How to get to Gerudo Town in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, as you make you way to Gerudo Desert and Gerudo Town, you’ll notice that everything past the Kara-Kara Bazaar is covered in a dense sandstorm.

Navigating through the sandstorm wouldn’t be such a problem — if it didn’t completely obscure your map while you’re in it. (When you’re not in the sandstorm, however, you can see the region’s topography on your map.)

Before you start, make sure to grab the Gerudo Canyon Skyview Tower, which will reveal the area.

Our guide details how to get through the sandstorm in Gerudo Desert and how to actually get into Gerudo Town below.

How to get through the Gerudo Desert

Before you head out, you should have some form of cold resistance and heat resistance. The temperature in Gerudo Desert spikes during the day and drops at night, so prepare for both.

You also do not have to go to Gerudo Town on foot. By combining a Zonai sled, steering stick, and fan, you can make a cool vehicle to dash through the desert sand. We ran through on foot, which we detail below.

Around the desert, there are several updrafts you can use to glide upward, giving you an idea of your position. You’ll want to take advantage of these the best you can.

The first updraft is right where the sandstorm starts at the edge of Kara-Kara Bazaar:

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Ride up and just start gliding straight towards Gerudo Town. Your best bet is just to keep heading as straight as you possibly can, trying your best to avoid making any unnecessary turns.

You will see more updrafts and even tall rock structures along the way, all which you should use to get an idea of where you are.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

If you keep heading straight, there’s a high chance you’ll see hit the Desert Rift, a large canyon that you’ll have to cross. You can glide and climb up, go around, use rockets, etc., to get through.

You’ll also encounter Gibdo — a special type of monster that takes reduced damage from physical attacks — on the way to Gerudo Town. You’ll need to hit it with an elemental attack (like a shock fruit on an arrow or a flame-emitter), which will deal massive damage. Once it’s been hit with an elemental attack, it’ll turn white and take normal damage from physical attacks temporarily.

If you continue along, you will hit Gerudo Town. You’ll notice it is very empty.

How to get into Gerudo Town

Outside of some extra Gibdo skulking around, Gerudo Town is completely empty. Enter the cavern in the middle of the stairs to the throne room to see a Gerudo woman standing guard in front of a bunker. Obviously, since Link is a guy, they won’t let him in.

If you use Ultrahand on the nearby box and jump on that to peek in, you’ll get a hint on where to go next, but you can skip doing this if you don’t care.

Head back outside and jump into this well to the left of the bunker, if you’re facing the entrance.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Jump in and swim up the current, toward where the letters-in-a-bottle are drifting down. Once you get to the end of the well (where there’s a vase on a rope), Ascend up. Ta-da! You’ve now shocked and scared a ton of women by invading their war bunker.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

After some clarification, Link will obviously be allowed to stick around, and you’ll be able to freely come and go from the Gerudo Shelter if you speak to the guards.

Gerudo Town will eventually return to its former glory, but you’ll need to finish the “Riju of Gerudo Town” quest line first, which begins shortly after you enter the shelter.

Also, don’t forget to Ascend up (several times) from the throne room in Gerudo Town to get access to Soryotanog Shrine, which will give you convenient fast-travel spot near town.