Valle de la Luna (Chile)

Valle de la Luna is a valley in Chile's Atacama Desert, about 13 kilometers west of San Pedro de Atacama within the Cordillera de la Sal. Its stone and sand formations have been carved by wind and water into an otherworldly landscape of colorful outcrops, white salt-covered surfaces, saline formations resembling sculptures and numerous caverns, an appearance the Atacama's extreme aridity, parts of which have gone centuries without rain, has helped preserve. The valley lies within the Reserva Nacional los Flamencos and was declared a Nature Sanctuary in 1982, and its Mars-like terrain has also been used by scientists to test Mars rover prototypes.