These are the best travel photos of 2022

Explore the world in 17 stunning images from our contributors.

Patagonia, ChileWith dramatic peaks, verdant forests, and a swath of ice larger than anywhere but Greenland and Antarctica, Chilean Patagonia offers travelers one of the last wild frontiers. Scroll through to see 16 more stunning images from our contributors.

Photograph by Tamara Merino, National Geographic

Photos curated byMelissa Bunni Elian

Text byStarlight Williams

November 28, 2022

7 min read

As travel returned this year, we ventured back into the world with a renewed sense of adventure. From Alaska’s Denali National Park and Reserve to Indonesia’s lush rainforests, the photographs we published in 2022 reflect the beauty of our world through fresh perspectives.

Our National Geographic contributors were tasked with documenting the enduring essence of travel. They opened the aperture on innovative conservation efforts, vibrant cultural communities, and underappreciated destinations ready for future travel.

As we look to the new year, we hope these photographs ignite your adventurous spirit, encourage transformative experiences, and set you off on your next journey.

(Discover 25 amazing Best of the World destinations for 2023.)

the ruins of the ancient Inca settlement of Choquequirao — Choquequirao, PeruIn the Peruvian Andes, the ruins of the ancient Inca city of Choquequirao, a cousin to the more visited Machu Picchu, can only be reached by foot or mule. However, a proposed cable car could make the site more accessible to travelers.
Photograph by Victor Zea, National Geographic

A house on the Alladale Reserve, Sutherland Northern Scotland — Alladale Wilderness Reserve, ScotlandAlladale Wilderness Reserve, a former hunting estate on 23,000 acres in the Scottish Highlands, offers travelers overnight lodgings and the chance to witness (and sometimes, assist in) rewilding efforts such as planting native trees or reintroducing wolves. (*Scotland could become first ‘rewilded’ nation—what does that mean*?)
Photograph by ROBERT ORMEROD, National Geographic

A muleteer and his horses on the way to the Chiquisca camp — Alladale Wilderness Reserve, ScotlandAlladale Wilderness Reserve, a former hunting estate on 23,000 acres in the Scottish Highlands, offers travelers overnight lodgings and the chance to witness (and sometimes, assist in) rewilding efforts such as planting native trees or reintroducing wolves. (*Scotland could become first ‘rewilded’ nation—what does that mean*?)
Photograph by ROBERT ORMEROD, National Geographic

The small luxury cabins sit at the summit of a mountain — Denali National Park and Reserve, AlaskaSheldon Chalet, accessible only by helicopter, perches 5,818 feet above the Ruth Glacier Great Gorge—an abyss in Alaska’s Denali National Park and Reserve that’s deeper than the Grand Canyon. Larger than the state of New Jersey, the wilderness reserve offers opportunities for big adventure, from backcountry camping to mountaineering.
Photograph by Jason Gulley, National Geographic

A view of the Dome of the Rock shrine at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City. — Dome of the Rock, JerusalemLocated on what Muslims call Noble Sanctuary and Jews call Temple Mount, the seventh-century A.D. Dome of the Rock is one of Jerusalem’s most recognizable landmarks. Muslims believe the shrine and adjacent mosque mark the spot where Muhammad ascended into heaven. (*See Jerusalem like a Nat Geo Explorer*.)
Photograph by Ziyah Gafic, National Geographic

A slow exposure shows a blur of crowds inside the chamber and around the statue at the Lincoln Memorial — Dome of the Rock, JerusalemLocated on what Muslims call Noble Sanctuary and Jews call Temple Mount, the seventh-century A.D. Dome of the Rock is one of Jerusalem’s most recognizable landmarks. Muslims believe the shrine and adjacent mosque mark the spot where Muhammad ascended into heaven. (*See Jerusalem like a Nat Geo Explorer*.)
Photograph by Ziyah Gafic, National Geographic

Flamenco dancer Alba Heredia during her performance at the tablao flamenco La Carmela in Madrid — Madrid, SpainAlba Heredia, a dancer from Granada, Spain, performs at El Tablao Flamenco la Carmela in Madrid. Originating in Andalusia about a millennium ago, flamenco has evolved into a semi-improvised art form of percussive footwork, plaintive singing, and flurries of acoustic guitar. (*This ancient city of sultans is a 21st-century wonder*.)
Photograph by Aitor Lara, National Geographic

Visitors explore Jiufen’s tight winding alleyways lit by traditional hanging lanterns — Jiufen, TaiwanThe alleyways of Juifen, a seaside mountain hamlet 90 minutes from Taiwan’s
capital, Taipei, comes alive in the glow of lantern light. Enchanting scenes in the town, from cliffside teahouses to streets bustling with food
vendors, seem to mirror those in the film *Spirited Away*.
Photograph by Mike Kai Chen

A group of people stand at the foot of an active volcano — Jiufen, TaiwanThe alleyways of Juifen, a seaside mountain hamlet 90 minutes from Taiwan’s
capital, Taipei, comes alive in the glow of lantern light. Enchanting scenes in the town, from cliffside teahouses to streets bustling with food
vendors, seem to mirror those in the film *Spirited Away*.
Photograph by Mike Kai Chen

a collection of three images side by side of colorful canoe like boats — Xochimilco, Mexico CityFood vendors in colorful tour boats known as *trajineras* offer their products to visitors in Xochimilco, a UNESCO wetland district in southern Mexico City. Pre-Hispanic canals and floating farms make it one of the capital city’s top tourist attractions, but for decades, toxic chemicals and algae have plagued the ancient site. Scientists are combating the problem by using boats to deliver nanobubbles (microscopic air pockets) into the oxygen-starved waters to restore the wetland’s canals. (*This vibrant sanctuary show why wetlands are important—and the challenges they face*.)
Photograph by César Rodríguez

Youth members of the Dangin Peken hamlet walk with the sacred janggan kite — Mertasari Beach, Bali, IndonesiaAfter a two-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bali Kite Festival returned in August. Hundreds of colorful, fluttering designs, such as this *janggan* (dragon kite), filled the sky above Mertasari Beach. The kite’s design is inspired by a Hindu belief about a dragon named Naga Basuki, who helps balance nature’s equilibrium.
Photograph by PUTU SAYOGA, National Geographic

The old town stands on a headland, with houses tightly crowded down to the seafront — Rovinj, CroatiaThe Church of St. Euphemia’s towering steeple dominates the skyline of Rovinj, Croatia, a picturesque old town pinned to a bluff on the west coast of the Istrian peninsula. Often compared to Venice due to the style of its architecture, the active fishing port lures travelers to explore its trendy restaurants, locally run shops, and cobblestone streets. (*Swoon over these romantic European small villages*.)
Photograph by Ciril Jazbec, National Geographic

high mountain ranger and military mountaineering instructor climbs an ice cave on the Explorers Glacier — Patagonia, ChileAn ice climber ascends one of the dozens of glaciers in the remote, wind-whipped terrain of Chilean Patagonia. With its iceberg-carved peaks and fjords, southern Chile remains one of the wildest places on Earth, encompassing countless adventure spots from the peaks of the Torres del Paine National Park to the glacial lakes of the Pingo Valley.
Photograph by Tamara Merino, National Geographic

hummingbird inspect flowering cactus for nectar — Hermosillo, MexicoA hummingbird gathers nectar from a cactus flower near Hermosillo, Mexico. In Aztec mythology, the world’s smallest bird represents the sun god Huitzilopochtli, conceived by his mother after she clutched a ball of hummingbird feathers that fell from the sky to her chest.
Photograph by Christian Ziegler, National Geographic

A giant strangler fig tree draped in lianas. — Hermosillo, MexicoA hummingbird gathers nectar from a cactus flower near Hermosillo, Mexico. In Aztec mythology, the world’s smallest bird represents the sun god Huitzilopochtli, conceived by his mother after she clutched a ball of hummingbird feathers that fell from the sky to her chest.
Photograph by Christian Ziegler, National Geographic

a sail boat passes the eye of the — Nova Scotia, CanadaA sailboat navigates the icy waters around Canada‘s Nova Scotian coast. Legendary explorers who plied these waters include Sir John Franklin, who disappeared here with his crew nearly 200 years ago searching for the Northwest Passage, a fabled seaway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Photograph by RENAN OZTURK, National Geographic

Melissa Bunni Elian is a photography resident at National Geographic. Follow her on Instagram.

Starlight Williams is an editor at National Geographic. Follow her on Twitter.