17th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Travel
Travel on Mars

Siloli Desert, part of the Atacama one, is regarded as the most arid desert in the world: in some points of the desert, rain is absent for centuries. Temperatures ranges from 5° degrees in the night up to 40° in day time, and the composition of the soil is actually similar to planet Mars. Both Hollywood and NASA have used this place as the closest mars-like environment that can be found on Earth. In the frame, the only settlement in the area, Tayka del Desierto, a martian-like hotel at 4,600 meters of altitude, separated hundreds of kilometers from the nearest village.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 08.2019
Date Uploaded: 11.2019
Photo Location: Bolivia, Bolivia
Camera: L1D-20c
Copyright: © Enrico Pescantini