21 Best Deserts in the World
One of my favorite photo motifs are: deserts. I never get tired of looking at them or visiting them (not that this happens on a daily basis, but if I have the chance, I take it). It seems that despite the lack of precipitation, they are always picture-perfect.
Surely some are prettier than others. but somehow they fascinate people all over the world. When I am in Dubai I try to visit the desert each time (read my posts on my Desert Dubai Safari) and I would love to visit each of the deserts listed below.
While I was doing some research for this post, I actually looked up the definition of deserts and found this at Dictionary.com
“A region so arid because of little rainfall that it supports only sparse and widely spaced vegetation or no vegetation at all.” And though it was what I had in mind, I was – admittedly, a little gullible – surprised to learn that the biggest desert was not the Sahara.
For some reason, I have always had it in my mind that it is the Sahara (the Sahara and Gobi were the only deserts I had known as a child), but there are two bigger deserts, which are different than most other deserts. Lay back and enjoy 24 pictures from the most 21 stunning deserts in the world.
Where to Find and See Amazing Deserts Around the World
Best Deserts in Africa
Sahara
The Sahara Desert is the third largest desert in the world and the biggest “hot” desert (this is a hint as to which ones are the biggest deserts). Its size is equivalent to the size of the US.
The Sahara spreads out mostly over North Africa (Morocco, etc.) There is rarely any rain and, in central Sahara, there is no vegetation at all. The Nile River is the only constant river across the desert, with others that are only seasonal.
Riding a camel in the Sahara and spending a night in the desert (but not in summer, for sure) is one of my biggest travel goals.
Read more about a Sahara Tour here.
Namib Desert
The Namib Desert has to be on my list – I cannot wait to visit and spend some days at the national parks, which are also located in the Namib Desert. It is considered to be the oldest desert in the world (older than 80 million years) and, to me, it is one of the most beautiful ones.
Kalahari Desert
Another huge desert in Africa (the sixth biggest in the world) is the Kalahari Desert, which is located in Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa.
Danakil Desert
The Danakil Desert can be found in northeast Ethiopia, southern Eritrea, and northwestern Djibouti, and is known as one of the hottest places in the world.
Best Deserts in Asia
Wadi Rum
Thanks to Instagram (at least I can say that about myself), I know Wadi Rum in Jordan pretty well, though it has become very popular with the movie Lawrence of Arabia and is one well-visited tourist destination now. P.S.: I finally visited myself and I looooved it. It is definitely a must-see in Jordan.
Arabian Desert
The Arabian Desert is the fourth biggest desert and covers, among other things, part of Oman, Yemen, Iraq, and Jordan. The center of the desert is Rub ’al-Khali, also known as the “Empty Quarter.”
Gobi
As mentioned above, the first two deserts I heard about were the Sahara and the Gobi Desert. So it surprised me to see that it is only the fifth biggest desert in the world and is located in parts of China and Mongolia. Unlike the Sahara, it is not a sandy desert, but rather, bare rock.
Dasht-e Lut
Dasht-e Lut is a large salt desert in the Sistan and Baluchistan Province in Iran and the 25th biggest desert in the world. In 2016, it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Thar Desert
The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is located in India and Pakistan and is in the 17th biggest desert in the world.
Best Deserts in America
Sonoran Desert
How pretty is this shoot with all the cactuses? Sonoran is located in the US and Mexico and is one place I would love to visit one day.
Monument Valley
The South of the US has some amazing sceneries – among them Monument Valley, which is a gorgeous desert.
Death Valley National Park
Did I just say the USA has gorgeous great landscapes and deserts? Another great-looking desert is the Death Valley in California.
Salar de Uyuni
Yes, another super popular Instagram place: The Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. Cannot blame anyone who posts pictures from there, though.
Atacama
One of the biggest deserts is the Atacama desert in Chile. Does not look to bad, right?
Lencois Maranheses
I had to do double-check if this is really a desert – looks like a perfect beach area but apparently this desert (and what an amazing desert by the way) is real and located in Brazil.
Best Deserts in Europe
Castildetierra at Bardenas Reales
The only desert in the list that only covers parts of one European state is: The Castildetierra at Bardenas Reales, Navarre, which can be found in Spain.
Best Deserts in Australia
Pinnacles Desert
Pinnacles Desert covers part of Western Australia.
Simpson
The second but not the only Australian desert on my list: the Simpson Desert. I had never heard of it before but seems to be worth a visit – for sure.
Central Outback
The fantastic, majestic Uluru (or Ayers Rock) “close” to Alice Springs located in the Outback is probably the most famous landmark within a desert. Check out this guide to a trip to Australia´s red center.
2. BIGGEST DESERT….
Arctic
This is the first cold desert on my list and second largest desert is in the north poles and covers some parts of Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. Since it is spread out widely, I have not put it under a certain continent above and made my own section for it.
Antarctica
Antarctica is a huge desert and one of the most beautiful and different deserts I can imagine. It has been on my list forever and, unlike most other deserts, it is probably one of the few where I won’t melt like ice in the sunshine.
This continent is the biggest desert of all, and tough to visit under these conditions (it is the most extreme continent of the world: the driest, windiest, and coldest).
