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Huacachina is a coastal desert located in the Ica region. It holds one of the few oases in the whole region: a blue-green lake amid huge sand dunes under a beautifully clear sky. Take a dune buggy so that you can ride all over the dunes before riding a sand board down. This is the definition of a touristic little town, and it is definitely worth a visit. You’ll find some nice hostels ands lodges where you can stay overnight right in the middle of the oasis. Huacachina Oasis is a short four-hour drive from Lima, and there are also plenty of buses that will bring you here.

San Pedro de Atacama is a beautiful adobe-esque town on the edge of Atacama Desert in Chile, just west of the Bolivian border. I took this photo in near by Valle De Luna, while I was mountain biking through a virtual moonscape of natural geography. The air is so dry and clear here, you get these amazing colors from sunsets. This wild cloud formation just formed before our eyes, and the setting sun painted this crimson red.... an amazing sight. You have to fly into Calama, (90 min bus to San Pedro), or you overland for a couple days from Uyuni, Bolivia and cross the border into San Pedro. The evenings are full of festive small bars with fireplaces and good fun. Try Andes Traveller to rent bikes or horses (www.andestraveller.com.ar). Go hike or bike through Valle de Luna and get lost in time. You can trek, sandboard, see flamingos at the nearby Las Flamencos national reserve, and hot springs; all very close to town. Shot with velvia film and tripod. nikon f100 no filters or heavy processing, just natural magic light!

Though this all-inclusive resort sits on the south side of bustling Viti Levu, it feels like it’s on a secluded island, with nearly two miles of sandy beachfront cradled by rain-forested hillside and its own private airstrip for quick flights to and from the Nadi airport. With only 24 villas and suites, Nanuku Auberge Resort is a natural for couples, but parents will love the kid-friendly activities, as well as nanny services for the toddler set and “buddies” for older children. Because the resort resides within the recreation-rich Pacific Harbour region of the island, there are plentiful opportunities for excursions like zip-lining, whitewater rafting, and sandboarding. But the property also has it’s own two-acre white-sand-and-coconut-palm isle nearby, where guests can spend an afternoon snorkeling, swimming, or—for the ultimate embodiment of the Robinson Crusoe fantasy—indulging in an overnight glamping experience.

There’s plenty to do in Paracas, from sandboarding in Paracas National Reserve to boating around the Ballestas Islands to flying over the nearby Nazca Lines—that is, if you can tear yourself away from the pool at Hotel Paracas. The 120-room resort was all but leveled by the 2007 Peru earthquake, but reopened two years later with a fresh new look, including a blue-taupe-and-white color scheme to reflect the surrounding ocean, desert, and sky. A great choice for families, Hotel Paracas features a children’s club and kids’ pool as well as three restaurants, including a casual seafood spot, an Italian trattoria, and a fine-dining option. Also on-site are two bars serving drinks and light fare, plus a spa and 24-hour fitness center. Guests even have access to complimentary bikes and water-sport equipment.

Spread over six levels, rooms feature either terraces or balconies with garden or ocean views as well as spacious bathrooms with separate showers and tubs. Suites also include a dining area, and some even have private plunge pools.

We kicked off our Marrakesh holiday with a visit to Maison MK’s Gastro MK restaurant for its five-course tasting menu. The riad‘s Moroccan chef cooks up a delicious, visually stunning Moroccan-French fusion menu whose highlights included fried quail eggs perched atop an almond and chicken pastilla, and an exquisite asparagus and tomato tart. Dinner begins with canapés on Maison MK’s rooftop terrace and moves downstairs for meal service. Feel free to take your mint tea or coffee up to the terrace to end your evening and enjoy nighttime views of the Koutobia Minaret. Reservations are a must, as there is a single dinner seating and space is limited for those not staying at the riad.

On the central coast north of Valparaíso, the beach resort town of Concón is popular with Chileans for its boardwalk, great restaurants, and, most of all, the 52 protected acres of monumental sand dunes that cascade down from high bluffs all the way to the sea. In addition to hikers, the dunes draw sandboarders who climb to the top, wax their rented boards by rubbing them with candle stubs, and then slide or sled down the slopes to the sound of the sea lions barking in the waters below.

There are a few countries in the world where the ocean encroaches deep into the heart of the desert: Qatar is one of them. There only 30 singing sand dunes sites in the world and Qatar has one of them. The combination of these two unique features makes a desert safari in Qatar an unforgettable experience. Several companies offer 4x4 desert safaris which include everything from the thrill of dune bashing—the drivers go up and down giant dunes—to stops at Bedouin tents for dates and tea, full BBQ dinners at campsites, overnight camping, camel rides, and shisha stops, among others. Singing sand dunes, also called booming sand dunes, are rare dunes of sand that emit an audible acoustic reverberation when the actual grains are disturbed or moved. Luckily, catching the singing dunes doesn’t require a tour company. It requires the right combination of sand particle size, temperature and humidity for sand dunes to “sing” and some sand-boarding down the dune to create an avalanche. The bigger avalanche the louder the sound is.

The Paracas National Reserve is located in Ica, about three hours south of Lima. The park spans the Paracas Peninsula, the surrounding coast, and the tropical desert. While the peninsula provides an amazing ocean view with some local birds like flamingos, the Huacachina dessert is a perfect location for sand-boarding, and it even cradles a lush oasis. If you head to Bahia Lagunillas, you will find unique red sand beaches, a product of the erosion of porphyry rocks that can be found on the hills of the peninsula. This area is also a great starting point for exploring the local wineries, many of which produce pisco.

While there, you can take a tour boat about 1 hour off shore to tour around the islands, with a chance to see some the diverse bird species, including penguins.

Dubai Miracle Garden is home to over 15,000 butterflies and 45 million flowers, all displayed upon eccentric props in a distinctly over-the-top Dubai style: Take, for example, the Ferrari and Emirates airplane covered with hundreds of buds, or the village of topiary cottages festooned with a rainbow of flowers. While the garden’s strict rules ensure its cleanliness, the area is kept lively with enthusiastic visitors and a food court with a variety of cuisines. Make sure to check the opening hours before your visit, as they change depending on the temperature.