Dry days

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With the winter holidays in sight, plan yourself a desert vacation.

There’s something about the vista of a desert night. Lying flat on your back you can see the sky carpeted with the twinkling of millions of stars. It is a sight that we city dwellers rarely get to see. The desert is described by its inhabitants as having its own soul, and spending a few days unravelling it can be quite an experience.

For starters, you can look very close to home indeed. A unique initiative by the Dundlod royal family of the Shekhawati region in Rajasthan offers a splendid desert experience. The family are breeders of the Marwari breed of horse, famous for its endurance. You can travel selected routes across the state on horseback, complete with luxurious tented accommodation.

The length of the ride varies from three days to 12, depending on how long you wish to spend in the saddle. A distance of about 25-30 km is covered every day, with hot lunch served en route. Accompanying you will be the scion of Dundlod, Kanwar Raghuvendra Singh himself.

Moving away — very far away — there is South America’s Atacama desert. There is nothing in this vast emptiness other than dried shrubs that hardly rise a few inches above the ground. It is the driest place on the planet, receiving less than 1 mm of rainfall annually, but for the bravehearts it offers plenty of wind. It is mecca for adrenaline seekers who want to try some windsurfing, kite-surfing or even parasailing. Be sure to have your travel insurance up to date before you head here.

Nothing is more romantic than the ancient Silk Route. Part of it crossed the Gobi desert, that spans China and southern Mongolia. Permits to the Chinese Gobi are notoriously tricky to obtain, because the government bases its nuclear weapons research there. In Mongolia, however, you can stay with the nomadic tribes who still have not been touched by modernity. On the top of your itinerary should be the fabled dinosaur digs that have even yielded fossilised eggs.

Lawrence of Arabia is synonymous with the vast dunes of West Asia. There are plenty of operators that offer tours pegged on the fabled adventurer, but the king of fun there is dune bashing in Dubai. You can shop to your heart’s content in the city and then head out to burn some gasoline. Yes, dune bashing is viable only in Dubai — enjoy it while petrol is still cheap there.