Photos

This dune lies in the Deserto do Viana, an accumulation of white sand from the Sahara, blown by Harmattan winds in the winter. The closest city is Rabil, near the airport of Boa Vista.

During August the first rain clouds form over the desert, but only rarely there will be rain, mostly only a few minutes of small rain drops, barely wetting the ground.

The typical form of dunes found are so called Barchan dunes, with sickle-like appearance. The form so because the wind affects the outer parts more than the inner parts. As winds there are quite strong year round, the dunes are in constant movement. Near the ground you can feel the sandgrains moving (a nightmare for every camera). Sometimes there are rests of old acacia trees visible, beeing slowly buried under the sand.