The Atacama Desert
Though bordering the ocean, the Atacama, which bisects the nation, is the world’s driest place and, in its own arid, desolate way, spectacularly beautiful. The fractured mantle beneath its surface makes the Atacama – and much of Chile – a volcanic hotbed, quite literally. Hot springs, bubbling mud pits and the El Tatio geysers highlight this subterranean activity, while the rugged landscape bears the scars of millennia-old motions. The briny waters of salt flats attract flamingo from thousands of miles away, Valle de la Luna will transport you to another world and the bohemian town of San Pedro de Atacama is the perfect place to venture from to witness some of the clearest stargazing in the world.