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Chile’s Atacama Desert, known as the driest non-polar desert on Earth, has been transformed into a vast carpet of wildflowers following unusually heavy rainfall.
The rare phenomenon, known as “Desierto Florido” or “flowering desert,” has brought millions of flowers to the normally barren landscape.
More than 200 plant species have emerged, with red, yellow, purple, white and orange flowers covering hills, plains and valleys.
The bloom followed record rainfall in parts of northern Chile during July and August. In some areas, rainfall reached 160–190 millimetres, activating seeds, bulbs and other biological material that had remained dormant underground for years or even decades.
Chile’s National Forest Corporation (CONAF) estimates that this year’s flowering could cover around 17,000 square kilometres, potentially making it the most extensive and intense Desierto Florido since 1997.
The spectacular transformation has attracted visitors from Chile and abroad.
Nearly 300,000 overnight trips are expected in the Atacama region by the end of the flowering season in November, according to tourism authorities.
The Atacama stretches about 1,600 kilometres along northern Chile between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes.
Its flowers usually appear only when sufficient rain and suitable temperatures awaken the dormant seeds beneath the desertabroad
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