Full story in the new issue of Carve, out now

While ostensibly empty, the desert here is never devoid of life. Tough, spiky, drought resistant life. Cacti run the show, cacti of every possible shape and size. And within this parched region, there are a great variety of landscapes.

Undulating plains of dust, plateaus dominated by single agave species, and mountainous slopes punctuated with the bizarre, Dr Suess type cirio trees, creating a truly alien impression.