An alternative and radical city of art, music and free love – that’s how Burning Man is defined, one of the world’s most famous festivals, set to begin this Sunday, August 24, in Nevada’s desert. Everyone who has ever visited this extraordinary event returns with sparkling eyes and stories of life-changing experiences. But what makes someone return four years in a row? And can the original magic be recreated?
“It was like a crazy dream come true,” says Mika Gurovich, a photographer and digital content creator who works under the moniker “The Man Whisperer.” In an interview with Ynet, she recalls her very first experience at Burning Man in 2016.
Burning Man festival
(Video: Mika Gurovich)
“It took me five years from the moment I first heard about Burning Man until I finally won two tickets in the lottery. Suddenly, I found myself in the Nevada desert, surrounded by colorful people, massive art installations – and realizing that anything is possible, on every level.”
“I quit my job and set out on my journey”
At the time, Mika was working as a producer at a news channel, but her mental state was deteriorating. “I was listening to the news all day – it poisoned my consciousness,” she admits. “I felt I had to leave everything behind and go on a new adventure. So I quit my job and hit the road.”
Her first encounter with the name Burning Man came much earlier, back in 2011, when she was working as a flight attendant for El Al. “I was on a flight to New York, and another flight attendant told me about this crazy thing happening in the desert. I didn’t even believe it was real.”
After winning the ticket lottery, she flew with three Israeli friends for her first adventure – and stumbled, quite by accident, into an unusual camp. “We had posted our most colorful and flowery picture in a giant Facebook group, asking if any camp would host us. We got tons of offers, but when we arrived at the one we chose, we discovered that everyone there was from the Los Angeles porn industry. Actors, cameramen, real stars.”
“They were amazing,” she recalls. “We didn’t have money to rent an RV, so they arranged a cozy spot for us with a carpet. Imagine realizing that your campmates are people who, if you googled them, you’d find they’d won awards for adult films. And we? Innocent girls, suddenly in the middle of the desert with porn stars.”
'I knew one thing – there was no way I was going back'
Mika describes her first Burning Man as a transformative shock. “You look around and realize anything is possible, and on a huge scale. Million-dollar floats, music around the clock, insane art installations. You realize you know nothing about this world. It was an incredible feeling – a fantasy come true. A whole other universe running parallel to the real world.”
“It was a life-changing experience that opened me to a completely different reality. I realized that you need to listen to the signs the universe sends – because they’re always there. My biggest message to anyone thinking about going to Burning Man: listen to yourself, listen to the universe and let it guide you.”
Right after the festival ended, she knew one thing for certain: she wasn’t going back to her old life. “I experienced a quantum leap in consciousness, and all I wanted was to keep discovering myself and the world,” she says.
She went on to travel across the U.S. with people she had met at the camp. “There was a pilot who flew us over the Grand Canyon – an incredible experience. We went to Santa Cruz, stayed with a friend, then continued to Hawaii, where we swam with sharks and climbed volcanoes.”
'In one moment, it all ended – and I was deported'
After three months of wandering, Mika decided to settle in Los Angeles. “I wanted to live there, but I didn’t have a Green Card, and the money ran out quickly. I had to find work.”
She soon found herself managing the bar at a famous Hollywood techno club – without a work visa. “I worked with incredible DJs like Solomun and Nina Kraviz. At first, I didn’t even understand the music, but over time I fell in love with it.”
Later, she also worked as an account manager at an advertising company. “Everything was paid in cash. I was constantly anxious about being caught, but somehow it always worked out. It became part of the adrenaline.”
In 2017, she returned to Burning Man for the second time, hoping to relive the magic of the first experience. But it wasn’t the same. “I was chasing the same excitement, but I constantly felt like I was missing out. I had this persistent fear that something better was happening elsewhere.”
She describes moments of deep sadness. “I felt lost – especially within myself. That’s when I realized those feelings were just a reflection of what I felt inside. Wholeness and happiness have to come from within – not from external events. You can’t chase past experiences. You have to create new ones from a place of inner completeness.”
Searching for meaning amid chaos
Despite the mixed emotions, Mika didn’t stop. She attended the Oregon Eclipse festival during a rare solar eclipse. “It was incredible, a completely different experience than Burning Man. I reconnected with people I’d met in the desert and felt the wild energy of the community again.”
Meanwhile, she continued living in the U.S. without the proper visa. “Everything was in cash, nothing secure. Every time I had to extend my tourist visa, I needed to invent a story. I had fake receipts for trips and hotels, a folder of documents ready for any questioning. It always worked – but the tension was constant.”
In 2018, she returned to Burning Man for the third time – this time as the official photographer for a large bicycle-repair camp. “Everything was covered – flights, RV, even an assistant. It was a dream come true: to attend Burning Man without paying and as part of the festival.”
But despite the success, she arrived frustrated. “I was lost and sad. The festival had become too meaningful for me, and when it ended, it broke my heart. I sat in a Reno hotel crying for days. I felt like I had lost myself in the desert.”
Out of the breakdown, however, came a breakthrough. “I realized the problem wasn’t the event – it was me. I was always chasing something better, living in constant FOMO. But happiness doesn’t depend on a place – it has to come from within. Every meeting, every conversation, every experience is a mirror. The desert shows you who you are. Once I understood that, I could finally see where I truly was and what I needed to change to be genuinely happy.”
From euphoria to collapse
Mika continued her journey through Argentina, Mexico City, Tulum, Italy, Switzerland and California. She lived for several months in Santa Cruz. Then, in 2019, she received her most meaningful invitation: to photograph the Mayan Warrior camp – one of Burning Man’s most famous.
But then everything fell apart. “I flew in from Israel full of excitement, landed in San Francisco, and was detained by immigration. I was interrogated for 20 hours. They figured out I was trying to work in the U.S. without the proper visa. They knew everything about the clubs, the advertising. They claimed I was stealing jobs from Americans. I felt like a criminal, even though all I wanted was to fulfill myself.”
In the end, she was deported back to Israel. “They confiscated my passport and phone, and I was put on a plane under guard. I felt broken, as if I had committed murder.”
But for Mika, it also became a turning point. “The universe slapped me. I needed to stop. I realized I hadn’t been listening to the signs – and the universe sent me the clearest one: enough. I learned that happiness isn’t tied to a place – it’s within me. The external journey was over – but the inner journey was just beginning. I understood that everything I went through was just a step along the way to realizing that paradise is inside.”
Burning Man survival tips
“Burning Man is an incredible experience, but if you don’t come prepared, the dream can turn into a nightmare very quickly,” Gurovich explains, now a veteran of the desert festival.
She shares her most important tips for anyone planning to attend:
- Warm coat: “A fur coat or heavy jacket is essential for the nights, since desert temperatures can drop to below freezing.”
- Dust goggles: “You cannot survive the dust storms without them – visibility drops to zero.”
- Mask or bandana: “A must-have to cover your mouth and nose from dust.”
- Personal cup: “No disposable cups are provided – you must bring your own.”
- Vinegar: “For treating small wounds, since the desert soil is very acidic.”
How to get around? “Bicycles are an absolute must – ideally electric ones, since the area is huge and regular bikes can quickly wear you out. Choose a spacious and reliable vehicle with enough room for water, food and all the gear you’ll need to be fully self-sufficient.”
And when it comes to supplies: “Bring at least 4 liters of water per person per day – preferably more, just in case. Food should be simple and easy: dry goods, energy bars, dried fruit, canned food or ready meals that don’t require complicated preparation.”
Finally, she stresses Burning Man’s core principle of radical self-reliance. “Do not rely on anyone else to provide you with anything. Bring everything you’ll need in advance, because once you’re in the desert, nothing can be bought or replaced.”