25 Places to Go in 2025 Spotlight: Atacama Desert

As one of the driest places on Earth, the Atacama presents a surreal panorama of salt flats, towering volcanoes, geysers, and otherworldly rock formations. There are the landscapes of the Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley), geysers at El Tatio, and observatories where visitors can look through powerful telescopes to see past the clear high-altitude skies and into the heavens. White salt flats extend as far as the eye can see, punctuated by turquoise lagoons and deep canyons that people can hike through. Massive dunes are an opportunity to sandboard, or watch others take on an incredible feat of endurance during the 250-kilometer Atacama Crossing footrace.

A cap on it all is the reopening of the boutique luxury eco-lodge Tierra Atacama following a complete renovation. Four new suites with an elevated private experience are being added to the year-round property, which will reopen on April 1.