Colorful dense carpet of lilac and blue flowers, Atacama desierto florido 2017

Three panorama photos of desierto florido in Chile 2017. Carpets of flowers paint the Atacama with colors

Pata de guanaco flowers at sunset, desierto florido Chile 2017

Truck on the Panamericana Highway driving through blooming Atacama desert near Vallenar, Chile

Atacama Desert in bloom, lilac Pata de Guanaco flowers and cactus

Silhouette of desert flowers against sunset, Atacama desert in bloom

First flowers sprouting in the Atacama desert after a rare rainfall. Nolana aplocaryoides, Pan de Azucar National Park

Atacama Desert in bloom at sunset, field of Pata de guanaco flowers in evening light near Copiapo

Panorama of Atacama desert in bloom, covered with lilac flowers

Copiapoa cactus and blue Nolana desert flowers in bloom, coastal Atacama desert of Paposo

Atacama Desierto florido 2015, massive appearance of Pata de Guanaco flowers

Blue Nolana flowers, Atacama Desert in bloom

Blue Nolana flowers in bloom between cacti, National Reserve Paposo Atacama desert

Yellow and purple Pata de Guanaco flowers, Atacama desert in bloom

After a rare rain the Atacama desert gets a green cover of plants, Pan de Azucar National Park

Pata de guanaco flowers (Cistanthe longiscapa) appear in large quantities when the Atacama is blooming

Comparison of the same location in a dry year and an El Nino year with desert blooming

Long exposure of yellow flowers moving in the wind, Atacama Desert blooming

Close-up of Pata de guanaco, a typical flower of the Atacama desert in bloom. Desierto florido

Heavy rain falls are very rare in the Atacama Desert

Sunset: Atacama desert blooming, desierto florido 2015, Chile

In October the flowers dry and spread their seeds - the end of the desert in bloom.

Field of red Ananuca lilies (Rhodophiala phycelloides) in the Atacama desert near Huasco. Desierto florido Chile

Desierto Florido in the Vallenar region in Chile, añañuca amarilla

Comparison: Atacama desert in bloom and in a dry year

A carpet of blue Nolana flowers, Atacama Desert blooming

Colorful Atacama Desert in bloom just before sunset

Rare event of blooming desert after a rainy winter, Reserva Nacional Paposo

Large field of Pata de Guanaco flowers near Vallenar, Atacama Desert in Bloom, Desierto Florido

Desierto Florido 2015 in the Atacama desert near Copiapo