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All Bolivia Sur Lípez Salvador Dalí Desert

Salvador Dalí Desert

A desert that evokes the surreal.

Sur Lípez, Bolivia

Added By
Tyler Cole
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Salvador Dalí Desert.   Albert Backer/CC BY-SA 3.0
El Árbol de Piedra.   tyler / Atlas Obscura User
Salvador Dalí Desert in Bolivia.   Belinda Grasnick/CC BY-ND 2.0
Rock formations in the Desierto de Dalí.   Jen Morgan/CC BY-ND 2.0
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Desierto de Dalí.   Diego Delso/CC BY-SA 4.0
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In Bolivia's Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Abaroa, there is a surreal, barren, wind-swept swath of land that has been frequently compared to a Dalí painting.

Salvador Dalí was a Spanish painter best known for dreamy, sometimes eerie, nonsensical images against a minimalistic backdrop, the most well-known examples of which include The Persistence of Memory and The Elephants. 

Though Dalí never painted this particular Bolivian reserve, the arid, stark desert horizon coupled with strange rock formations strikes a strong resemblance to the famous surrealist's work.

The Árbol de Piedra, or Stone Tree, could be one of Dalí's disturbing subjects. The base of the rock has been weathered away by wind and time, while the top remained intact. The seemingly impossible structure stands 23 feet tall and casts its shadow even longer across the flat sandy Desierto de Siloli.

Related Tags

Deserts Art Rocks Rock Formations Geology Geological Oddities Salvador Dali

Know Before You Go

There are unpaved dirt roads and tracks within the preserve; best to get a guide and driver.

Community Contributors

Added By

tyler

Edited By

hana, Molly McBride Jacobson, vagabondcouple, Collector of Experiences...

  • hana
  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • vagabondcouple
  • Collector of Experiences
  • Ursula

Published

October 31, 2016

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Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduardo_Avaroa_Andean_Fauna_National_Reserve
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81rbol_de_Piedra
Salvador Dalí Desert
Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve of Andean Fauna
Sur Lípez
Bolivia
-22.608611, -67.687222
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