The highest dunes. The Dune of Pyla - the sandy desert of France
Deserts are reputed to be deserted and lifeless, but at the same time they are incredibly beautiful, especially when viewed from above. different types sand, topography, wind and climate - all this creates a colossal amount of landscapes. Wandering dunes form an endless number of ever-changing shapes. The photographs in this collection were taken by astronauts and satellites and capture the most...
- cheaptrip January 14, 2010
- 6212
- 12
Images are not available in older content. We apologize for the inconvenience__
Deserts are reputed to be deserted and lifeless, but at the same time they are incredibly beautiful, especially when viewed from above. Different types of sand, topography, wind and climate - all this creates a colossal amount of landscapes. Wandering dunes form an infinite number of ever-changing figures.
The photographs in this collection were taken by astronauts and from satellites and captured the most beautiful, most memorable, vast desert regions of our planet.
Algerian Sand Sea
The sandy sea (Erg) of Issaouane extends over 39,000 sq. km. in eastern Algeria. This sandy sea in the middle of the Sahara desert is made up of three types of dunes. Mega dunes, also known as whalebacks, formed over hundreds of thousands of years and are hundreds of kilometers long. Mesoscale dunes form the top of the mega dunes, and their gradual displacement can only be seen after decades. Smaller dunes form around larger dunes. They take on various forms under the influence of the winds and are in constant motion.
In a photograph taken by ISS astronauts in 2005, mesoscale dunes have taken the form of starfish-like dunes and crescent-shaped dunes.
*Click to see a larger photo
In a photograph taken by ISS astronauts in 2006, huge rounded shapes are mega-dunes. The smallest dunes look like wrinkles against the background of large dunes.
Imperial Dunes of California
The Algodon dune field, located on the border between Mexico and Arizona with California, reaches a width of almost 10 km and stretches for 70 km. These dunes are most famous as the dunes of the planet Tatooine in the Star Wars universe. In their open spaces is the official national park administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The only man-made structure among the dunes is the American Canal, which cuts its way through the dunes near their rise at the Mexican farmlands. You can see it on the right in the photo. The photo was taken by astronauts from the ISS in 2005.
White sands in New Mexico
The sands of the dunes of the White Sands National Monument are particles of gypsum, an evaporite mineral that has accumulated as a result of the evaporation of large masses of water. In place of these dunes, a shallow sea dried up several hundred million years ago. Several thousand years ago, a huge lake evaporated here. Such dunes are quite rare, because gypsum usually dissolves easily in water and is subsequently carried by rivers. Here, its particles have been preserved due to the fact that there is no access to the sea from the basin where they are located. In turn, the water from the rivers flowing into this basin dried up, and the gypsum was not washed out.
The dunes in southern New Mexico cover an area of more than 700 square kilometers. Almost half of the area is under the protection of the national park. This photograph of the area was taken with the Advanced Land Imager from NASA's Earth Observing-1 satellite.
Rub al Khali Desert (Empty Quarter) in Saudi Arabia
This aptly named desert is the world's largest sand sea and covers an area of more than 580,000 square kilometers. The photo shows part of it, located in Saudi Arabia, but this sea is also in Yemen, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
The gray and white spots between the pink sands represent plains covered with dry salt. The temperature in Rub al-Khali (literally translated as "empty quarter") reaches 54 °C. In such heat, only some species of plants, spiders and rodents that live here can survive. The sand covers one of the most oil-rich areas in the world.
This photo was taken in 2001. using Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) on the NASA/USGS Landsat 7 satellite. Below you can see a close-up photo of the dunes. Learn more about Rub al Khali in this National Geographic video.
Dunes of Tifernain in Algiers
This part of the Sahara Desert, located in the east of Algeria, adjoins the dark gray Tinneart plateau. On top of the old large dunes, star dunes were formed by the action of the winds, and sedimentary rocks, along with salt, collected in small depressions between the dunes. The climate is now dry and hot, but the valleys carved by the rivers on the border of the plateau testify to a wetter climate in the past.
This photo was taken by astronauts from the ISS in August 2009.
Unyanga lakes, Chad
These finger-shaped lakes are what is left of one big lake, which began to decrease about 5.5 thousand years ago. The sand was driven up by the wind and partially filled the lake basin, breaking it into several separate ones. Nine out of ten lakes are fresh water, they take water from the aquifer underground. Ancient pollen found among the sediments in the lakes showed that the area used to have a temperate tropical climate.
The highest and oldest dunes in the world
In the Namib Desert, you can find dunes about three hundred meters high. They were carved by the winds blowing along Atlantic coast Namibia. The Namib Naukluft National Park, pictured here, is one of the largest parks in Africa. It is inhabited by hyenas, jackals, geckos and other rare animals. In addition, this desert is considered one of the oldest in the world - the climate here was dry even 55 million years ago. Today, its area receives an average of only 6 cm of precipitation per year.
The following photo was taken in 2000 by the Landsat-7 satellite operated by NASA and the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey).
This topographic image was created by combining a photograph taken in 2002 with topological data obtained by the ASTER equipment from the Terra satellite. In 2009, he celebrated his tenth anniversary.
Great sand dunes of Colorado
This collection of dunes, located near the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in southern Colorado, was designated a national monument in 1932 and a national park in 2004. Every year it is visited by 300 thousand visitors. Although these dunes cover an area of just under 80 square kilometers, they reach 230 m in height and are the tallest dunes in the United States.
This photo national park The Great Sand Dunes (top) was captured by the Ikonos sensor aboard the GeoEye satellite in 2005.
The lightly colored sand of the dunes was formed from sedimentary rock that was gradually weathered by the adjacent mountains and settled in the lake. The lake periodically dried up, and the wind blew the rock from its bottom.
And this one - by the ISS astronauts in 2007.
Sactoria: ciliates that have lost their cilia
Smooth, almost sandless, flat-bottomed bowls, bordered by huge dunes, which in turn are covered with small jagged dunes, resemble honeycombs in the very center of the Sahara.
The sandy Murzuk Sea in Libya contains numerous rows of such large dunes, referred to as "draa". The smaller dunes, which can be seen in the photo below, consist of many star dunes, linear longitudinal dunes, and curved transverse dunes. The weathered side of the smaller dunes is smoother and flatter than the opposite side. This photo was taken by ISS astronauts in December 2008.
Lake Eyre in Australia
Heavy rains in early 2009 began to fill the bottom of this huge dry lake in the Simpson Desert in Queensland. In the photo you can see the water flowing into the lake. It was taken on May 9 by the Landsat-5 satellite. Together with water, plants and thousands of birds appear.
The image below, taken by a satellite on February 18, shows how dry this area remains for most of the year.
Outcrops in the Sahara
Dune-sheltered sandy rivers meander around exposed rock in this very dry and barren section of the Sahara in Libya. This photo was taken by the Terra satellite in 2002.
Scars of Australia
This part of the Simpson Desert in Australia's Northern Territory is covered in desert scrub that gives it a greenish tint and prevents the dunes from being blown over by the winds. However, a fire that broke out here a year before this photo was taken in 2002 burned some of the vegetation, exposing the sands underneath.
The strange pattern in the sand must have been caused by a 90-degree turn in the direction of the winds during the fire. This photo was taken by ISS astronauts.
The dream of visiting Africa was born a long time ago from books and countless films about wild nature, thanks to which I knew from childhood the names and habits of all antelopes, cats and other inhabitants of the legendary endless savannahs. Finally, the time has come when I had a company of like-minded people in the person of my three friends, but never before has any other trip cost us so much effort and doubt, which are to blame for malaria, sleeping sickness, crime and a host of other dangers that can lie in wait for the company of girls on Black continent. We managed to overcome all doubts and eliminate internal obstacles - we purchased air tickets, booked lodges and transfers, and exciting adventures were already waiting for us ahead!
Arriving in Windhoek, we loaded into a minibus, which soon stalled on a red dirt road in the middle of the savannah: the first time - before entering the gate of the Erindi nature reserve, after which the driver was able to fix the car and start, then we drove into the gate of Erindi, and, not reaching 24 km before the lodge, the car stalled again. The driver this time could not start it, although he was smeared all over in red dust, lying under the bottom of this shabby wreck. As a result, in the midst of the afternoon heat, we waited for transport from the lodge for about 3 hours without any air conditioning. Finally, a local ranger arrived in an ordinary jeep, and the four of us hardly climbed into the cabin. Jumping on potholes and forcing large red puddles carved in the middle of the road, we felt like the heroines of 19th century novels, the first explorers of African expanses who exchanged European comfort for dangerous and dubious adventures. Here we first felt the flavor of real wild Africa!
Despite the monstrous delay, we were still fed some lunch, and most importantly, we had time for an evening safari! The first African safari leaves an indelible impression and is remembered for a lifetime, and I am glad that we had it in Erindi, where the red earth with picturesque termite mounds and mountains form truly fantastic landscapes.
We were just delighted when the four of us climbed into the seats of our special huge jeep on high wheels, and a charming dark-skinned driver began to show us the first animals: a herd of impalas was just crossing the road, a green bee-eater was sitting in a tree next to us, miniature ones hid in the bushes in the distance antelopes and graceful oryxes, cheetahs rested in the shade nearby.
We carefully peered into the surrounding landscape in search of animals and found more and more of its inhabitants. We have a real hunting passion! At sunset, we were allowed to walk a little on the savannah (around the jeep, of course), we watched a huge centipede with countless legs crawl across the red earth. The drive back to the lodge was no less exciting: at dusk, the bushes illuminated by the headlights seemed mysterious, and we noticed a small fox trotting in front of us. Sometimes the driver drove the car straight into the bush, apparently cutting off the winding sections of the road known to him alone, in order to bring us to dinner faster. Stars appeared in the sky. The abundance of insects was confirmed by the way they swirled around the lanterns and any light sources in the evening. Entering our room from the street, we could not avoid letting in uninvited guests: praying mantises, butterflies and other inhabitants of the savannah, because they instantly reacted to the light inside.
Even before sunrise, we went on a morning safari, which gave us a lot of unexpected encounters: graceful lyre-horned tall buckeyes, waterbucks, wildebeests, marabou storks, ostriches.
Next, the Bushmen were waiting for us: unusual appearance, clattering tongue, imitation of hunting did not leave us indifferent. Bushmen in their own way appearance they are not at all like typical black Africans, therefore they are classified as a special race with the oldest genotype in the world. They are distinguished by rather fair skin and Mongoloid features. In the desert climate, they learned to conserve water by burying it in the ground in ostrich eggs - they demonstrated this skill to us.
Surprises await you everywhere in the savanna: what was my surprise when I noticed that one of the branches of the bush next to the hut turned out to be a snake, perfectly disguised in an ambush. In the midst of the midday heat, we watched the hippos, which sometimes cursed at each other, opening their huge mouths, but how much tenderness a caring mother had in relation to a charming, still tiny cub.
More than anything in the world, I love those days when every step, even if it is very insignificant at first glance, made intuitively, serves as a link in the logical chain of a unique, irresistible in beauty flow of events that previously seemed unattainable dreams, and even natural phenomena are formed in such a way, that the world appears before my eyes in all its original splendor. This fleeting and fragile beauty of the world, inexhaustible and generous with miracles, always makes me feel a deep happiness. And our second evening in Erindi was exactly like that.
We left for the evening safari at 16:30. We again reminded the already familiar ranger of our dream of seeing giraffes. As soon as we left very close to the lodge, we noticed a lioness wandering along the road and a lying lion - it was unplanned luck.
After watching them, we continued to move towards the mountains. After a short search, the ranger suddenly stopped the jeep and showed us in the distance in the lowland the long necks of giraffes towering above the acacia trees. Hooray!!! Our joy knew no bounds, finally we found them! When we got very close to the giraffes, the graceful animals crossed the road and stopped at the acacia right next to us. There were three of them, and they posed for us in the rays of the setting sun with such dignity, which is peculiar only to them.
Having admired the giraffes to our heart's content, we set off to track down the very rare Hartmann mountain zebras that live only in Namibia, and here we were also lucky! True, the striped horses began to run away from us into the bush, but our ranger generously agreed to pursue them across the impassability.
We did not succeed in overtaking the herd, but this reckless excitement allowed us, quite by accident, to frighten off a rhinoceros at a watering hole. Cautious and very rare animal, of course, instantly disappeared into the bush, but the impression of meeting with him was the most vivid and memorable for the entire safari.
As soon as the sun disappeared below the horizon, the clouds began to acquire bright scarlet hues.
It was impossible to tear our eyes away from the play of colors, but nevertheless we began to move towards the lodge, and suddenly, to the right of the road, we saw delicate silhouettes of giraffes right against the backdrop of a fiery sunset: a spectacle that descended from the pages of National Geographic magazine.
Elephants were the main target of our final morning safari in Erindi. As soon as the sun appeared from behind the mountains, we accidentally discovered a huge herd of giraffes, including those with babies.
If yesterday's long-necked four made such a strong impression on us, then the delight from dozens of animals with different shades of spots on the skin is simply impossible to put into words! In search of elephants, the guide plowed through more and more wild areas of the bush, and it should be noted that there were a lot of traces of their life activity here. And finally, he even climbed onto the roof of our jeep to inspect all the surroundings - only this measure could bring tangible results: the elephant was discovered, and we drove up to him almost right at the moment when he ate small leaves from the bushes. We thought about how much he would have to do this to get enough. After breakfast we set off for Swakopmund, first through the savannah, and then through the gray, lifeless desert. There, the Himba women were waiting for us at the market. I bought three leather bracelets from them, and in return they began to dance, spinning their incredible hairstyles. Both Himba men and women cover their bodies with a mixture of ocher, fat and ash to protect their skin from the sun. Despite the difficult living conditions - in the 20th century the tribe was on the verge of extinction more than once due to genocide and droughts - the Himba managed to preserve their unique traditions and gene pool.
As soon as we sailed from the pier in the morning, two huge pelicans landed on the deck of our boat.
We watched a giant fur seal rookery located on the beach of Cape Cross, after which another guest climbed onto our ship - a black cormorant.
At the port, we were provided with a personal off-road jeep along with a pleasant driver in a cowboy hat. On the way we stopped to admire a large colony of pink flamingos.
We have dreamed of seeing this unforgettable sight for so long that we were just happy at this moment! And finally, the finale of our program was a safari on the yellow dunes: at first we raced along a narrow strip of deserted coast, sandwiched between high dunes and the ocean (probably, the tide floods it, and tourists need to have time to return back in time before this happens), here we are for the first time climbed to the top of one of them. The driver turned aside, and our jeep began to climb up the sand, finally reaching a very picturesque place. We were completely alone here in the middle of the hot midday heat of the sand, finding ourselves among the primeval dunes that filled the entire observable space around right up to the horizon.
We were aware of the hostility of this environment - it was impossible to stay here for a long time without water - and at the same time we were delighted with the wild beauty of these places. The real adventures began when the driver decided to take us on a local rollercoaster: the jeep either slid down the steep slopes of the dunes under its own weight to the singing of the sands, or climbed up with a roar at the same angle. This made us dizzy quickly, but he did not come down to the packed sand until he had exhausted us properly.
The well-worn minibuses we used to plow the dirt roads of Namibia certainly leave a lot to be desired. So the next morning, the next copy that we got also caused great concern on the steep climbs on the way to Sossusvlei - our springboard for exploring the Namib - the oldest desert in the world, the same age as dinosaurs. We drove to the lodge through a mountainous rubble desert. It was so hot here that just a few minutes spent in the sun could cause sunstroke. We met only two cars, and the driver of one of them asked for directions from our Namibian. Finally, we arrived at Sossusvlei Lodge - this oasis of civilization in the middle of the desert, delighting the traveler with air conditioning in the sealed rooms of the reception and tour desk, free water and boiling water in the same place, a small pool, pleasant houses half stone and half tarpaulin, well, wild oryxes, which can always be observed from anywhere in the lodge. After a short rest, we went out to spend the sunset in the desert. We dined at wrought-iron tables under open sky by candlelight, tasting local dishes and watching the stars - the evening turned out wonderful!
Early in the morning we got into a safari jeep and drove to the gates of Sossusvlei to the opening of the red dunes reserve. Dawn we met on the way, watching in the distance rising balloon and oryx on the slopes of small grassy first roadside dunes. FROM high point Below us appeared a picturesque valley of dunes, illuminated by the first orange rays of the sun.
The Namib Desert, which translated from the Nama language means "a place where there is nothing", extends almost 2000 kilometers along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and goes deep into the continent for a distance of up to 160 kilometers. The fantastic color of the sand is due to the high content of iron in it.
At first, we quickly rushed along the paved road past dune No. 45, along the steep ridge of which numerous tourists were already climbing, and then we began to slowly make our way along the quicksand to our main goal - the Dead Valley. Once there was an oasis formed by the waters of the river, but about 1000 years ago, giant dunes blocked their inflow. The dry climate of the valley ensures the ideal preservation of trees that have died from drought. A couple of kilometers from it began our walking tour, during which we, of course, made an attempt to storm the highest dune named Big Daddy, 325 meters high, from which the best view of the desired valley opened.
Unfortunately, we did not have enough strength to climb to the top of this dune: it turned out to be simply inaccessible physically, like Everest.
I think that we could get up if we started doing it before dawn, but in the heat it was no longer possible. I reached the farthest along the crest of its foothills right across the virgin soil and rolled down to the far edge of the white clay valley at the moment when I realized that I did not have enough water with me, and even if I climbed, I simply would not have enough resources to Return trip. It was incredibly nice to feel hard, petrified clay under my feet instead of quicksand!
Time passed by noon, the heat was 40 degrees, or even all 50-60, so the section of sand from the Dead Valley to the jeep turned out to be the most difficult - we overcame it with great difficulty, almost losing consciousness. It was a truly deadly undertaking, given that we had no water left, and hot sand was poured into our sneakers. We were the last to leave the Dead Valley - there were no more tourists left in it, and the surrounding landscapes appeared before us in all their original beauty.
On the way back, our jeep suddenly dug into the sand, and any movement of the wheels only made the situation worse: they dug even deeper.
We had to get out of the car to lighten its weight and the driver's attempts to do something - next to it, the voluminous crown of an old acacia just created a saving shadow. It should be noted that the desert is still not lifeless in places: underground waters still feed the local regions, and trees with green leaves grow along the entire roadway, as well as clumps of tall grass that serve as food for the local inhabitants.
Drivers passing by with tourists only laughed at our misfortune. Only one of them tried together with us to push the car out of the pit, but we did not succeed. Finally, help arrived, and our jeep was pulled out by some kind people with a rope. When we hit the pavement, we were blown by a hot wind of such force, as if we were under a huge hair dryer turned on at full power. The dunes became completely colorless and flat: they no longer aroused the delight that we felt in the morning, admiring their fantastic colors and shadows. We arrived at the lodge probably the last of all the tourists, terribly tired from the heat and adventure. I spent the rest of the day photographing the irresistible oryx and the world's most bouncy springbok antelopes grazing near our cabins.
Toward evening, blue clouds suddenly appeared against the backdrop of the mountains, and we witnessed a rare phenomenon for the Namib: we heard thunder and saw a drizzle, which, of course, did not last long.
All this was accompanied by a strong dust storm. And on the day of departure at 5 in the morning, the canvas walls of our house began to make noise from a new dust storm that suddenly swooped in: we didn’t manage to sleep anymore, but we felt the force of the wind well.
Before leaving Namibia, we still had time to get acquainted with new family Bushmen.
And we also managed to take a walk with a tame cheetah - it turns out that they are easily tamed, like dogs, with which, in addition to their docile disposition, they have many features of physiology and behavior in common: non-retractable claws, susceptibility to canine diseases, hunting style, so you can even come across the opinion that the cheetah is as if it were an intermediate link between the canine and feline families. The peaceful nature of the cheetah contributed to the fact that the inhabitants of many countries of Asia and Africa from ancient times began to use it as a hunting animal for hunting, and the colonialists of Namibia continued this tradition. However, our big cat went very quickly to where she was interested, completely ignoring the people who were struggling to keep up with her, who sometimes had to wade through the bushes so as not to lose sight of her. She did not obey the ranger at all, and only when she was tired herself did she lie down on her side to rest in the thick bushes. The cheetah did not cause any fear in us - it is not an aggressive animal at all. And when I scratched our spotted cat behind the ear, she began to purr just like any other cat, only much louder.
So, our daring African expedition was successful, the sea of impressions, it was one of the most exciting trips with my friends! On the trip, all our dreams came true: we saw colonies of flamingos, herds of giraffes and mountain zebras, elephants, lions, rhinos, hippos with cubs, irresistible oryx and many other antelopes, felt quicksand untrodden dunes and dust storms, stormed the world's highest dunes of all possible shades, hunted with bushmen and danced with Himba girls with incredible hairstyles, and even walked with a cheetah! Do not be afraid to explore Africa - this can and should be done even in a purely female company!
In contact with
The highest sand dunes on our planet are located in Africa, in the Namibian desert, in the Sossusvlei nature reserve. Some of them reach almost 400 meters in height.
The dunes were “built” by the wind. It is a very slow but persistent builder. The sand is constantly moving. And the shape of sandy skyscrapers is changing.
In addition to height and shape, giants also differ from each other in color. There are up to 16 shades of red, pink, yellow, orange.
Not all of the sandy mountains are allowed to approach and drive up. Self-will is punishable by a hefty fine.
Dune called Big Daddy 325 meters high
More often here the dunes are not given a name, but simply assigned a number. The highest dune is dune number 7, its height is almost 390 m.
Sossusvlei are like waves - some are lower, some are higher. The dunes here gather together, preventing any further flow of the Tsauchab River, about 60 km east of the Atlantic Ocean.
Endless play of light and shadow. Barchans of perfect shape. Sharpened dune ridges. Bright sky. Surreal world...
Black gnarled trunks of acacias dried up a thousand years ago - this is the Dead Valley - Dead Vlei.
For many years, the dunes were formed under the influence of winds.
The dunes have different colors: from red to chestnut brown, from pale yellow to fiery scarlet, from apricot to orange.
Experienced tourists say that in Sossusvlei you need to meet at least one sunrise and one sunset to see all the sandy shades: from pale yellow-pink to orange, then to rich yellow, red and deep purple in the shade ...
For tourists, climbing the dunes is arranged. climb on
1. If you drive sixty kilometers from Bordeaux towards the coast, you can find an amazing piece of land that seems to have forgotten that it belongs to Europe...
2. Dune in Pyla is the largest sand dune in Europe.
3. Dune is located 60 km from the city of Bordeaux in the Gulf of Arcachon in France. This is the largest dune in Europe. Its dimensions are truly African - the volume is 60,000,000 m³, 500 meters wide and it rises above sea level to a height of 130 meters.
The shape of the dune is very steep on the side facing the forest, people like to do paragliding here. At the top, there is a stunning view of the sea and the dense pine forest.
5. It is believed that it began to form 8000 years ago under the influence of winds and tides, which pushed the purest sea sand from the ocean shallows onto land.
6. An interesting fact is that the dune is constantly moving towards the forest. The speed of movement is not constant. In a year, the dune moves 5 m deep into the coast. Over the past 57 years, the dune has moved to a distance of about 280 meters.
7. This Great Dune migration has already buried more than 20 houses in its sands. In 1987, the road was closed in the northeastern part of the dune, after an avalanche of sand collapsed on part of it. Now this road has completely disappeared into the sands.
9. Climbing to the top of the dune is not easy, but the magnificent, simply mesmerizing view of the largest dune in Europe, Arcachon Bay and the Pyrenees mountains, which are visible on a clear day, is worth the effort.
The real sandy desert can be found in France. This is the famous dune of Pyla. Millions of tons of golden sand, as if by magic, were transferred here from the Sahara.
general description
Dune Pyla is the highest dune in Europe. Its highest point lies at the level of 130 meters. But this value is not constant, strong winds affect it, periodically correcting it in one direction or another.
The sand strip has a fairly regular rectangular shape. The width of the dune reaches 600 meters, and the length is almost 3 kilometers. The volume of sand is estimated at about 60 million cubic meters. 
By the way, a similar sandy phenomenon can be observed in Japan. There is about the same desert called Tottori
Where is the dune of Pyla
Geographic coordinates 44.589167, -1.214618
The French Desert is located in the area of the town of La Teste de Buch in the southwestern part of the country, right on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.
This region is known as New Aquitaine, and the area in which the dune is directly located is called the Gironde. Nearest Big City Bordeaux is 60 kilometers to the northeast. Dune Pyla is located right at the entrance to the Gulf of Arcachon. 
Peculiarities of the Dune of Pyla
dune formation
By virtue of its geographical location, in this area, westerly winds prevail, which carry sand from the coast. This explains the shape of the dune. From the side of the ocean, it has a gentle slope, but on the opposite side it is quite steep. That is why climbing the sandy mountain from the east side is very difficult.
Due to the influx of tourists, stairs are installed here in the summer. Climbing with their help to the top of the hill, you have an impressive view - in the west Atlantic Ocean, in the east there are pine forests, and when the weather is clear, in the south you can see the Pyrenees mountains on the border with Spain.
dune movement
Under the influence of the winds, the sand of the dune is steadily moving inland, slowly swallowing the forest, covering houses and roads. The speed of movement is not constant. Sometimes it is as much as 10 meters per year, and sometimes less than one meter per year. During the last 57 years, the dune has moved about 280 meters. Thus, its speed was 4.9 meters per year.
Pyla dune victims
The movement of the dune has already swallowed up about two dozen houses. Every year, sand covers approximately 8,000 square meters of nearby pine forests.
In the northeastern part of the dune, the road was blocked in 1987, and in 1991 it was already completely buried under a layer of sand.
In 1928, a family from Bordeaux built a villa in the southeastern part of the dune, and in 1936 the entire house disappeared under the sand.
Sandy islands near the Dune of Pyla
Just 1 kilometer west of the dune, in the waters of the Atlantic, is the sandy island of Banc d'Arguin. It has similar dimensions (4.5 km by 700 meters) and stretches almost parallel to the dune. But behind this island (and again about 1 km to the west) there is another islet of Banc du Toulinguet. It is much smaller in size (about 700 by 400 meters). Both islands are very popular with travelers. There are always a lot of boats, boats and tourists.
Many names of one dune
On the Internet, guidebooks and travel brochures, you will find several names for this attraction: Dune du Pilat (Dune Pilat), Dune du Pyla (Dune Pila), Grande Dune du Pilat (Great Dune Pilat).
Usually outside of France, the name Dune Pilat is used, but few people know that the official (and therefore correct) name of the attraction is Dune du Pilat (Dune Pilat). At least this name is used in all official French documents. It is derived from the Gascon word "pilhat", which means "heap" or "mound".
The seaside resort of Pyla sur Mer, founded in 1920 and part of La Teste de Buch, extends north of the dune. The first part of his name and led to confusion in the names.
In spite of official name dunes, road signs are found with different names. You, most importantly, do not be embarrassed and do not worry, they all lead to the same place.
- Dune Pyla is a fairly well-known and visited attraction in France. Every year its dunes are stormed by more than a million tourists.
- On January 24, 2009, during a storm on the dune of Pyla, a maximum wind speed of 175 km / h was recorded. As a result of this storm, the dune was significantly damaged.
- Due to the strong winds in the area of the dune, there are ideal conditions for paragliding. This is what many fans of this entertainment use.
