Travel-Photos

Fakarava Atoll, French Polynesia

Photograph by Aaron Huey

Sharks prowl the waters off the Fakarava atoll—home to a laid-back Polynesian community where visitors can escape the hubbub of modern life—as the tide carries a circus of reef fish through the South Pass. Divers and snorkelers equipped at local dive shops time their swims for these tidal surges, when the lagoons are at their liveliest.

The Blue Mosque, Istanbul

Photograph by Dave Yoder

Istanbul's Blue Mosque, nicknamed for the color of its interior tiles, welcomes the faithful as well as visitors by the thousands. Writing about the city "where East meets West" in Traveler's October 2010 issue, author Pico Iyer says: "Here is a place whose Blue Mosque has an LCD screen flashing the time in Paris and Tokyo. Turkey's most cosmopolitan metropolis has more billionaires than any city but Moscow, New York, and London."

Moorea, the Society Islands

Photograph by Aaron Huey

On Moorea, a white horse browses a lush glen. Moorea, one of the Society Islands, is shaped like a south-pointing triangle cut by two deep bays on its northern side.

Transylvania, Romania

Photograph by Catherine Karnow

Shepherds raise and milk cows and sheep for cheese, way up in the mountains near Bran, Transylvania, Romania.

Hotel Maitai Dream, French Polynesia

Photograph by Aaron Huey

The seascape at Hotel Maitai Dream on the island of Fakarava evokes a classic vision of a South Pacific paradise. Writer Andrew McCarthy journeyed to Fakarava and other isles near Tahiti to dive for a black pearl for his mother’s birthday. Photographer Aaron Huey documented the journey

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

Photograph by Nicholas Leslein

A storm approaches along the enormous salt flat, Salar de Uyuni, at the foot of the Andes in southwest Bolivia. Spanning 4,086 square miles, the flats consist of a solid salt crust that covers a lake of brine.

The Dolomites, Italy

Photograph by Zhiqun Fei

The Italian village of Ranui sits nestled in the Val di Funes below the Geisler Mountains. It is home to several historic churches, inlcuding St. John's, which stands apart in the meadow. The small baroque church was built in the 1700s.

Metéora, Greece

Photograph by Vincent Sheehan

Patches of snow cover the sandstone peaks of Metéora, Greece. Monks built monasteries high on these pinnacles (Meteora means "suspended in the air") beginning in the 15th century by climbing the sheer rock faces and pulling up stones. A few of the monasteries on the World Heritage site are still active.

The Great Sphinx, Egypt

Photograph by Kaushik Sarkar

A bird perches on top of the Great Sphinx of Giza as horseback riders pause in the background. Carved from limestone, the famous sculpture with the head of a man and body of a reclining lion reaches approximately 66 feet high.

Inle Lake, Myanmar (Burma)

Photograph by Chris Martin

Fishermen greet the sunrise on Inle Lake in Myanmar (Burma). The traditional style of paddling these boats is by standing and using a leg to maneuver the paddle.

The Azure Window in Gozo, Malta

Photograph by Ted Attard

The Azure Window in Gozo, Malta, attracts fishermen, divers, and boaters with its clear, deep blue water. Near the window is the Blue Hole, one of the most popular dive sites in Malta.

Arabian Oryx, Abu Dhabi

Photograph by Nazir Pangodu

Two Arabian oryx lock horns in the Abu Dhabi desert. Extinct in the wild since the early 1960s, several herds now live in the emirate thanks to the late H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan, who bred a few captive animals. Their horns can grow to 35 inches (89 centimeters) and are so symmetrical that they can appear to be one horn when viewed from the side, leading some to believe that the animals are the source of the unicorn legend.

Lake Millstatt, Austria

Photograph by Eva Emmanouil, My Shot

A boy jumps into Lake Millstatt as the sun sits low in the late afternoon sky. The lake in the central eastern Alps is one of Austria's deepest.

Pont San't Angelo, Rome

Photograph by Raymond Choo

The pedestrian bridge, Ponte Sant' Angelo, in Rome leads to Castel Sant' Angelo, a round-walled, battlemented structure that today serves as a museum. Commissioned as a mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian in the second century A.D., it got its current name in the sixth century—a time when a plague was devastating Rome—after Pope Gregory the Great had a vision of an angel hovering over the structure, sheathing its sword. The vision was interpreted as heralding the end of the plague, and a statue of Archangel Michael, the rescuing angel, was placed on top of the structure.

Bois Brule River, Wisconsin

Photograph by Chas Jensen

Canoes outside a boathouse await paddlers on northern Wisconsin's Bois Brule River. Once traveled by Native Americans and European explorers, trappers, and traders, the river is now a popular recreation area for paddling, wildlife viewing, and hiking. The entire 44 miles of the river is contained within the Brule River State Forest.

Paris, France

Photograph by Andrew Bell

On a cold and bright winter afternoon, Parisians and tourists stroll around the marbled plaza of the Palais de Chaillot with a view of the iconic Eiffel Tower. Built in 1889, the tower stands 1,063 feet, or 81 stories, tall.

Varenna, Italy

Photograph by Raymond Choo

Colorful buildings line the small harbor in Varenna, Italy. Located on the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy, the quiet town is an hour's train trip from Milan.

Luang Prabang, Laos

Photograph by Dimitris Koutroumpas

A rainbow of colorful umbrellas brightens a gray day in Luang Prabang, Laos.

Ireland Coast

Photograph by Bill Lockhart, My Shot

Caught in the moment by a slow shutter speed, water heads out to sea through a rocky gateway on the Irish shore. Water is inescapable in Ireland; the island—Europe's third largest—is surrounded by the Irish Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the Celtic Sea to the south.

Giza, Egypt

Photograph by Romona Robbins

If a camel ride doesn't appeal, visitors to Giza can take in the Great Pyramids and surrounding sites astride an Arabian horse. Memorials to Egyptian kings, the Pyramids have risen above the desert outside Cairo for more than 4,000 years. Stone—not sun-dried mud brick—gave permanence to these monuments, the last of the world's ancient wonders.

Bwindi Park, Uganda

Photograph by Bruno Van Steenberghe, Your Shot

A mountain gorilla in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park peeks through the brush. The park in Uganda is home to 340 of the endangered gorillas, half the world's population.

Sai Kung Pier, Hong Kong

Photograph by Adrian Chan, My Shot

Filled with delicacies and local favorites, tanks of fresh seafood add color and life to the market on Sai Kung Pier, Hong Kong.

Ganges River, India

Photograph by Alessandro Scarabelli

Hindus gather by the millions along the shores of the Ganges River in the city of Haridwar, in Uttarakhand, north-central India. They consider Haridwar one of Hinduism’s seven holiest sites and flock to the river to ritualistically wash away their sins.

Karakul Lake, China

Photograph by Sue Anne Tay

Located at nearly 12,000 feet elevation, Karakul Lake in Xinjiang province in western China is the perfect setting for a horseback trek and an overnight stay in a lake-side yurt.

Bird Sanctuary, Missouri

Photograph by Danny Brown

Seven trumpeter swans swim in the early morning light in Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary near West Alton, Missouri. Up to 400 trumpeter swans, North America’s largest native waterfowl, overwinter in the sanctuary.

Rawa Pening, Indonesia

Photograph by Wandy Gaotama

A fisherman in Rawa Pening in central Java, Indonesia, casts his net at sunset.

Tower of Belém, Portugal

Photograph by Nuno Cardal

A stormy night at the Tower of Belém in Lisbon, Portugal

Seljalandsfoss, Iceland

Photograph by Noelia Magnusson, My Shot

The famous 197-foot Seljalandsfoss waterfall is part of the River Seljalandsá in Iceland.

High Plains of Southern Bolivia

Photograph by Carl David Granback, Your Shot

A cyclist pauses during a tour of Bolivia's Altiplano, or high plain. Borne high on the great rocky spine of the Andes, the tableland stretches north to south for 500 miles through Bolivia. Its hardy flora and fauna are limited to what can survive at more than 12,000 feet above sea level.

Mae Sot, Thailand

Photograph by Matthew Van Saun

In the city of Mae Sot, Thailand, Burmese children play with an artificial waterfall. Mae Sot sits less than four miles from the border between Thailand and Myanmar (Burma).

Florence, Italy

Photograph by Mike Pistone

Seen from the top of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence sprawls to the river. The basilica, popularly known as the Duomo, has been a local landmark from the moment Filippo Brunelleschi completed its record-setting dome in 1436.

Olympic National Park, Washington

Photograph by Alex Burke

Sunlight pierces Hurricane Ridge in Washington's Olympic National Park, where subalpine meadows, temperate forests, and the rugged Pacific shore share space.

Venice, Italy

Photograph by Andrew Ang Yuan hann

The Ponte dei Scalzi and a passenger ferry are reflected in double mirrors on the grand canal of Venice, Italy's "floating city."

Singapore Waterfront

Photograph by James McGhie

A light display on the Singapore waterfront

Dhow Race, United Arab Emirates

Photograph by Paul Todd

Traditional sailing dhows race off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The Al Gaffal, a race between Sir Bu Na’air island and the emirate of Dubai, takes place every year in May.

Great Ocean Road, Australia

Photograph by Jeremie Noel

Eight towering limestone monoliths make up the Twelve Apostles that sit on Great Ocean Road in southeastern Australia.

Chachapoyas, Peru

Photograph by Scott Monuik

A fruit stand in a market in Chachapoyas, Peru

Antelope Canyon, Arizona

Photograph by Chris Forman

Sunlight reaches down into Arizona's Antelope Canyon, painting the undulations crafted by years of flash floods and other erosive processes. The slot canyon is one of the most visited canyons in the Southwest.

North Shore, Oahu

Photograph by Luke Shadbolt

Two-time World Bodyboarding Champion Ben Player pulls into the barrel at Pipeline, a popular surfing spot on Oahu's North Shore.

Námafjall, Iceland

Photograph by Joshua Holko

The sun rises over a field of solfataras (sulfurous mud springs) at the geothermal site of Námafjall, Iceland.

Maasai Village, Kenya

Photograph by Bob Denaro

A visit to a Maasai village on a Kenyan safari

Sheffield, England

Photograph by Robbie Shone

Underground culvert beneath the city of Sheffield, England

Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

Photograph by Marc Filion

A diver explores a cenote, or freshwater sinkhole, on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.

Barcelona, Spain

Photograph by Luc St. Pierre

An assortment of candies on display at Boqueria Market in Barcelona, Spain.

Hawaii, United States

Photograph by Lorenzo Menendez

A green sea turtle swims in shallow water off Hawaii.

Cornwall, England

Photograph by Kelly Marie Smith, Your Shot

A long exposure captures the evening at mine ruins in the village of Zennor, part of Cornwall, England.

Havana, Cuba

Photograph by Mike Carter, Your Shot

Colorful cars drive through an intersection in Havana, Cuba.

Houston Street, New York City

Photograph by Mike Bove

A woman walks in front of artist Barry McGee's "Houston Street Mural" in New York City.

Jellyfish Lake, Palau

Photograph by Tomas Kotouc

Jellyfish float in Jellyfish Lake on Eli Malk island in the Republic of Palau.
More photos from Palau:

Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hawaii

Photograph by Lorenzo Menendez

Two paddle boarders head out during sunset in Hanalei Bay, a large bay on the north shore of Kauai.

London, England

Photograph by Rolando Rodriguez Leal

An iconic double-decker bus and St. Paul's Cathedral frame a crowd of pedestrians in London.

Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia

Photograph by Steve Munro

Members of the Bondi Icebergs, a winter swimming club at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, swim laps during a predawn workout in this ten-second exposure.

Karnataka, India

Photograph by Debasish Ghosh

A man pours water on the feet of the Gomateshwara statue in Karnataka, India.

Lake Maurepas, Louisiana

Photograph by Eugene Vasenyoff

A photographer shoots the sunrise at Lake Maurepas in Louisiana.

Plains of Inner Mongolia

Photograph by Adam Wong

Men ride camels during a winter festival in Mongolia.

Cairo, Egypt

Photograph by Philipp Spalek

A night scene in the Old City of Cairo