Chile's Atacama Desert is a place of constant change. Steamy days give way to harsh nights, desert sands give way to sweeping salt flats, and, at any given time of day, the landscape could transform from dove-white to tan, coral, peach, mauve, and indigo.

The region has such a Martian appearance that NASA travels here to test its instruments for future missions to the "Red Planet." In fact, the area between Antofagasta and Calama is so arid, it's commonly known as the driest place on Earth, where some weather stations have never once recorded a single drop of rain. Closer to the Andes, water runoff allows for a blanket of scrub, dazzling lagoons, and an abundance of wildlife.

Although the desert is sparsely populated, with most cities located along the Pacific Coast, a few oases offer respite from the desert winds. One of those is San Pedro, a town that dates back millennia and was the seat of the most advanced pre-Columbian society found in Chile.

San Pedro is a tourist's dream and the perfect base camp for exploring the region. Click "Start" to have a look.

Most use San Pedro de Atacama as a base camp for exploring the region. The quaint, tourist-minded town boasts a plethora of adobe hotels, hostels, cafes, and gift shops all lined up along dusty desert roads.

These nearby valleys just outside of San Pedro offer sweeping dunes, cavernous drops, gnarled rock formations, and wide-open desert views. Come for some early-morning sand boarding and return for a sunset stroll when the distant ring of volcanoes and surreal lunar landscape turns from purple to pink to gold.

Atacama region where the MPX power plant has been planned.

The thought of leaving your hotel at 4 a.m. to go anywhere can be intimidating -- but the sight of the steaming El Tatio Geysers at sunrise is well worth the trip. This is no Yellowstone, but it’s the world’s highest geyser field, and the atmosphere at 4,300 meters above sea level is truly surreal.

Stunning high altitude lakes dot the Altiplano, or high plain, and are the ideal place to spot the high-Andean flamingo. Different mineral compounds make for dramatic colorations and the puffing volcanoes amp up the drama even more.

They say the destination is just the excuse for the journey -- and the winding roads of the Altiplano, or high plain, may be more awe-inspiring than anything you see on either end.

Because of its high altitude, nonexistent cloud cover, dry air, and lack of light pollution, the Atacama Desert is known as one of the best places in the world to look at the stars. This region boasts more observatories than anywhere else on the planet, but you don’t need any special equipment to enjoy the beauty of the night sky.