Rare bloom turns Chile’s Atacama Desert into a sea of colour

Dubai: In a breathtaking natural spectacle, Chile’s Atacama Desert — one of the driest places on Earth — has burst into a riot of colour, blanketed with thousands of wildflowers after rare seasonal rains.

Known locally as the "desierto florido" or flowering desert, the phenomenon occurs only when a perfect balance of rainfall, humidity, and temperature awakens seeds that have lain dormant beneath the arid soil for years. This year, timely winter showers and mild spring weather have triggered the bloom, carpeting vast stretches of the desert with pink, violet, yellow, and white blossoms.

Stretching over 1,600 kilometres along Chile’s Pacific coast, the Atacama typically sees less than a few millimetres of rain annually. Yet when nature aligns, it transforms the landscape into a living canvas — a rare gift that scientists say helps sustain the desert’s fragile ecosystem.

Tourists and photographers from around the world have flocked to witness the short-lived bloom, which usually lasts only a few weeks. Chilean authorities have urged visitors to tread carefully to preserve the delicate flowers that symbolise resilience amid one of the planet’s harshest environments.