Top 20 most popular coastal towns with best desert experience in the world

For a desert experience by the coast, where the beauty of sand dunes meets the tranquility of the sea, there are many coastal towns that offer a unique combination of desert landscapes and coastal beauty. Here are 20 popular coastal towns around the world that offer the best desert experiences:

1. Dubai, United Arab Emirates

• Best Desert Experience: Desert Safaris & Camel Riding
• Dubai offers an iconic desert experience with thrilling dune bashing, camel rides, and luxury desert resorts. Visitors can also enjoy the contrast of the Arabian Desert and the nearby Persian Gulf beaches.

2. Ouarzazate, Morocco

• Best Desert Experience: Sahara Desert Tours
• Ouarzazate is the gateway to the Sahara Desert, where visitors can embark on camel treks and overnight stays in desert camps, followed by visits to Morocco’s coast, like Essaouira.

3. Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

• Best Desert Experience: Desert & Beach ATV Tours
• Cabo offers desert adventures on ATV tours through its unique desert terrain, followed by relaxation on the beaches of the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez.

4. Lima, Peru

• Best Desert Experience: Paracas National Reserve & Sandboarding
• Near Lima, Paracas offers a desert experience with dramatic coastal cliffs, desert landscapes, and the Paracas National Reserve, where visitors can try sandboarding on the dunes of the desert that meets the sea.

5. Swakopmund, Namibia

• Best Desert Experience: Skeleton Coast & Desert Tours
• Swakopmund lies on the edge of the Namib Desert and offers incredible experiences like desert quad biking, sandboarding, and exploring the Skeleton Coast, where the desert meets the Atlantic Ocean.

6. Porto de Galinhas, Brazil

• Best Desert Experience: Lencois Maranhenses National Park
• While Porto de Galinhas is known for its tropical beaches, nearby Lencois Maranhenses National Park offers a surreal desert experience with vast sand dunes and seasonal lagoons, providing a unique coastal desert adventure.

7. Atacama Desert, Chile (San Pedro de Atacama)

• Best Desert Experience: Valle de la Luna & Salt Flats
• San Pedro de Atacama offers stunning desert landscapes with the Valle de la Luna, salt flats, and the nearby Pacific coast. It’s a must-visit for those seeking a high-altitude desert experience.

8. Dakhla, Western Sahara

• Best Desert Experience: Kite Surfing & Desert Adventures
• Located on the Atlantic coast, Dakhla offers both desert and ocean experiences, with opportunities for kite surfing, quad biking in the desert, and exploring the unique Saharan landscapes.

9. Almería, Spain

• Best Desert Experience: Tabernas Desert & Beach
• The Tabernas Desert near Almería offers a desert adventure with wild-west movie sets and natural dunes. The town’s proximity to the Mediterranean coast adds the perfect contrast of desert and sea.

10. Eilat, Israel

• Best Desert Experience: Desert and Red Sea Adventures
• Eilat is nestled between the desert and the Red Sea. Desert safaris, camel treks, and hiking in the Negev Desert offer the perfect blend of desert and ocean, all within a few miles.

11. Wadi Rum, Jordan

• Best Desert Experience: Camel Trekking & Desert Camping
• Wadi Rum offers a famous desert experience with camel treks, jeep tours, and overnight stays in Bedouin-style desert camps, and its proximity to the Red Sea in Aqaba adds an ocean-side element.

12. Marrakech, Morocco

• Best Desert Experience: Sahara Desert Expeditions
• Marrakech is a perfect base for exploring the Sahara Desert, where camel trekking, sandboarding, and desert camps await. The nearby coastal city of Essaouira provides a beautiful contrast of beach and desert.

13. Cairo, Egypt

• Best Desert Experience: Pyramids & Desert Adventures
• Cairo offers desert safaris and visits to the Pyramids of Giza, and nearby coastal destinations like Alexandria offer a beach getaway after exploring the desert.

14. La Paz, Mexico

• Best Desert Experience: Desert & Sea Combo
• La Paz offers a stunning combination of the Baja Desert and the Sea of Cortez. Desert ATV tours, combined with kayaking and snorkeling in the rich marine environment, offer an adventure that blends desert and sea.

15. Tunis, Tunisia

• Best Desert Experience: Sahara Desert & Mediterranean Coast
• Tunis is a gateway to the Sahara Desert, with tours that take visitors to the star wars filming locations in the desert, and afterward, they can relax on Tunisia’s Mediterranean beaches.

16. Dubai, United Arab Emirates

• Best Desert Experience: Luxury Desert Safari
• Dubai is known for its luxury desert safaris, where visitors can enjoy dune bashing, camel riding, and gourmet desert camping. The contrast of modern Dubai’s beaches and the vast Arabian desert creates a striking combination.

17. Sossusvlei, Namibia

• Best Desert Experience: Namib Desert & Coastal Safaris
• Sossusvlei is famous for its massive red dunes and salt pans, but it’s not far from the Atlantic coast, allowing for desert experiences combined with ocean activities like boat tours and bird watching along the coast.

18. Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain

• Best Desert Experience: Desert Dunes & Coastal Beaches
• Fuerteventura has both desert-like sand dunes and beautiful beaches, offering a diverse desert adventure. Tourists can explore vast dunes and relax along the island’s picturesque coast.

19. Cabo de la Vela, Colombia

• Best Desert Experience: Desert & Beach Exploration
• Located in the La Guajira Desert, Cabo de la Vela offers a unique desert experience, including visits to indigenous Wayuu communities, camel rides, and exploration of the desert dunes that meet the Caribbean Sea.

20. Lagos, Nigeria

• Best Desert Experience: Sahara Desert & Coastal Safari
• Lagos offers visitors a chance to explore the Sahara Desert, combined with the beauty of Nigeria’s Atlantic coastline, including activities like dune climbing and water sports.

These coastal towns combine the beauty of the desert with the calming presence of the sea, offering visitors a truly unique experience where vast sand dunes, wild deserts, and beautiful coastlines converge. Whether you’re looking for thrilling desert safaris, camel rides, sandboarding, or simply a peaceful desert retreat, these destinations offer unforgettable experiences.