It's bloom time in Chile's 'flowering desert', despite drought

FILE PHOTO: A view of the Atacama desert partially covered with flowers during 'Desierto Florido' (Bloomed desert), a natural phenomenon that fill with flowers and plants the driest desert in the world and takes place during spring, near Copiapo, Chile, October 13, 2021. Picture taken October 13, 2021. REUTERS/Pablo Sanhueza

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - The sand dunes of Chile's Atacama are once again bathed in vibrant colors following the sprouting of flowers in recent weeks in the world's most arid desert despite a persistent drought.

The impressive vistas of the so-called flowering desert attract local and foreign visitors each spring in the southern hemisphere, depending on the amount of rainfall received in the winter season.