Though they considered using the Australian Outback, the team went with the Jordan desert of Wadi Rum.
The desert, known as The Valley of the Moon, covers about 278 square miles in Jordan's south region.
Source: WadiRum.jo
2000's "Red Planet" and 2013's "The Last Days on Mars" both used the desert as a stand in for the Martian surface.
Director Ridley Scott even used Wadi Rum in his alien movie "Prometheus." A few other movies which have been partially filmed in the desert include "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."
While "The Martian" team didn't film the movie on location, they used the desert to fill in for the backdrop of Mars.
Source: "The Martian" production notes
Production designer Arthur Max says the desert is "uncannily similar to Mars in its reddish orange hues."
Source: "The Martian" production notes
It doesn't only look gorgeous in the day. The mountains contrast brilliantly against a blue sky in the evening.
... but it's also a favorite for rock climbers hoping to scale Wadi Rum's sandstone and granite mountains.
Source: WadiRum.jo