We explore Argentina's desert landscape in the dry north
Duna Magica - the perfect dune for sandboarding
Endless desert feeling- Dunas de Tatón
From Talampaya National Park we head further north and follow the legendary Ruta 40 - Argentina's most spectacular national road. Our next destination is Fiambala, or rather the desert landscape that begins just behind the small town. The weather is finally supposed to improve. So far we've had quite cold, overcast days - completely contrary to the winter trend in the area. Normally it's sunny and windless during the day.
In Fiambala we first do a few small errands, fill up our water tanks, etc. But most importantly: we need a sandboard. Because we really want to try it out at the Duna Magica. There is a sign outside almost every house that rents them out. The trick is just finding someone who is there, who won't rip you off and who will rent you the board for several days. After about 2 hours we've done everything and we're finally off. The Duna Magica is about 90 m high and has the perfect incline for sandboarding - or so they say. Micha wants to be the first to try it. We can already see the other people milling around there. Nobody is really "good at it". But maybe they can't snowboard either. It should be something like that. Micha's first attempts aren't exactly film-worthy, though. Every few meters he throws himself into the sand until finally the board goes down without him. Now it's my turn. When we get to the top, a few locals explain to me that you have to ride with a lot of momentum - without corners. I feel completely different when I stand on the board and look down. So I ride sitting down for the time being J
Of course I can't leave it like that. On the second descent I gather all my courage. In the worst case scenario I'll be "battered". And lo and behold, it works. And really well. I'm so hooked that I don't want to stop. It's great fun.
The next day we drive deeper into the desert to a place called Tatón, where there are dunes of the same name. We want to stay there for a few days. While the Duna Magica was quite busy, there is not a soul here. Apart from a few workers who are leveling the road, we don't meet anyone. We walk through the endless dune landscape and soon discover a few dunes suitable for sandboarding. At least that's what it looks like. We both try our luck a few times. But it doesn't go so well. Maybe that's because we're out of wax. So our sandboarding career has come to an end here, for better or for worse - for the time being. We still like the landscape so much that we stay for a few days.
And Diego? Diego has the biggest sandbox in the world.
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