An utterly unique travel memoir about a gay expat searching an otherworldly place for a deeper understanding of his partner and his adoptive homeland.

Embark on an extraordinary odyssey through the heart of the world's driest nonpolar desert – the Atacama. In Mars on Earth, intrepid journalist Mark Johanson navigates this otherworldly terrain, a sliver of camel-coloured hills, windswept dunes, and desolate salt flats nestled between the Pacific's tumultuous waves and the towering Andes. Unfolding against the backdrop of Chile's 2019–2020 protests, Mark's journey begins in Santiago, unravelling a rich tapestry of human resilience and passion that fuels a nation's desire for change.

As he traverses 1,200 miles of alien landscapes, Mark climbs to the Andean altiplano's dizzying heights, explores the Pacific's kelp forests, and ventures onto a lithium-rich salt flat threatened by progress. The narrative reaches new heights as Mark delves into the heart of the Atacama, meeting captivating characters – a guardian of ancient mummies, a guru in a glass box, and a copper miner who defied nature's grasp for 69 days. At its core, Mars on Earth weaves a rich tapestry of voices, highlighting the stories of Chile's marginalized communities, including the working class, Indigenous Peoples, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and immigrant communities from Venezuela and Haiti. Each narrative contributes to the social movement that could redefine the nation's future. This vibrant and adventurous work of narrative nonfiction is a captivating exploration of a land both barren and brimming with life.

Mark Johanson is a seasoned freelance journalist who lived on four continents before settling in Santiago, Chile, in 2014. His stories about travel, food, culture, and the environment have appeared in distinguished publications including Travel + Leisure, National Geographic, Conde Nast Traveler, AFAR, Newsweek, Financial Times, Food & Wine, Dwell, Men’s Journal, Backpacker, The Economist, The Guardian, The Sunday Times, Bloomberg, World Wildlife Magazine, BBC, CNN, Vox, Narratively, and others. He has co-authored a dozen Lonely Planet travel guidebooks to destinations across the Americas and Southeast Asia, including Bolivia, Cambodia, the Caribbean, Chile, Indonesia, Laos, Peru, and the United States. He has similarly co-authored several coffee table books for the iconic travel brand. Learn more at www.markjohanson.com.

Mark Johanson's profile page

“Wandering the earth for Lonely Planet and an assortment of other publishers didn’t seem to be enough for Mark Johanson. While most of us were locked down during the pandemic, Mark set off for Mars, or at least to Chile’s Atacama Desert, which NASA considers to be a reasonable substitute for the red planet. His travels, alone and with his partner, result in encounters with mining heroes, towering volcanoes, tourist towns, forgotten mummies and outlaw communities. Meanwhile political turmoil competes with Covid-19 to destabilize what had been the continent’s most progressive economy.” —Tony Wheeler, co-founder of Lonely Planet

“Mark’s journey through the Atacama Desert – a place few travelers linger – sheds light on a unique part of our planet at a unique moment in time. He brings a depth of knowledge to the subject that comes from living in Chile for the better part of the past decade.” —Rolf Potts, author of four travelogues, including Vagabonding and Marco Polo Didn't Go There

“Mark is one of those rare journalists who never misses a beat. He’s always on point and writes in an intelligent and thoughtful way that is an amazing journey for the reader. From the serene thoughtful moments to the quirky and wild substories woven throughout, Mars on Earth will, I'm sure, be a winner.” —Shannon Stowell, CEO of the Adventure Travel Trade Association