Rock formations in the White Desert, Egypt

© Anton Petrus/Getty Image

This snow will never melt. White Desert National Park, Egypt

Snow, in the desert? Not quite. Today we're in Egypt's White Desert, which gets its colorful name from the abundance of chalk, limestone, and quartz rock formations in the area and gives the sand its special hue. Tourists flock to this place to see these naturally-occurring structures, honed over thousands of years into unique shapes through a process known as 'differential weathering.' Located about five hours to the southwest of Cairo, White Desert National Park is a lot more than just deteriorating rocks—it's also a protected refuge for several endangered animal species.