Out of This World Desert Escapes

Sitting at 8,000 feet in the driest and highest nonpolar desert, the Atacama is pretty much as close to Space a true desert can get. In fact, soil in this region is strikingly similar to samples taken from Mars, so NASA uses the desert for testing out mission equipment. Here, the all-inclusive explora Atacama provides daily excursions into those otherworldly dunes—on foot or horseback—and, with some of the clearest skies on earth, incredible stargazing every evening.

Nestled in the 55-million-year-old Namib Desert, Zannier Hotels Sonop is an out-of-this-world desert escape and African safari rolled into one. Atop boulders, its 10 opulent tents facilitate jaw-dropping views day and night, be it sunrises, stars or resident wildlife. Adding to the all-out luxury is a pool, open-air cinema and cocktail-cigar lounge.

On a private 31,000-acre reserve in the Namib, &Beyond-Sossusvlei Desert Lodge feels organically futuristic with its combination of stone, glass and steel. As a part of its redesign completed in 2019, the property added a two-bedroom, solar-powered Star Dune Suite with pools, full-length sliding glass doors and skylights for stargazing from bed. Tell Chalamet, we’ll meet him there.

On the outskirts of Abu Dhabi in the Empty Quarter, Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara is an oasis rising from the world’s largest sand desert. The 42 villas are especially spectacular, each with private pools and butler service. If you’re wondering about camel rides, the answer is yes, of course you can.

Beyond all the impossibly high skyscrapers, within the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, there’s hidden gem Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa, Dubai. Looking out on the rolling dunes from one of its Bedouin-style tents is a cinematic experience. Horse riding, camel trekking and falconry ups the ante on adventure.

Near the Moroccan edge of the Sahara, Dar Ahlam is a 19^th century Kasbah converted into a 14-room, palm-fringed oasis. The experience is highly personal—choose to dine poolside, on the terrace or under the olive trees, and make your sleeping arrangement a sumptuous villa or a two-person tent at their Dune Camp.

The destination equivalent to having one’s cake and eating it too, Hotel Paracas offers both a beach and desert situation. On the rugged coast of Peru, the property is perched seaside but sets guests up for experiences in the Paracas Desert—4×4 into a secluded spot to see the sunset and subsequent starry night sky.

If you know, you know, if not, we’ll recap. Wildly popular amongst celebs—Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber and countless other boldface names have stayed here—Amangiri is five-star secluded luxury tucked into an otherworldly, red-rocked valley near Utah’s Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument. Whether staying in a villa or the tented pavilions of its Camp Sarika, jaw-dropping views of dunes, ridges and plateaus abound.

One would be hard-pressed to find a more luxurious Saharan setup than Anantara Sahara Tozeur Resort & Villas. Along with different pools for everybody—adults, family, kids-only—there’s tennis courts, a yoga studio and a souk serving up Middle Eastern food, artisan crafts and live performances. Given its location, there’s also all kinds of into-the-desert adventures to partake in, such as 4×4 safaris, sunrise camel rides, or quad biking the dunes of Ong Jmal—a setting for another little sci-fi film called Star Wars.

In the Negev Desert covering more than half of Israel, perched atop a cliff above the Arava Valley, Six Senses Shaharut delivers some seriously sweeping dune views. Private pools in every suite, too. Home to the ancient Midianite tribe and with scores of biblical mentions, the region brims with nearly as much history as it does grains of sand. The name, Shaharut, translates to the moment just before dawn, and with all there is to do here, including a sumptuous Six Senses Spa, that’s a great time to start every magical day.

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