What are the most beautiful deserts in the world?

Discover our selection of the most beautiful deserts in the world. From Chile to Bolivia, via the United States or Algeria, these majestic expanses fascinate and amaze travelers.

The Salar de Uyuni, the largest expanse of salt in the world

Let’s start our overview of the most beautiful deserts with the largest expanse of salt on the planet, the Salar de Uyuni. Located at 3658 meters above sea level in south Lipez, an arid area in southern Bolivia on the border with Chile, this salt desert is more than 10,000 km2. A lunar landscape born from the disappearance 14,000 years ago of the prehistoric lake Tauca and which is home to half of the planet’s exploitable lithium reserves. During the summer, the salt crust of the Salar de Uyuni is covered with water and turns into a real mirror. Fascinating!

Pink flamingos in wild nature of Bolivia Pink flamingos in wild nature of Bolivia, Eduardo Avaroa National Park, South America salar de uyuni desert stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

Salar De Uyuni - Daratan Garam Terluas Dunia Ada di Bolivia, Lihat Keunikannya Saat Berfoto - Halaman 1 - Tribun Travel

The Atacama Desert, Chile

We stay in South America to reach the legendary Atacama Desert in Chile. Between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains, this desert of more than 100,000 km2 offers some of the most spectacular landscapes on the planet, with large stretches of sand but also snow-capped peaks. If this area is one of the driest in the world with only 12 millimeters of rain on average per year, the Atacama Desert is also rich in many saltwater lagoons. If you are lucky enough to make the trip to Chile, especially look up at the sky. The starry nights of the Atacama Desert are unforgettable.

Amazing scenario in the Atacama Amazing scenario in the Atacama Desert in Chile The Atacama Desert stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

Atacama Desert Night sky - Desert Astronomy with Tierra Atacama

The Gobi Desert, Mongolia

The Gobi Desert covers a third of Mongolia’s surface and extends as far as China. With its 1,300,000 km2, it is considered one of the largest deserts in the world and is undeniably one of the most fascinating. It offers a wide variety of landscapes, with steppes, large sand dunes, stones, mountains, oases and amazes with its sometimes vibrant colors. There are many legendary animals, including Przewalski’s horse and the elusive snow leopard.

Livestock in a pasture around haystack on partly cloudy day The sun rises in the Orkhon Valley while lambs graze freely the gobi desert stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

Rub al Khali, Yemen

Let us now discover the Rub al Khali which represents, with its 650,000 km2, nothing less than the largest uninterrupted expanse of sand in the world. Located in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, and the territory of the Sultanate of Oman, this desert is constantly evolving. Due to the wind, its many sand dunes move and evolve with the seasons.

trees in the wahiba sand desert of sultanate of oman view trees growing at the beginning of the wahiba sand desert in the sultanate of oman. rub al khali desert stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

The Mojave Desert, California

The Mojave Desert spans three U.S. states: California, Nevada, and Arizona. Bordered by the Tehachapi, San Gabriel, and San Bernadino mountains, its 40,000 km2 are mainly covered with rocky plains and mountain ranges. It is in the Mojave Desert that the hottest point on the globe is located: Death Valley.

Super Bloom Of Desert Gold Desert Wildflowers, Death Valley A rare "super bloom" event covering large expanse of the desert valley floor with wild flowers, dominated by the golden yellow of desert gold flowers (also known as desert sunflowers or Geraea canescens) in Death Valley National Park in California. The Amargosa mountains rise over the valley in the background. The Mojave Desert stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

Namib Desert, Namibia

This is one of the most beautiful places in Namibia. Considered the oldest desert in the world, Namib has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013. It is a coastal desert since it is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean for nearly 1500 km. It is a real pleasure for the eyes to admire these vertiginous and colorful dunes standing out on the blue of the sea! Due to the presence of iron oxide, some of its dunes, such as those of the Sossusvlei, are red sand dunes. The latter is among the highest in the world.

Sandwich Harbour Namib Naukluft National Park Namibia large mighty sand dunes stretch out over the ice-cold atlantic sea Namib Desert stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

The Sahara

A world tour of the most beautiful deserts in the world cannot end elsewhere than in the Sahara. This gigantic desert, where immense expanses of sand rub shoulders with rocky and rugged landscapes, extends over 10 countries including Algeria and Morocco but also Mauritania and Mali.

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