Namib Desert (Sossusvlei), Namibia

Claiming the title of Earth's oldest desert at 55 million years, the Namib features rust-red dunes that soar 300 meters above the ghostly white clay pan of Deadvlei. Here, 900-year-old dead camel thorn trees stand petrified in a landscape that appears digitally rendered but is entirely natural. The sand's iron oxide content gives it the richest color of any dune system worldwide—30% more saturated than the Sahara's Erg Chebbi. While the Atacama's #3 starry skies are clearer, the Namib's dune heights are unparalleled, exceeding Wadi Rum's sandstone monoliths by 60 meters on average.