No matter where you go, you must make thorough preparations in advance. Carefully research and gather background information about the area. I do not recommend hiking on foot—modern transportation is the best option. There are people who hike through deserts on foot, but they are either professional explorers or have meticulously planned their journey in advance.
For example, one year, an Italian woman hiked across the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang. She prepared everything in advance. Since she was traveling alone and couldn’t carry too much, someone had buried water, dry rations, and other supplies along her route every ten kilometers or so, marking them clearly. All she needed to do was carry a GPS. For most adventurers, such conditions are hard to come by, so solo hiking is not very realistic.
[1]Preparation and Basic Gear
The map you bring should be highly detailed—one with a scale of 1:200,000 or 1:300,000 will suffice. Bring a compass. If possible, invest in a satellite positioning device (GPS) with accuracy within 10 meters. This ensures navigation and route tracking, making hiking feasible.
There’s a Uyghur proverb in Xinjiang: “Even a beggar should have a donkey.” It means that no matter how poor you are, you need a donkey. Without one, you’re as good as dead—let alone going on an adventure. You should also carry 20–30 kilograms of water and a fur coat. The donkey helps transport water, rations, and other essentials. Thus, relying on mechanical aids is crucial.
Desert temperatures fluctuate drastically. Take October and November, for example: daytime surface temperatures can reach around 50°C, while nights can drop below 0°C. In colder November, temperatures can plunge to -10°C or lower. Therefore, both winter and summer clothing are essential for desert expeditions. The desert sun can scorch your skin during the day, with the most unbearable burns often occurring on the back of the neck, where your collar rubs painfully against your skin. The simplest preventive measure is to wear a wide-brimmed hat and secure a white handkerchief at the back to block the intense sunlight.
Sunscreen is ineffective in the desert. The sand here is entirely different from beach sand—it’s extremely fine dust that gets stirred up by even the slightest breeze or footsteps. If you’ve applied sunscreen, the sand will turn your skin into coarse sandpaper.
It’s best to carry two pairs of sunglasses: one for regular use and another for wind and sand protection, such as motorcycle or ski goggles. Other small items like a large water bottle, talcum powder, flashlight, duct tape, small mirror, and plastic bags can all prove surprisingly useful in the desert. For instance, talcum powder can be applied to frequently rubbed areas of the body during movement; the small mirror can be used to reflect signals for survival; and plastic bags help keep out dust.
When going to the desert, always wear large, thick shoes, such as boots. Don’t prioritize coolness or comfort over protection. Your foot temperature is your body’s temperature, which typically stays around 36°C. Meanwhile, desert temperatures can soar above 50°C during the day. Without thick footwear—like walking barefoot or wearing sandals—your skin could get burned, blistered, or even infected.
[2]How to Avoid Sandstorms
Generally, avoid visiting the desert in spring and summer. From mid-to-late March through May, desert weather is extremely unpredictable. Winds are strong, especially sandstorms, which can cause disorientation and endanger lives. Sandstorms strike with terrifying speed—when you hear a distant rumble, within seconds, the sky and ground turn yellow as a wall of wind and sand engulfs everything, sweeping away anything not secured. The sand hitting your body feels like sandpaper grinding against your skin.
Sandstorms are truly terrifying. After surviving one, you might look up to find the entire landscape altered, making it easy to get lost. Once, a petroleum exploration company’s camp vehicle was trapped in a sandstorm in the desert for an entire week. Communication between vehicles was cut off, and no one dared to venture out—they’d be blown away instantly. When the storm finally passed and they opened the doors, they were shocked to see sand piled up to the wheel hubs, over a meter high. This shows just how fearsome sandstorms are. Their dread has been recorded in ancient texts, and even today, modern people with advanced technology still fear them. When a sandstorm approaches, dark clouds gather on the horizon, slowly moving toward you. The expedition team realizes something’s wrong and quickly dismounts, wrapping themselves in felt or seeking shelter near a camel.
If you encounter a sandstorm in the desert, never take refuge on the leeward side of a dune—you risk suffocation or being buried. Camels, being more experienced, continuously shake themselves as sand accumulates, preventing burial. Humans should do the same to avoid getting buried or blown away. Yu Chunshun, for instance, strayed from his course during a sandstorm, failed to locate pre-buried supplies, and ultimately died of dehydration.
[3]How to Cope with Extreme Heat
Sandstorms can occur in the desert even in summer, but the greatest danger then is the heat. The speed at which the human body dehydrates in the desert is beyond imagination. You don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink water—by the time you feel thirst, you may already be semi-conscious and unable to drink. As soon as you enter the desert, keep drinking water consistently. Even if you’re not thirsty, take small sips regularly. Also, remember to bring vitamins, such as multivitamins. Never travel alone in the desert; carry ample drinking water and maintain a good relationship with your camel—the most reliable companion in the desert.
[4]How to Get Along with Camels
When riding a camel, prevent yourself from being thrown off when it stands up or lies down by holding tightly to the saddle or hump. Avoid getting close to a camel’s hind legs or head to prevent kicks or bites. Though camels are generally gentle, they can be dangerous when startled—avoid sudden loud noises, bright colors, or sudden movements like opening a colorful umbrella. On long rides, stay relaxed, move naturally with the camel’s pace, adjust your posture as needed, and take walks occasionally.
[5]How to Deal with Grass Ticks
In summer, the desert is home to a terrifying little creature known as the grass tick. These pests have an acute sense of smell. The moment you stop, they detect your scent and swarm toward you from all directions. Initially, they’re about the size of a mung bean, dark red in color. After feeding on blood, they swell to 5–6 times their original size. Their mouthparts act like saws, slicing into your skin and burying their heads to feed. A single feeding can sustain them for years. Moreover, they secrete an anesthetic while biting, so you often feel nothing. By the time you notice someone covered in bumps, the tick has already fed for a while. To protect yourself, ensure there are no gaps in your clothing—wear garments that fit snugly, like the coveralls commonly worn by oil workers.
If you spot a tick, don’t panic. Never pull it off forcefully, as its head remains embedded in your skin. Removing only the body leaves the head behind, which can rot and cause infection. Instead, light a cigarette and burn its rear end with the ember—the tick will retreat from the heat. Alternatively, tap the skin near the bite site to create vibrations, prompting the tick to emerge.
[6]Travel by Night, Rest by Dawn
Surviving in the desert depends on three interrelated factors: ambient temperature, physical activity, and water reserves. Even without exertion, exposure to direct sunlight causes the human body to lose water three times faster than in the shade. Minimizing water loss increases survival chances. Experts advise: “Don’t fight the desert—adapt to it.”
A British pilot, after crash-landing in the Western Sahara Desert, walked 224 kilometers over 11 days and was rescued—all thanks to traveling by night and resting by dawn. Walking during the day would have exhausted his water supply.
[7]How to Secure Drinking Water in the Desert
Experts not only teach methods to conserve bodily water but also how to find groundwater in seemingly barren areas. Many who survived the desert discovered that various types of cacti act as natural reservoirs. One American pilot recounted: “After trying many cactus species, I found that barrel cacti contain the most water—just squeeze one for a hearty drink.” Some desert cacti can reportedly yield up to 4 liters of water at once. Many have perished from thirst just a few feet from a cactus’s shade. Additionally, animal blood and insect fluids can also serve as emergency thirst quenchers.
Also, don’t drink the water in the desert casually. Its mineral content is extremely high—it’s bitter and salty, which is quite unpleasant. The Tarim Basin isn’t as dry as people imagine. After floods, some puddles will retain water. However, this water is very dirty, and there may be animals drinking from or bathing in it. It’s best to bring a water filter or purification tablets.
Generally speaking, aside from spring water and well water (deep underground well water), which can be consumed directly, any other water—whether from rivers, lakes, streams, snow, rain, dew, or obtained through infiltration, filtration, or sedimentation—should ideally be disinfected before drinking. So, how do you disinfect it? The methods are as follows:
Place water purification tablets into your water container, stir or shake, let it sit for a few minutes, and then it’s ready to drink or can be poured into a bottle for storage. Typically, one purification tablet can disinfect 1 liter of water. For particularly murky water, use two tablets. This method is currently used by the military for water disinfection in the field.
If you don’t have water purification tablets, you can use the iodine solution (commonly found in medical kits) that you carry as a substitute. Add 3–4 drops of iodine per 1 liter of purified water. If the water is murky, double the amount of iodine per liter. Shake well, and let it sit for a longer period—20–30 minutes—before it’s safe to drink or store.
If you have none of the above disinfection options but happen to carry vinegar (white vinegar works too) for outdoor drinking purposes, you can also use it to disinfect water. Pour some vinegar into the purified water, stir well, and let it sit for 30 minutes before drinking. The only downside is that the water will have a slight vinegar taste.
[8]How to Deal with Animals in the Desert
Don’t provoke wild animals casually, such as wild boars or wolves. Normally, if you don’t attack them first, they won’t attack you. But once you anger them, they’ll fight you to the death. Also, avoid hunting and eating small desert animals like rabbits, as they often carry many pathogens. Consuming them could be unsafe. Don’t jump into the water for momentary relief during extreme heat—there might be dangerous creatures lurking in the lake.