Desert Destinations & Arid Lands Map

San Pedro de Atacama

Mars-like Landscapes and Starry Nights

7.5

El Tatio geysers steam at dawn at 4,320 metres above sea level. The cold air turns the vents into tall white plumes. Valle de la Luna has salt ridges that glow pink at sunset. The town's clear skies also make it a top place for stargazing.

Highlights:

🌕 Explore the otherworldly landscapes of Valle de la Luna
🧂 Float effortlessly in the salt-rich Laguna Cejar
🌅 Witness sunrise at the geysers of El Tatio

Death Valley National Park

Otherworldly Extremes and Silent Beauty

6.4

Badwater Basin lies 86 metres below sea level, the lowest point in North America. Furnace Creek recorded 56.7 degrees Celsius in July 1913, among the hottest air temperatures measured. Visitors can walk out onto the white salt flats at sunrise. Mesquite Flat dunes ripple in soft golden light nearby.

Highlights:

🎨 Explore colorful rock formations at Artists Palette
🦶 Walk across the vast salt flats of Badwater Basin
🌅 Watch sunrise from panoramic Zabriskie Point

Swakopmund

Coastal charm meets desert horizons

8.9

The Living Desert Tour follows tracks of small animals hiding in the dunes. Guides find chameleons, geckos and sidewinding adders in the sand. Visitors can also try sandboarding or quad biking on the steep dunes. Cool sea fog rolls over the coast in the early morning hours.

Highlights:

🤿 Scuba dive among vibrant coral reefs
🐪 Ride camel across the white dunes
🏖️ Sail on the Atlantic coast at sunset

Namib-Naukluft National Park

Endless Dunes and Desert Drama

8.2

Welwitschia plants grow here with two long ribbon leaves for over a thousand years. They drink fog that drifts in from the cold Atlantic. The Sesriem Canyon, carved by the Tsauchab River, is about 30 metres deep. Zebras and oryx walk the gravel plains near the Naukluft Mountains.

Highlights:

🧗 Hike Sesriem Canyon’s narrow rock walls and riverbed
🌵 Explore the eerie Dead Vlei clay pan and ancient trees
🌅 Climb Big Daddy dune for sunrise and desert views

Badlands National Park

Majestic badlands cliffs echo ancient stories

8.4

Eroded buttes striped in pink, tan and grey fill this South Dakota park. Fossils of ancient horses and rhinos, about 30 million years old, lie in the rock. Hikers can climb a log ladder on the Notch Trail for a wide view. Bison and prairie dogs graze on the grasslands nearby.

Highlights:

🦕 Explore Fossil Hill Drive's ancient dinosaur tracks
🐃 Spot bison grazing near the river canyon
🌄 Hike the Badlands Loop Trail for sunrise vistas

Wadi Rum

Valley of the moon's timeless magic

8.1

T E Lawrence camped in this red valley during the Arab Revolt of 1917. Movies such as Lawrence of Arabia and The Martian were filmed here. Bedouin guides drive visitors in jeeps or lead camels past tall sandstone cliffs. Guests sleep in tents under a sky full of stars.

Highlights:

🏕️ Spend a night in a traditional Bedouin desert camp
🏂 Sandboard down giant red sand dunes for adrenaline rush
🚙 Take a thrilling 4x4 jeep tour through vast desert landscapes

Sossusvlei

Towering red dunes meet white clay

7.5

Big Daddy, a red dune about 325 metres tall, towers over a white clay pan. Climbers can reach the top in two hours for a wide view. Deadvlei below has black camelthorn trees dead for centuries. Sunrise turns the slopes orange and casts long shadows.

Highlights:

🏜️ Marvel at the red dunes contrasting the deep blue sky
📸 Visit Deadvlei and photograph the ancient camelthorn trees
🌅 Climb Dune 45 at sunrise for breathtaking desert views

Monument Valley

Iconic red sandstone vistas echo timeless horizons

8.5

Sandstone buttes rise up to 300 metres above the flat red desert. Navajo guides lead visitors along a rough 17 mile dirt loop through the valley. Director John Ford filmed the classic western Stagecoach here in 1939. Sunset turns the tall towers deep orange and purple in minutes.

Highlights:

✨ Stargaze at night, capture Milky Way overhead
🏞️ Explore slot canyons on a guided tour
🌅 Hike to sunrise over towering hoodoos

Gobi Desert

Endless dunes under starlit desert skies

7.6

The Flaming Cliffs glow deep red at sunset in the Mongolian Gobi Desert. Explorer Roy Chapman Andrews found dinosaur eggs here in 1923. Two humped Bactrian camels roam the gravel plains near herders' round tents. Khongoryn Els, a long line of tall dunes, sings with a low hum when sand slides.

Highlights:

🏜️ Explore the ancient Khongoryn Els sand dunes
🏕️ Camp overnight under starlit Mongolian skies
🐪 Ride camels across dunes at sunrise

Wahiba Sands

Endless dunes whisper ancient Bedouin tales

8.5

Sand dunes up to 100 metres high stretch across eastern Oman. Bedouin families, called Bidu, still graze camels on the dune slopes. Visitors can sleep in desert camps and ride over the crests in 4x4 vehicles. Sunset paints the sand in shades of orange and gold.

Highlights:

🐪 Experience camel trekking at sunrise
🌌 Camp under starlit sky in Bedouin tents
🏜️ Ride dune buggies across golden sand dunes

Namib

Endless dunes whisper ancient desert secrets

8.9

Fog rolling in off the cold Atlantic gives the Namib most of its water. Darkling beetles tilt their bodies on dune tops to drink the drops. Desert adapted elephants and lions roam the dry riverbeds farther north. The Skeleton Coast has shipwrecks half buried in the sand.

Highlights:

🪨 Stroll along Skeleton Coast's dramatic cliffs
🐘 Hunt wildlife across Etosha National Park savannahs
🏜️ Stand atop Sossusvlei's towering red dunes

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park

Sacred Red Rock and Majestic Domes

8.4

Kata Tjuta is a group of 36 domed rock formations of red conglomerate. The Valley of the Winds walk loops about seven kilometres between them. Anangu people, the traditional owners, still share stories about the domes. Visitors can walk through narrow gorges beneath steep red walls.

Highlights:

🌅 Experience Uluru’s mesmerizing sunset color changes
🥾 Hike the Valley of the Winds trail at Kata Tjuta
🪨 Walk the base trail around the sacred Uluru rock

Arches National Park

A Desert Wonderland of Stone Arches

8.2

More than 2,000 natural sandstone arches rise from the red Utah desert. Delicate Arch, a free standing arch about 16 metres tall, appears on Utah number plates. Visitors can hike about 3 miles round trip to stand beneath it at sunset. Landscape Arch, a thin ribbon of stone, spans nearly 90 metres.

Highlights:

🌉 Visit Double Arch and climb beneath its massive spans
🥾 Explore Devils Garden Trail with multiple arches
🧗‍♂️ Hike to Delicate Arch, the park’s iconic symbol

Joshua Tree National Park

Desert dunes meet starry night skies

8.7

Two deserts, the Mojave and the Colorado, meet in this California park. Twisted Joshua trees grow in thick groves on the higher Mojave side. Climbers and hikers scramble over round granite boulders at Hidden Valley. The park is an International Dark Sky Park with vivid stars.

Highlights:

✨ Stargaze at Barker Dam's night sky
🌅 Watch sunset from Keys View
🌲 Hike through Hidden Valley Trail

Merzouga

Sahara Dunes, Starry Nights

6.9

Erg Chebbi, a sea of orange dunes up to 150 metres high, rises here. Camel caravans carry visitors into the dunes at sunset for an overnight stay. Guests sleep in tent camps and watch a thick spread of stars overhead. Gnawa musicians play drums and iron castanets around the campfire.

Highlights:

🌅 Watch stunning Sahara sunsets over golden sand
⛺ Spend a magical night in a Berber desert camp
🐪 Ride camels across the towering Erg Chebbi dunes

Moab

Red rock canyons echo adventure seekers' dreams

9.1

Dead Horse Point overlook drops about 600 metres to the Colorado River. Film crews shot the ending of Thelma and Louise near this cliff in 1991. Red rock arches and towers surround the town in every direction. Rafting trips on the Colorado River start just outside Moab.

Highlights:

🚴‍♂️ Bike the Slickrock Trail through rugged desert terrain
🗿 Explore Arches National Park's iconic rock formations
🏜️ Climb Delicate Arch at sunrise for breathtaking views

Xinjiang

Vibrant Silk Road crossroads of ancient cultures

7.6

Karez wells in Turpan carry snowmelt through underground channels to grape farms. The tunnels total thousands of kilometres under the hot desert. The Flaming Mountains glow red in the afternoon sun nearby. The Turpan basin lies far below sea level and has very hot summers.

Highlights:

🌅 Stroll through Turpan's Jiaohe ruins at sunrise
🏰 Explore the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar
🐪 Ride a camel across the Taklamakan Desert

Canyonlands National Park

Epic Canyons and Untamed Wilderness

8.3

Mesa Arch frames the sunrise over deep canyons at Island in the Sky. Its underside glows bright orange as morning light hits the rock. The Green and Colorado rivers meet far below in a maze of red cliffs. Rafters can float through Cataract Canyon beneath towering walls.

Highlights:

🥾 Hike the easy trail to Grand View Point overlook
🚗 Drive scenic Grand View Point Road and stops
🌅 Watch sunrise at Mesa Arch for breathtaking views

Dunhuang

Desert Wonders and Ancient Art

7.1

The Mogao Caves hold about 490 painted Buddhist temples cut into a cliff. Monks and artists decorated them from the 4th to the 14th century. Visitors can also climb the Singing Sand Dunes and see Crescent Lake. The little lake has stayed in the desert for centuries.

Highlights:

🏞️ Visit the serene Crescent Moon Lake oasis
🐪 Ride camels and hike the dunes at Mingsha Mountain
🕌 Explore the ancient Buddhist art in Mogao Caves

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Where predators rule the Kalahari

6.9

Two national parks, one in South Africa and one in Botswana, were joined here in 2000. Red dunes and dry riverbeds like the Nossob run through the shared reserve. Gemsbok and springbok graze beside camelthorn trees. Sociable weavers build huge straw nests that hold many families of birds.

Highlights:

📸 Capture dramatic desert landscapes bursting with life after rain
🦌 Spot springboks and gemsboks on sunset game drives
🦁 Watch black-maned lions roam the red dunes at sunrise

Kalahari Desert

Endless dunes whisper ancient desert secrets

7.2

Deception Valley is a dry riverbed in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Lions and cheetahs hunt springbok on its pale grassy plains. Brown hyenas and meerkats live in burrows among the grass and low dunes. San guides teach visitors how to track animals in the sand.

Highlights:

🚙 Ride a 4x4 through rugged sand trails
🐾 Spot black-footed ferrets in their natural habitat
🌌 Camp under starlit skies at Sossusvlei dunes

Danakil Depression

Earth's Hottest, Most Alien Landscape

6.1

The Dallol hot springs paint the ground in bright yellow, green and orange. The area lies about 100 metres below sea level. Camel caravans still carry blocks of salt cut from nearby flats. Erta Ale, a nearby volcano, has a lava lake that glows at night.

Highlights:

🧂 Explore vast white salt flats at Karum Salt Lake
🌋 Trek to the glowing lava lake of Erta Ale volcano
🌈 Witness surreal colors at the Dallol sulfur springs

Namaqualand

Vibrant desert landscapes and wildlife wonders

8.9

Millions of orange and purple daisies carpet the ground each August and September. Winter rain wakes the seeds on this dry western coast of South Africa. Namaqua National Park has drives and short walks through the blooms. The flowers open in the morning sun and close at dusk.

Highlights:

✨ Stargaze from Sossusvlei's clear night skies
🌅 Witness the midnight sun over Namib Desert dunes
🦁 Explore Etosha National Park's wildlife on guided safari

Lanzarote

Volcanic Landscapes and Sunny Shores

8.1

Timanfaya's Fire Mountains formed in eruptions that ran from 1730 to 1736. Lava buried nearly a dozen villages on the island. At the visitor area guides pour water in a hole and it shoots up as steam. A restaurant grills chicken over the natural heat of the volcano.

Highlights:

🏖️ Relax on golden sands of Playa de Papagayo beach
🦀 Discover underwater wonders at Jameos del Agua caves
🌋 Explore volcanic landscapes in Timanfaya National Park

Sedona

Red Rocks, Vortexes and Starry Skies

7.5

Cathedral Rock and Bell Rock rise in red sandstone above green juniper. Hikers reach their bases on short trails that start near town. Some visitors seek out spots called vortexes, such as Boynton Canyon, for calm. Oak Creek Canyon nearby has cool shaded swimming holes in summer.

Highlights:

🚙 Take a scenic jeep tour through rugged canyons
🌅 Experience sunrise at Airport Mesa vortex viewpoint
🏜️ Hike to Cathedral Rock for breathtaking red rock views

Maspalomas

Sunlit dunes meet turquoise waves in paradise

8.6

Golden dunes cover about 400 hectares beside the ocean on Gran Canaria's south coast. Wind shapes the sand into ridges that change from day to day. Visitors can ride camels or walk to a small palm oasis. A lighthouse from 1890 stands beside the beach.

Highlights:

🤿 Dive into crystal waters for snorkeling adventures
🗼 Explore the historic lighthouse and surrounding cliffs
🏜️ Stroll along the iconic sand dunes at sunset

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park

Otherworldly dunes with turquoise lagoons

6.9

White sand dunes stretch for many kilometres along the coast of northern Brazil. Rain fills the valleys between them with clear blue and green lagoons. The lagoons appear from about January to June each year. Visitors can swim in the warm fresh water after climbing a dune.

Highlights:

🌅 Watch the sunrise reflect on the mesmerizing lagoons
🚙 Take a thrilling 4x4 ride across the vast dunes
💧 Swim in the turquoise lagoons after a hot dune trek

Baja California Sur

Desert meets ocean adventure land

8.2

Cardon cactus forests cover the hills between desert and sea. Grey whales gather in Ojo de Liebre lagoon each winter to give birth. Visitors can paddle out in small boats to meet curious calves. The Sea of Cortez, warm and calm, laps at empty beaches nearby.

Highlights:

🏖️ Relax on the pristine beaches of Playa Balandra
🐋 Watch grey whales breach near the lagoons of Magdalena Bay
🦈 Swim alongside whale sharks in the Bay of La Paz

Great Basin National Park

Ancient trees, caves and starry skies

7.8

Ancient bristlecone pines cling to the slopes of Wheeler Peak. Some living trees are nearly 5,000 years old with twisted silver trunks. Wheeler Peak rises to 3,982 metres above the sandy desert valleys. At night the skies are dark enough to show the Milky Way clearly.

Highlights:

🌌 Stargaze under one of America’s darkest skies
🕳️ Explore the stunning Lehman Caves with a guided tour
🥾 Hike to the summit of Wheeler Peak

Cappadocia

A surreal land of fairy chimneys

8.0

Derinkuyu, an underground city, drops about 60 metres on many levels. Thousands of people once sheltered in its tunnels and stone rooms. Above ground, fairy chimneys of soft volcanic rock rise from the valleys. Visitors can walk narrow passages and see old wine cellars and chapels.

Highlights:

🏰 Climb Uçhisar Castle for panoramic Cappadocia views
⛪ Explore the rock-cut churches at Göreme Open-Air Museum
🎈 Take a sunrise hot air balloon ride over fairy chimneys

Göreme National Park

Fairy chimneys and cave wonders

8.0

Painted rock churches from the Byzantine era fill the Open Air Museum cliffs. Frescoes inside show saints and Bible scenes in deep red and blue. Many small hotels sleep guests in real cave rooms cut into soft rock. Hot air balloons drift over the valleys at dawn.

Highlights:

🥾 Hike through the otherworldly landscapes of Love Valley
🕍 Explore the cave churches and frescoes of the Göreme Open-Air Museum
🎈 Take a sunrise hot air balloon ride over fairy chimneys

Landmannalaugar

Colorful mountains and natural pools

8.6

The Laugahraun lava field, formed in 1477, lies black and rough beside the hills. Rhyolite mountains behind it glow pink, yellow and green. A warm stream feeds a natural pool where hikers soak after a long day. Very few plants grow on the barren volcanic ground.

Highlights:

🌋 Photograph the striking lava fields and steaming vents
♨️ Soak in the natural geothermal hot springs after a trek
🥾 Hike the colorful rhyolite mountains on the Laugavegur Trail

Svalbard

Arctic wilderness at Earth's edge

8.3

Longyearbyen gets only about 200 millimetres of precipitation a year. That is as dry as many hot deserts, making this a polar desert. Visitors can hike across bare rocky valleys with a guide carrying a rifle. Reindeer and Arctic foxes roam the sparse tundra and gravel plains.

Highlights:

🥾 Hike across the dramatic tundra and rugged landscapes
🛥️ Explore glaciers and fjords on guided boat tours
🐻‍❄️ Observe Arctic wildlife including elusive polar bears safely

Patagonia

Untamed Beauty at the End of the World

8.3

Strong wind sweeps the dry steppe of Santa Cruz province almost every day. Fossil tree trunks about 150 million years old lie in the Petrified Forest. Visitors can walk marked paths between the ancient stone logs. Guanacos graze on the pale grass beside the fossil trees.

Highlights:

🐧 Explore the diverse wildlife on Peninsula Valdés
❄️ Witness the massive Perito Moreno Glacier up close
🥾 Hike the legendary trails of Torres del Paine National Park

Pantanal Matogrossense National Park

World's largest tropical wetland paradise

7.6

From June to September the wetlands shrink into cracked mud and small lagoons. Jaguars, caimans and capybaras gather at the remaining water. Boat trips on the Cuiaba River often find jaguars on the banks. Hyacinth macaws with bright blue feathers nest in tall palm trees.

Highlights:

🐎 Experience horseback riding across flooded plains and trails
🛶 Take a boat tour through the Pantanal’s winding waterways
🐆 Join a guided wildlife safari to spot elusive jaguars

Nazca Lines

Mysterious geoglyphs etched across desert skies

Giant drawings called geoglyphs cover the desert plain near Nazca. One shows a hummingbird about 90 metres long in the pale gravel. Ancient people made the lines between about 500 BC and 500 AD by moving dark stones. Small plane flights show the shapes clearly from the air.

Highlights:

🏺 Visit the Chauchilla Cemetery to learn ancient burial rituals
🚙 Explore the Nazca Desert on a guided jeep tour
✈️ Fly over Nazca Lines for a breathtaking aerial view

Sahara Desert

Endless dunes under starlit midnight skies

The Tassili n'Ajjer plateau near Djanet has thousands of ancient rock paintings. Some drawings show herds of cattle from when the Sahara was green. UNESCO listed the area in 1982 as a natural and cultural site. Guides lead walking trips among tall stone arches and rock towers.

Highlights:

🐪 Ride camel across Guelma's golden sand dunes
✨ Camp under starlit sky in Tassili n'Ajjer
🏜️ Traverse Erg Chebbi dunes at sunrise

Atacama Desert

Endless dunes under starlit desert skies

Once every few years rain turns the Atacama pink and purple with flowers. The event is called the desierto florido and lasts a few weeks. ALMA, a giant radio telescope array, sits at about 5,000 metres. Nights are so clear that astronomers place major observatories here.

Highlights:

🗻 Hike to El Tatio geysers before sunrise
✨ Stargaze from San Pedro observatory, record constellations
🌄 Explore Valle de la Luna during golden hour

Rub' al Khali

Endless dunes whisper ancient desert secrets

Dunes in the Empty Quarter reach about 250 metres in height. The sand covers an area larger than France across Saudi Arabia, Oman and neighbouring lands. British explorer Bertram Thomas crossed it by camel in 1931. Now guided desert trips run from camps near the edge.

Highlights:

🐪 Ride a camel across endless golden sands
🏕️ Camp overnight under a starlit desert sky
🌄 Traverse the Rub‑Al‑Khali dunes at sunrise

White Desert

Starlit dunes whisper ancient desert secrets

Wind has carved white chalk rocks into shapes like mushrooms and chickens. The formations rise from golden sand in Egypt's Farafra region. Guests camp under the stars and light a fire at night. Small fennec foxes with huge ears creep near the camps at dawn.

Highlights:

🌌 Photograph phosphorescent sand glow at night
🐪 Camel trek through white sands to oasis
🏜️ Explore Erg Chebbi dunes at sunset

Thar Desert

Endless dunes whisper ancient desert tales

Golden dunes at Sam near Jaisalmer glow orange at sunset in the Thar Desert. Camel safaris carry visitors out to tent camps for a night under the stars. Jaisalmer Fort, built in 1156, still has families living inside its sandstone walls. The Desert Festival each February has camel races and turban tying contests.

Highlights:

🏰 Explore Jaisalmer’s ancient fort and enjoy camel rides
🌌 Camp under starlit sky in a traditional Bedouin tent
🐪 Ride camels across golden dunes at sunset

Salar de Uyuni

World's largest surreal salt mirror

This is the largest salt flat on Earth, covering about 10,000 square kilometres. From December to March a thin sheet of water turns it into a giant mirror. Jeep tours cross the white crust to Incahuasi Island with giant cacti. Old rusting trains sit at a nearby graveyard.

Highlights:

🚂 Explore the eerie Train Cemetery near Uyuni town
🌵 Visit Incahuasi Island and climb among giant cacti
📸 Take surreal photos with salt flat perspective illusions

Uluru

Majestic sandstone monolith under endless skies

The huge red rock rises 348 metres above the flat desert. Its colour shifts from orange to red to purple between sunrise and dusk. Visitors can walk the 10 kilometre base track around the rock. Climbing has been banned since October 2019 at the request of Anangu owners.

Highlights:

✨ Take a guided night tour to see stars overhead
🚶‍♂️ Walk the base trail and spot ancient rock art
🌅 Witness sunrise over Uluru from the viewing platform

Top desert destinations and arid landscapes