Desert race
The Dakar Rally started out as a gruelling off-road race from Paris to Dakar across the Sahara desert. Following security threats in Mauritania in 2008, it has been held in South America for the last six years, but it keeps its old name and its reputation as a fierce test of endurance.
Competitors in 2014 drove through Argentina, Bolivia and Chile, passing through stark and beautiful desert landscapes to finish in Valparaiso on January 18.