Sand Sanctuary

The Sand Sanctuary (Desert Sanctuary in the European version of Spirit Tracks) is a location within the Sand Realm of the re-established kingdom of Hyrule in Spirit Tracks. It is located in the sandy dunes just north of the waters of the Ocean Realm and is the home dwelling of the realm's guardian Lokomo, Rael. The sanctuary itself is at first glance hidden from sight beneath a miniature model of the entire Sand Realm, with its secret entry only being accessible after being bombed in the correct place.

After vanquishing Cragma in the heart of the Fire Temple, restoring the Fire Temple's energy flow through its Spirit Tracks, defeating Byrne atop the Tower of Spirits and witnessing the revival of the Demon King Malladus, Link and Princess Zelda are sent by Anjean to recover the legendary Bow of Light from the final temple in the kingdom of Hyrule far across the dunes of the Sand Realm, the Sand Temple. To reach the temple across the desert sands, Link sees that like all the other realms he has visited, he must first restore the realm's lost Spirit Tracks as well in order to fully explore it. After succeeding in restoring enough of the tracks through the use of a Force Gem given to them by Anjean to reach the Sand Sanctuary, the pair travel to the Sand Realm to restore the final temple and recover the only weapon capable of banishing Malladus from a human host. Link at first finds the area of the sanctuary to be an empty clearing of sand, but soon realizes the area is a miniature model of the entire desert. After reading an ancient inscription nearby, the young hero journeys around the Sand Realm looking for clues of how to gain entry to Rael's abode, eventually succeeding in solving the riddle. Bombing the correct spot on the sanctuary's surface reveals the hidden doorway to the sanctuary's inner sanctums, where the duo finds Rael waiting for them. Together, he and Link perform the necessary duet with Link wielding the Spirit Flute, restoring the realm's lost Spirit Tracks and reopening the path to the Sand Temple far across the desert.