Sarykum Dune

Sarykum is an isolated dune complex rising over two hundred metres from the plain near the mouth of the Shura-Ozen valley, the largest sand mountain in Eurasia and one of the largest anywhere - and unlike a desert dune field it has no desert around it, standing alone in semi-arid steppe. The sand is thought to have accumulated over hundreds of thousands of years, brought by winds funnelled through the valley from surrounding sandstone. Its microclimate is extreme: the sand surface reaches sixty degrees in summer while the plain around is merely hot, and that has produced a genuine desert ecosystem on it - reptiles including desert boa and several snake species, scorpions, solifuges, and plants otherwise found in Central Asia. It is part of the Dagestansky nature reserve, with a visitor centre and a boardwalk that goes partway up; leaving the boardwalk is prohibited, since footfall destabilises the slopes.

What you actually see

• The isolated dune - over two hundred metres of sand standing alone on steppe.
• The microclimate - surface temperatures reaching sixty degrees in summer.
• The desert species - snakes, scorpions and Central Asian plants living on it.
• The boardwalk - the fixed route partway up, with no access to the open sand.

When to go

April to May and September to October; summer on the sand is genuinely dangerous. Two to three hours. Early morning for reptiles and heat.

Honest expectations

Walking off the boardwalk is prohibited and enforced. Venomous snakes are present, including the Levant viper. Summer surface heat is extreme and there is no shade. The reserve ticket is required and the boardwalk does not reach the summit.

Nearby

Makhachkala and the Caspian are east; Sulak canyon is north-west.