Adventure is often associated with danger, but meticulous planning and careful preparation can minimize risks—this is also where explorers find their confidence to survive in adversity.
1. Choosing the Expedition Season
Most deserts in China are located in the northwest, within the arid climate zone, characterized by extreme temperature variations between day and night. Summers are scorching, with temperatures reaching up to 50–60 degrees Celsius, while winters are bitterly cold, plunging as low as -20 to -30 degrees Celsius. Rainfall is scarce, with most areas receiving less than 250 millimeters of precipitation annually. Winds are frequent and strong, especially in wind-prone zones, where fierce gusts can whip up sandstorms. In the deserts stretching from Inner Mongolia to Xinjiang, seasonal strong winds occur every April, often forming sand flows. Given these climatic conditions, it’s best to avoid the hot summer months and windy seasons when planning expeditions, typically opting for the period between September and March of the following year.
2. Planning Routes and Strategies
When planning an expedition route and strategy, the first priority is to respect objective realities and develop a feasible plan that ensures personal safety.
Fully Self-Supported Desert Exploration
The principle behind this type of expedition is to rely entirely on your own strength or collective collaboration for limited exploration within the desert. For example, winter expeditions in the Taklamakan Desert, where daytime average temperatures hover around -10 degrees Celsius, generally limit explorers to carrying all necessary gear, food, and water for no more than seven days of survival activities, with a travel distance of around 100 kilometers. Since this is a fully self-supported, unsupported desert expedition, explorers must carry all equipment and supplies from the start. The first day involves marching under heavy loads, posing a severe test of physical endurance and willpower. Based on the expedition itinerary, some food can be strategically reserved at campsites as provisions for the return journey.
Collaborative Desert Exploration
Collaborative expeditions can be divided into unsupported and supported types. Unsupported expeditions mean losing all external manpower and material support upon entering the desert, relying solely on camel caravans to venture deep into the dunes—a method adopted by most expedition teams. However, this type of exploration is also limited, as camels can carry no more than 200 kilograms in the desert, and in winter, they need to drink water every 7–10 days, consuming about 100 kilograms at a time. Thus, expeditions typically last no more than 10 days, covering 100–200 kilometers. Supported desert expeditions are suitable for long-distance crossings, involving large-scale coordinated efforts and significant costs. For instance, in the early 1990s, two trans-Taklamakan expeditions—one jointly by China and Japan, the other by China and the UK—used this approach. Small-scale crossing teams, aided by camel caravans, traversed east-west along the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, approximately 100 kilometers from its edge. Multiple support teams, using hundreds of camels, departed from national highways along the southern edge of the desert, delivering supplies every 150 kilometers to points 100 kilometers deep into the desert.
II. Traveling Across the Sand Sea
1. Correctly Determining Direction
Walking across the vast desert, where the horizon is open and directional landmarks are scarce, combined with undulating dunes, towering sand hills, and depressions, makes it nearly impossible to walk in a straight line. Therefore, correctly determining direction is a prerequisite for desert exploration.
Using Instruments to Determine Direction
Using a compass and map to orient oneself was a common method in early desert expeditions. This approach requires knowing your current location, marking the target area’s position and azimuth on the map, and then proceeding according to the compass’s indicated bearing. Since it’s impossible to march in a straight line in the desert, constant course corrections are necessary when using this method; otherwise, reaching the intended destination becomes very difficult. In long-distance desert expeditions and crossings, accurately reaching the target or locating pre-placed supplies in the vast sand sea is extremely challenging. By the late 1980s, the widespread adoption of personal satellite navigation systems (GPS) among civilians made desert exploration far more precise, minimizing the risk of getting lost. Today, nearly all desert expedition teams rely on GPS for navigation.
Using Natural Features to Determine Direction
1) Using the North Star to Determine Direction
The North Star is a relatively bright star in the northern sky. Finding it at night means you’ve located true north. The North Star is the alpha star of the Little Dipper, with the Big Dipper (mainly the Big Dipper asterism) and the Cassiopeia constellation located on either side of it. As China is in the Northern Hemisphere, the North Star is visible year-round at night.
2) Using the Sun to Determine Direction
The sun rising in the east and setting in the west is the most reliable “north indicator.” The sun moves from east to west, while shadows move from west to east. For example, in the western deserts of China, at 8 a.m., the sun rises in the east, casting shadows to the west. At 2 p.m., the sun is due south, and shadows point north. By 8 p.m., the sun is in the west, and shadows point east. Uyghur camel drivers who have lived around the Taklamakan Desert for generations navigate using this method, never losing their way. Of course, there are more precise methods, such as the “gnomon shadow” technique or using a watch to determine direction, both of which are highly useful in desert exploration.
3) Using Sand Dune Orientation to Determine Direction
Wind is a key factor shaping the desert landscape. In northwestern China, where prevailing northwest winds dominate, sand dunes generally form in a southeast orientation. The northwest-facing slopes of dunes are windward, with gentler slopes and harder sand. The southeast-facing slopes are leeward, with steeper gradients and softer sand. Additionally, desert vegetation such as tamarisk, saxaul, and camel thorn tends to lean southeast. However, it’s important to note that these are general characteristics—wind directions vary by region, and so do dune orientations. To make accurate judgments, one must first understand the meteorological and geomorphological conditions of the target area.
2. Learning to Walk in the Desert
Choosing the Right Footwear
To march comfortably in the desert, you need the right shoes. Soles that are too soft make walking unpleasant, and prolonged exposure can cause significant foot discomfort. Sand gaiters (or snow gaiters) are essential—if sand gets into your shoes, your feet can quickly become blistered and raw.
Learning to Walk with Trekking Poles
Marching with a heavy load through the desert, climbing up and down the soft dunes, puts significant pressure on the knees and can easily lead to injury. Using trekking poles helps reduce knee strain and saves a lot of energy.
Don’t be afraid to take a detour
The endless sea of sand is not entirely flat. In the desert, you will encounter many large dunes or sand hills, which must be circumvented—never attempt to cross steep slopes directly. Avoid soft, sheltered areas behind dunes where the sand is loose. Instead, try to walk on windward slopes and sand ridges, as these are compacted by wind erosion and are firmer, making it easier and less tiring to walk on. In contrast, the leeward sides are mainly formed by wind-blown deposits, making them looser and more likely to cause you to sink deeply, which consumes more energy. If traveling with a camel caravan, following the tracks of the camels can save considerable effort. In desert expeditions, the person leading the way plays a crucial role—they should find the best routes and adopt a strategy of slow movement with a 10-minute rest every hour. Generally, a group should not cover more than 20 kilometers in straight-line distance per day.
Rest by day, travel by night to avoid extreme heat
Under direct sunlight, even without physical activity, the amount of water lost is three times that in the shade. In Xinjiang’s Taklamakan Desert, during the hottest season, if you don’t carry water, you can survive for about three days in a shaded area. But if you walk under the daytime sun, survival is limited to just one or two days. In special circumstances, you must also learn the method of “traveling at night and resting at dawn.” Additionally, in conditions of extreme heat, dehydration, thirst, and anxiety, never be misled by the mirage illusion.
3. Camping in the Desert
Camping in the desert is different from camping in other regions. There are usually two key points to consider: first, choose a campsite in a sheltered spot, but also one safe from being buried by shifting sand—such places are often flat areas among the dunes; second, never set up camp near plants like tamarisk or populus euphratica, because areas with vegetation often harbor toxic insects. For example, in the Taklamakan Desert, there is a species called the “Tarim tick,” typically found living under tamarisk and populus euphratica trees. This tick carries a virus that, once transmitted through a bite, can cause a deadly disease (Tarim hemorrhagic fever), leading to death within a dozen hours.
In winter, there are no strong winds or biting insects, so campsite selection is more flexible. Winter nights are extremely cold—even with a double-layered tent, heavy frost can form inside. In the desert, there are many dead trees, and even in the coldest seasons, you can create your own “kang bed” (a heated sleeping platform): dig a shallow pit, build a fire on it, then cover it with sand, and sleep on the warmed sand. This method is especially suitable for fully self-supported extreme expeditions, allowing explorers to travel without a tent to reduce weight.
III. Handling Emergencies
1. Finding Water
In the desert, heat and drought are the biggest threats to explorers. Most casualties in desert expeditions are caused by dehydration and heatstroke. Once you lose your bearings in the desert, securing enough clean drinking water before escaping the predicament is essential—otherwise, your chances of survival are slim. There is no surface water in the desert, and in most areas, it is also difficult to dig for water. However, deserts are mostly basins and contain many seasonal riverbeds.
In the desert, if you find dense reeds, it means you can dig for water at a depth of over one meter; if you see needlegrass, water can be found around two meters underground; if you spot tamarisk or camel thorn, digging 6–8 meters down will likely reach groundwater; if you discover a populus euphratica forest, it indicates groundwater at a depth of 8–10 meters. In the winter of 1990, a Japanese NHK expedition team crossing the Taklamakan Desert from Dayaheyan at the end of the Keriya River used this method to solve the drinking water problem for nearly 100 camels. They traveled for 28 days, dug for water once during the journey—excavating a 15-meter-long, 5-meter-deep trench—and led the camels down to drink. Without any backup support, they successfully crossed over 300 kilometers of desert and finally reached the northern edge of the desert by the Tarim River.
Additionally, if you find damp sand or brackish water in the desert, you can dig a pit and cover it with transparent plastic sheeting to create a simple solar still. The air and soil inside the pit heat up quickly, producing steam. When the water vapor becomes saturated, it condenses into water droplets on the underside of the plastic sheet and drips into a container below, yielding precious water. This method can produce over 1 liter of distilled fresh water per day. It’s worth noting that most groundwater in the desert has a high salt and alkali content and is not safe for direct human consumption (though camels can drink it)—it must be treated via distillation or similar methods.
2. Avoiding Sandstorms
The movement of wind and sand follows certain patterns. If you encounter a sandstorm in the desert, first use visual observation to choose the direction to escape. As long as you avoid the direct path of the wind, you can usually stay out of danger. At the same time, never seek shelter on the leeward side of a dune, as you risk being buried by the sandstorm. The correct approach is to lead your camel to the windward slope and then take cover behind the camel.