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Best desert destinations in South America

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San Pedro de Atacama
Mars-like Landscapes and Starry Nights
7.5
The oasis town stands at 2,407 metres in a cold desert. Rain averages only about 38 millimetres a year. Valle de la Luna and the Salar de Atacama are both nearby. The El Tatio geyser field has over 80 active geysers. Winter nights often drop below freezing and can reach minus 10 degrees Celsius.
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
Lençóis Maranhenses National Park
Otherworldly dunes with turquoise lagoons
6.9
Dunes up to 40 metres high cover a park of about 1,565 square kilometres. Rain from January to June fills the valleys between them with freshwater lagoons. A rock layer below keeps the water from draining. At their peak the lagoons can cover up to 41 percent of the park.
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
Patagonia
Untamed Beauty at the End of the World
8.3
Strong westerly winds blow constantly across the Patagonian Desert. It is the largest desert in Argentina and the eighth largest in the world. The Andes block moisture from the Pacific and create a rain shadow. Temperatures rarely top 12 degrees Celsius. Guanacos, lesser rheas and pumas live on the steppe.
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
Nazca Lines
Mysterious geoglyphs etched across desert skies
A dry, windless climate has kept the Nazca Lines intact for about 2,000 years. The hummingbird figure is 93 metres long and the condor measures 134 metres. Maria Reiche, a German mathematician, proposed that the figures were astronomical markers. UNESCO listed the site in 1994 and the lines total more than 1,300 kilometres.
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
Atacama Desert
Endless dunes under starlit desert skies
Some weather stations in the Atacama have never recorded any rain. It is the driest desert on Earth outside the polar regions. The strip runs about 1,600 kilometres along the Pacific coast of northern Chile. In years with enough rain the desert blooms from September to November.
Highlights:
  • 🗻 Hike to El Tatio geysers before sunrise
  • ✨ Stargaze from San Pedro observatory, record constellations
  • 🌄 Explore Valle de la Luna during golden hour
Salar de Uyuni
World's largest surreal salt mirror
A thin layer of rainwater can turn the salt flat into a mirror. At about 10,582 square kilometres it is the largest salt flat in the world. Every November three species of flamingo breed here. Rain is scarce with only about one to three millimetres a month from April to November.
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
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