Osoyoos sits in the only true desert in Canada — the northern tip of the Great Basin Desert that extends up from the American southwest through Washington State into British Columbia. The Okanagan Valley here is hot, dry, and brown, surrounded by sand dunes, cactus, and rattlesnakes, with Osoyoos Lake at its centre. Summers are the hottest in Canada, regularly exceeding 40°C.
The town has become the centre of BC's most celebrated wine region. The desert climate and long sun hours produce outstanding Bordeaux-style reds and aromatic whites, and the concentration of wineries around Osoyoos is impressive. The Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Centre, run by the Osoyoos Indian Band, gives excellent context on the desert ecosystem and the Indigenous peoples who have lived here for millennia. Haynes Point Provincial Park, a narrow sandbar jutting into the lake, is the best place to swim and camp. The international border with the United States is 3km south.