Reluctantly, Milha straightens. She snorts, stares into the distance and refuses to run. But camel leader Monir does not give in. He pulls on the reins until the dromedary starts to move. "We have to go to get our first night's camp in time," he says, walking slowly ahead.

One last sip of water, once again lubricate the face with sunscreen, cap on - Milha should have a head start. After all, the animal is already 15 years old. And as leisurely as it drifts forward, it has anyway caught up in a few minutes. Or?

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Oman: hiking and wondering in the desert

Let's start the five-day tour to the Arabian Sea. The fine sand crunches under the hiking boots. Sometimes it cracks when one comes to shell remnants that blow the monsoon winds from the nearby ocean. Sometimes a fresh wind blows, sometimes a hot hair dryer.

Hiking in the sand is extremely exhausting. A desert hare suddenly shoots out of its burrow and takes the visitor out of the lethargy. Again and again the attempt to catch up with Milha to take a water bottle from the cloth bag, which is laced on her back. But after an hour Milha is still not caught. The lazily wiggling animal has even increased the gap without having gotten faster. Monir has to wait for his guests.

He deliberately did not start the first day's march until 4 pm - because the sun is not so high in the sky anymore. But even in winter, the Wahiba Desert in northeastern Oman is an incubator around this time. 37 degrees Celsius, the deep sand and the burning heat make the hikers to create.

Yearning goal: camp bed

It is evening. The sky turns yellowish, then pink and blood red. In the distance you can see a small fire on a hill. Two companions had driven off in the SUV to set up the tent and prepare a dinner: fish with rice and vegetables. Served on a carpet in the sand in front of the tent, the scent of cardamom is in the air. The trekking tourists fall on their camp beds completely exhausted after dinner - and are allowed to sleep until sunrise.

A long day of hiking lies in front of the group. With Omani coffee and warm flatbread with strawberry jam, hikers look from the hill to the horizon. The night was fresh. Dew is still on the small bushes around the tent. "We have to use the cool morning hours," says Monir and goes forward with Milha again.

Absolute silence reigns in the vastness of the desert. No cell phone, no street noise, no jingling - just a rather taciturn camel guide and sometimes a snort. After an hour then the first mirage. Or is there actually a snow-white mosque in the golden yellow sand dunes? Yes, she is real. But for whom was she built, here, in the apparent solitude? "In addition to the Wahibas, many Bedouin tribes live in the area," says Monir. There is not much to see from them. Occasionally, however, goats or camels suggest the existence of nomads and Bedouin shepherds.

The Wahiba Desert, at 15,000 square kilometers, is not even the largest in the country. From north to south it stretches for about 250 kilometers, from east to west it is 80 kilometers. In the west and northeast, the large wadis, often water-bearing valleys with their oasis vegetation, prevent the further expansion of the desert. In the east, the dunes reach as far as the Indian Ocean.

20 different dune formations

Precisely because it is manageable, the Wahiba Desert has become interesting for tour operators - and for scientists. The British Royal Geographical Society first arrived in 1985, discovering nearly 200 mammals, birds and reptiles, 180 different plant species and tens of thousands of invertebrate beetles, snakes and scorpion species. That's why Monir always advises to look thoroughly into the walking shoes in the morning before putting them on.

The desert researchers also made more than 20 different dune formations. In the northern part of the desert, high reddish-orange dunes dominate the landscape. In the south and towards the ocean, on the other hand, smaller, almost white sickle dunes dominate.

The sand mountains are becoming ever more powerful, far more than 100 meters high. Monir drives the camel up a steep ridge. At the top, the guides set up the camp on the edge of a deep dune crater and collected branches for the campfire. One puts on a pipe, there is tea. On a dune on the horizon the silhouettes of camels appear - and the desert romance lets forget the hardships.

It is calm, the stars sparkle into the night, nobody wants to sleep in the tent. Slowly the fire goes out, it gets fresh. In the morning the ceiling is soaking wet, fog lies over the dunes. Between the teeth the sand crunches.

On the last day's stage you can already smell the salty sea air. After six exhausting kilometers over towering dunes you finally see him - the Indian Ocean. Shoes off, shirt off, backpack off and quickly into the water. Bath time for all - also for the camels.

But while sweat and sand can be washed away from five days of hiking, there is still this peace in the head. The most beautiful souvenir from the desert.