Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara is offering guests a unique insight into the abundant nature and mystical charm of the Liwa Desert, with a new desert walk experience. The two-hour guided walks will depart the hotel at sunrise and sunset, providing breathtaking views of the serene landscape. The walks will start from the bottom of the valley and lead guests to one of the highest dunes in the desert, standing majestically at around 120 m high.
Walkers can learn about the different sand dune forms in the Liwa oasis, including ‘Sabkha’, the Arabic term adopted by geologists for low-lying salt flats, and ‘sand roses’ – interlocking discs of gypsum-cemented sand, formed by rain at the water table. Inland sand differs from coastal sand in that it mainly consists of quartz grains, one of the most common rock-forming minerals. Other present minerals include gypsum, silica, iron and oxidised iron, also known as ‘rusted sand’, which gives the sand its striking red colour.
Walkers can also see first-hand the varied types of indigenous desert animals, from Arabian oryx, Arabian hare, falcons and sand gazelles, to the weird and wonderful spiny-tailed lizards, wolf spiders, and toad headed agama. As well as the visible sights, walkers can also understand more about desert culture, learning how water, the source of all life, is an integral part of desert life too. In Liwa, water is most plentiful on the north side of the depressions at the foot of the dunes, at depths of between 1 to 25 m, with oases usually irrigated by a falaj
system.
The Desert Walks are priced Dh125 ($34) for adults and Dh80 ($21) for children.