The desert is a strange and yet beautiful place. Wide expanses of sand, the hot sun, and if you are lucky a cool breeze – better yet an oasis to rest your feet.

Although it is well recognized as a difficult place to get around in, I love hiking, camping and enjoying the solitude. Then again, not all desert landscapes are barren.  Oasis’  like the one below have been supporting nomadic communities for centuries.

We spent time in the Sahara desert traveling as modern day nomads. I cannot tell you how happy we were to find even just basic modern conveniences on the other end. It made us truly appreciate. The magnificent. Cities in countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which have managed to make the desert bloom.

Many of the world’s deserts are found on the equator so it should come as no surprise to see deserts in countries as far apart as the UAE and Peru.

If you go: Dubai is a great place to explore the desert and still have access to modern luxuries. The hotels themselves, like Madinat Jumeirah Dubai are like a  modern oasis – a bit of luxury in an otherwise expansive desert.