides much-needed protection for the area's ecosystem, forming a sandy wall between the land's vegetation and harsh ocean winds.

4. Badin Jaran Dunes, China


If you intend to visit these dunes, then most likely you should bring headphones with you. China's Badyn Jaran desert is home to the highest fixed dunes on the planet, some of which reach 500 meters in height. The exact properties of these dunes, held in place by water somehow seeping out of the lake below, are not exactly known, but this is hardly their most interesting feature.

In addition to the secret of water absorption, Badyn Jaran is also where a phenomenon known as "singing sands" occurs, in which the topmost layer of sand causes an electrostatic charge in the layers below when it is blown away by the wind, causing us to hear a massive low-frequency noise. , similar to the hum of an airplane propeller flying overhead.

5. Mount Tempest, Australia


Mount Tempest in Australia may be one of the highest in the world, and the tallest coastal dune in the world. However, it is not these titles that attract crowds of tourists to Queensland, who flock specifically to climb the once deserted dune slope. The dune is held in place by vegetation that is rooted deep in the sand, and the view from above is a spectacular sight for both day-trippers and professional photographers, offering a panoramic view of the area from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane.

6. Dune Rig-e Yalan (Rig-e Yalan Dune), Iran


Few dunes in the world can boast that they rise more than 304 meters above sea level, the Iranian dune Rig-e Yalan claims to be famous not because of its height, but because of its temperature. The desert in which this dune is located is only a few kilometers from the hottest place on earth, where temperatures exceed 65 degrees Celsius. While it is probably a bit cooler at the top of the Rig-e Yalan dune, climbing the dune at a temperature sufficient for frying eggs is still not recommended.

7. Cerro Blanco, Peru


The dune Cerro Blanco, which nestles alone between the coastal and high Andes in South America, is generally considered to be the tallest lone sand dune on the planet. The white sand of the only dune in this area, reaches a height of 2133 meters above sea level and rises above the rocky mountains and valleys surrounding it. Despite the fact that this dune was said to have been a sacred place in Inca times, today this giant is usually used by tourists as an ideal place to master sand surfing and off-road driving.

8. Mesquite Flats Dunes, California, USA


Although less than one percent of Death Valley National Park is covered in dunes, the Mesquite Flats sand dunes are probably the first thing that comes to mind when the valley is mentioned. These dunes, of course, do not claim to be the highest, given that the height of the highest of them is less than 30 meters, but they are huge and stretch for kilometers, providing locals and tourists with huge expanses for walking.

9. Rub` al Khali, Saudi Arabia


The dunes of Rub al Khali, located in Saudi Arabia (Rub` al Khali literally translates as "empty quarter") cover an area of ​​647,497 square kilometers. Sand dunes rise from the ground like waves in the sea, which alternate with vast plains of gypsum. A trip to these dunes will be enough for you to feel like the "Lawrence of Arabia" sitting on top of a 76-meter mountain of reddish quartz sand, enjoying the view of the endless desert.

10. Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, USA


No description of the dunes would be complete without mentioning the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado. They are certainly not the most extensive in the world, and not even the largest, however, the Great Sand Dunes are part of a unique natural contrast. Arid dunes slope down to the babbling Medano Creek on one side and rise to rocky blue mountains on the other. Because the sands here are so soft and spread over such a large area (77.7 square kilometers), it's a great place to surf on the sand, sled on the sand, and just slide down like kids on a playground.