Peru: Coastal Desert Along Panamericana North from Lima

Driving north from Lima along the Panamericana Highway, there are spectacular panorama of the vast coastal desert and fields of moving white dunes, starting immediately at the coastline and running up the nearest mountain ranges. A significant part of the Peruvian coast is part of one of the driest deserts in the world, caused by the combination of the cold Humboldt current and the Andes. This current cools the air above the Pacific, preventing significant evaporation and causing a constant layer of fog along the immediate coast, but it rarely produces any rain inland. At the same time, the towering Andes act as a massive barrier, blocking any moisture-laden air masses from the Amazon basin to the east, ensuring the desert remains dry. It’s an insanely spectacular, almost otherworldly drive!