the Travel Enthusiast
- 28 Mar
The best sandboarding destinations in the world
Since we’ve already written about where you can find the most interesting sand dunes in the world, here’s another treat for those of you who still feel some nostalgia for those childhood days spent playing in the sand box. Sand has many uses, way beyond building castles on the beach, especially if you are longing to do something more adventurous than developing your miniature castle building skills – sandboarding.
Sandboarding is not that different from snowboarding, but instead of fluffy frozen water, you end up with mouthfuls of sand when you tumble down. For all the extreme-sports enthusiasts, here are the best sandboarding destinations in the world.
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado
Located in the eastern part of Alamosa County, the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is a vast expanse of sand that boasts of the tallest sand dunes in the US. Tall sand dunes can mean only one thing for the adventure fanatic: an occasion for sandboarding!
Trudging up to the top of Sheik Peak is no piece of cake, but do it on a night with fool moon and you’ll be rewarded with the best boarding experience in your life.
Algodones Dunes, Baja, Mexico
Algodones Dunes is a sand dune field (called an erg) that should be well-known to Star Wars fans – this is where the Tatooine scenes in The Return of the Jedi were filmed. In addition to being home for many interesting endemic species, Algodones has some great spots for sandboarding.
Kangaroo Island, Australia
Australia has a bit of a reputation for being dry in places, but Kangaroo Island is really dry even by Australian standards. The island is very sought after by adventure travelers, who can hike, camp, surf, sail and scuba dive to their heart’s content. Snowboarding on the island is easily done at Little Sahara, a 2 square kilometer dune complex where the highest dune can reach up to 70 meters.
Atlantis, South Africa
Not far from Cape Town, this city has some amazing sand dunes in its vicinity. The dunefields near Atlantis are incredibly white, and the dunes vary in size, so even beginner sandboarders can have a go at it.
Plus, you’ll get some great views of Table Mountain and the city of Atlantis. If you don’t want to arrange a sandboarding trip to Atlantis yourself, there are many Cape Town tour operators who can do it for you.
- Flights
- Hotels
- Packages
- Cars
- Cruises
travel search by Travelgrove (get this widget)Cerro Blanco, Peru
If you want extreme sandboarding, there’s no better place for it than Cerro Blaco in Naza Valley, which has the honor of having the biggest vertical drop among all other sand dunes in the world. The hike up will not be easy, nor fast, seeing as Cerro Blanco is 2070 meters tall, but the sandboarding slopes? They’re exquisite.
You might also like