

Pinnacles of sandstone rise through the orange dunes of the Karnasai Valley, Chad

A small group of French tourists retrace ancient caravan routes between dying Mauritanian oasis towns

Volcanic crater of Wau al Namus in Libya

Ajder oasis, some 100 km Northwest of Timimoun, Algeria

Thikse monastery, some times referred to as the little Potala Palace, located in the Indus River Valley

Shibam, the ancient trading capital of the Yemeni part of the Empty Quarter

The North-South road leading into the Taklimakan oil field in China

Salt Domes of the Dasht-e Kavir, Iran

Women sunbathing in a walled-off nude beach at Ein Bokek, Israel

Paracas National Park, a sparsely inhabited section of the South Peruvian Coast

Volcanic peaks of the Hoggar, just east of Asakrem, Algeria

Beni Isguen, the most conservative and exquisitely preserved of the ancient hill towns in Ghardaia

Twisted olds of sedimentary rocks and sand dunes near Laomangya village, China

Salt caravans pass each other in the enormous plain of Tresert, Niger

Laguna Colorado, Bolivia, which is red due to natural hot springs where red algae bloom

Cotton processing factory just outside of Yuli in Xinjiang, China

The last sunlight of the day falls on the small monastery of Rangdum in India

Tigrean and Afari men prying salt out of the dry section of Lake Assale, Ethiopia

Abu Simbel Temple on the West shore of Lake Nasser, Egypt

Red peppers laid out to dry near Baicheng, Xinjiang, China

Eastern margin of Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

Twin frozen lakes between Wright and Victoria Valley, Antartica

Mega-dunes of the Dasht-e Lut, Iran