Dry, dry desert

Though it boasts more than 600 miles of coastline upon a vast, misty ocean, Chile's Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth (besides certain snowless spots in Antarctica). Here in the Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon), wind-whipped dunes loom large along the shore, and the inland flats are dotted with dry salt lakes. But despite the desolation, it's a place of understated beauty. The lack of light pollution offers some of the world's best stargazing, and the landscape is dotted by petroglyphs—from small to gargantuan—that prove ancient peoples also learned to love this unique patch of land.