Desert Dunes…

Exploring desert dunes (and visiting local Bedouin) is one of my favorite aspects of living in the Sultanate of Oman. Unfortunately, as the Sharqiyah sands continue to draw more tourists, some areas around the tourists camps are becoming noisy and polluted from 4×4 dune bashing, sandboarding, and dune buggy riding (not to mention partying).

Bedouin tribes have brought their concerns about noise pollution to local and governmental authorities, who are now considering curbing tourism in the dunes. Like the local Bedouin, I prefer peace and quiet when communing with nature in the dunes — for me, it’s the perfect landscape for meditation, reflection, and a special peek at paradise…