Deserts

Egypt’s White Desert (Desert Week 2012)

Perhaps one of the most surreal deserts in all the world, Egypt's little known White Desert is home to some of the most photogenic and breathtaking landscapes on the planet. Located 45 km (28 mi) north of the town of…

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Thursday, 12th July 2012

The Fairy Circles of the Namib Desert (Desert Week 2012)

The Namib Desert is not only the oldest desert in the world, but it has its own shipwrecks, 900-year-old tree "skeletons", and some of the highest sand dunes in the world. However we covered all those things in our 2008…

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Tuesday, 10th July 2012

The Gobi Desert (Desert Week 2012)

The rain shadow caused by the massive bulk of the Himalayan mountains creates arid conditions for a huge distance to the east. The 1,600km (1,000 mile) long arc of the Gobi Desert spans the border between China and Mongolia; it…

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Monday, 9th July 2012

The Salton Sea on Street View (Desert Week 2011)

The Salton Sea is not a desert — it's the largest body of water in California. We first posted1 about this landlocked "sea" back in 2005 (it's technically NOT 'man made') - but since that post the Street View car…

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Friday, 24th June 2011

Mojave Desert and Owens Valley (Desert Week 2011)

I recently took a weekend trip up to Yosemite National Park from Los Angeles, and typically for me, I took the an unusual route to get there. Along the way, I passed through some stunning scenery, and also learned some…

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Thursday, 23rd June 2011

White Sands National Monument (Desert Week 2011)

We paid a brief visit to White Sands National Monument five years ago, but with newer imagery now available, this year's Desert Week seems like a great excuse for a return visit to this absolutely fascinating field of white sand…

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Wednesday, 22nd June 2011

Welcome to Google Sightseeing!

Google Sightseeing takes you on a tour of the world as seen from satellite or street views using Google Maps. Our team of authors present weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

Like this site? We published a photo book of the best entries, you should buy a copy.