‘Lost in the Dunes’ side quest steps in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

“Lost in the Dunes” tasks you to find a missing person in the desert of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. After completing the “Riju of Gerudo Town” main quest, new requests will become available in Kara Kara Bazaar.

One of them involve a squad who is looking for a missing party. Rumors have it that he’s last been seen close to a sinkhole west of the bazaar. If you’re wondering where to find Ponthos in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or you’re curious about the reward for doing so, you can find the “Lost in the Dunes” quest steps below.

There’s one main part to “Lost in the Dunes” — basically, you’ll need to track down Ponthos, who is a lost backpacker.

After you’re done with the Lightning Temple, new quests will become available around Gerudo Town, and elsewhere. Head over to Kara Kara Bazaar, which is west of Gerudo Town, and talk to the travelers at the coordinates (-3275, -2580, 0023).

Benja will tell you about Ponthos, the missing member of the caravan squad. The only clue they have is that Ponthos ran west, and that he likely fell into a sinkhole.

From your current location, you have to travel southwest to a sinkhole. The sinkhole is actually marked on the map if you zoom in, right next to a rock-shaped structure, east of the Desert Rift. The exact coordinates are (-3353, -2682, 0026), in case they help.

I recommend taking a few splash fruits with you, as you’ll be cruising through unbearable heat to get to the destination. All in all, though, it’s not a long trip by any means. As you approach the spot, you’ll notice a large pillar (the rock-shaped thing you can see on the map) as well as a campfire.

Head into the sinkhole, and you’ll end up in the Oasis Source. Lo and behold, there’s Ponthos.

Ponthos mentions that he’s yet to find an exit. Don’t fret, as it’s fairly straightforward, albeit a bit annoying. Follow the water current to the left of where Ponthos is sitting to stumble upon a rock wall. Bomb flowers are the best tool for the job here, which are commonly found inside caves. In addition, Fusing any weapons with rocks nearby will also help.

After the first rock wall, you’ll end up in a corridor with two more — the one on the left is grey, and the one on the right is blue. Break the one on the left.

Onto a larger room now with even more walls to tear down. There are a few Stone Pebblits here, which are kinda annoying but not particularly tough, so you can get around them if you don’t want to fight.

The next wall you want to explode is the blue one that’s closer to the ground, and has a fairly narrow shape. If you’re using bomb flowers, it might need two instead of one. Then, head inside and follow that corridor until you see a ladder. Ponthos will shout “No way!” and yeah, man, way — we’ve secured a way out.

Turns out the ladder leads to the Kara Kara Bazaar Well, which is perfect, as Ponthos is waiting at the surface. Once you’re back at the bazaar, chat with him to finish the quest.

The reward is... a strange orb? Turns out that somebody at Gerudo Town is looking for it. The orb is an stelae — it’ll be of interest for Rotana, a Gerudo woman inside the Gerudo Shelter in the town at the coordinates (-3888, -2969, 0033).

If this is your first time chatting with her, you’ll get access to “The Heroines’ Secret” side quest.