Driest Place on Earth

“My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.” [Psalm 63:1]

We’ve all heard about a person’s “dry sense of humor” or a “dry and boring sermon” (of course, not at my church!), but what is the driest place on Earth? The Valley of the Moon (Valle de la Luna) in Chile probably qualifies as one of the greatest places of an extreme lack of moisture. Some areas of this desert have not received a single drop of rain in hundreds of years.

Located in the Atacama Desert of Chile, this strange land area has various stone and sand formations carved by wind and water. It actually has quite a variety of color, but most of it looks strangely like the surface of the moon. (Interestingly, the moon is one million times drier than the infamous Gobi Desert!) The Valley of the Moon has many dry lake beds with salt giving a white covering layer in many areas. It was declared a Nature Sanctuary in 1982 for its great natural beauty and strange lunar landscape. Scientists actually tested a prototype of a Mars rover in the valley. People actually enjoy traveling to visit this valley. Photographers capture its breathtaking views at dusk or in moonlight.

The Valley of the Moon is part of the greater Atacama Desert, which is known to be one of the harshest and driest regions on Earth. The whole desert area is located on the leeward side of the Chilean Coast Range, so very little water from the Pacific Ocean reaches the desert. The high Andes Mountains also block clouds which might bring rain from the Amazon Basin. The average rainfall in this area is 0.04 inches per year. Some weather stations in Atacama have never received rain. The Atacama is also the location of the 2010 Copiapo Mining Accident which trapped 33 miners 2,300 feet underground. They were successfully rescued after 69 days.

God’s blessing on His people is compared to water on dry ground and on thirsty people. “For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring” (Isaiah 44:3). Jesus fulfilled this promise when He came as the Water of Life. If you find your life dry and boring, it is time to ask for the drenching of God’s Spirit on your heart.