Dasht-e Lut, Iran

Dasht-e Lut holds the record for the hottest surface temperature ever measured on Earth: 70.7°C, recorded by satellite in 2005. This arid expanse spans 51,800 square kilometers in southeastern Iran, featuring wind-carved yardangs and kaluts that stretch up to 80 meters high—formations so alien-looking they earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 2016. These geological wonders result from millennia of erosion in a basin with less than 30 millimeters of annual rainfall. Compared to #9 Salar de Uyuni, Dasht-e Lut is significantly more hostile, with extreme heat and dryness making it less frequented but more haunting, attracting fewer than 1,000 visitors yearly for its raw, unforgiving beauty.