I was on my tour of Mui Ne’s famous sand dunes as part of an organized group tour. We began the tour catching the sunrise at the White Sands. Next up was the Red Sands.
From the White Sand dunes to the Red Sand dunes, it’s a 25 minute ride
Along the way, you even get a glimpse of one end of the Red Sand dunes
We drove along some nice coastal stretches
Mui Ne is a great place to rent your own bike or car and go for a cruise. I chose not to because I didn’t wish to deal with driving in a rush to get to the sand dunes on my own to catch the sunrise. As it is I barely got any sleep. Also, when you get to the sand dunes, it’s not like you can ride any regular scooter or car on the dunes. You either need a dirt bike or an ATV. So it’s just more convenient to do this via an organized tour, of which there are many options.
After arriving in Mui Ne yesterday and making the most of the day by visiting the Champa temple complex, I woke up very early in the morning for my tour of Mui Ne’s famous white and red sand dunes. I booked my tour locally for VND 300,0000 (₹950/$13/€10) but you have plenty of options from online platforms like Viator. Most tourists do the sunrise tour but you also have sunset tours.
I was picked up at 4:30am from my hotel and the SUV that picked us up, would go around picking up the other guests
We filled up fuel first before heading out to the sands
We were supposed to be at the white sands for the sunrise… but I could see the sun already creeping up in the distance
It took about 45 minutes to reach Bao Trang desert, which is the white sand dunes
Once we arrived at the White Sands parking area, each of us were divided individually and seated on ATV quad bikes.
As news broke about the ‘Phuket Sandbox‘ experiment starting in July, I couldn’t help but be envious of the privileged few who could fly into the famous Thai island for a vacation. Sure, right now, there’s a quarantine process to follow but if the experiment proves to be successful, the authorities could loosen up the quarantine requirements and open up more destinations in the country (Koh Samui is next) based on increased vaccination coverage and declining cases in each province or island.
Being holed up indoors for what is now going to be two years, with more time spent in front of a laptop than looking away from a screen, I sure could use a Thailand vacation! Not that I wasn’t glad to be with my parents during a crisis, but for someone who enjoys exploring new destinations, trying out new experiences, tasting different kinds of foods… home isn’t where the heart was after having gone through lockdown after lockdown. I wanted to get out there again!
#AmazingThailand
I missed being in cities like Bangkok, which offered the world on your platter, from amazing street food to every international cuisine you could think of.
From all the deep fried goodies at night market stalls
To sipping on piping hot Tom Yung Goong (one of my favourites!)
Heck, I even miss Thai Airways’ in-flight meals! 🙁
Its amazing night markets… from discovering hip new stores selling fashionable clothing at Chatuchak weekend market…
