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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
