The best travel photos of the year

The 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest winners have been revealed, and the pictures are spectacular

By Preya Shah 9 August 2017

Travel photography

A capture of a lightning strike over a smoking volcano in Mexico has been named as the year’s best travel photo.

The picture, which took the top prize in the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest, was best of 15,000 entries, and was shot by Sergio Tapiro Velasco. He wins a 10-day trip for two to the Galápagos Archipelago with National Geographic Expeditions.

Three awards in three different categories, nature, people and cities were awarded while Velasco received the esteemed Photographer of the Year title.

Click through the slideshow to see all the winning pictures, or view them here: travel.nationalgeographic.com/photographer-of-the-year-2017/

Photo and caption by Sergio Tapiro Velasco / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year
The power of nature
Powerful eruption of Colima Volcano in Mexico on December 13th, 2015. That night, the weather was dry and cold, ash particles generated a lightning strike that connected ash and volcano, and illuminated the dark scene.
Photo and caption by Norbet Fritz / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year
Levels of reading
The modern interior of the city library in Stuttgart. With its wide-open space in the centre, where natural light comes through the windows at the top, it has a very unique atmosphere.
Photo and caption by Andy Yeung / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year
Walled City #08
The Kowloon Walled City was the densest place on Earth. Hundreds of houses stacked on top of each other enclosed in the centre of the structure. Many didn’t have access to open space. This notorious city was finally demolished in the 1990s. However, if you look hard enough, you will notice that the city is not dead. Part of it still exists in many of current high density housing apartments. I hope this series can get people to think about claustrophobic living in Hong Kong from a new perspective.
Photo and caption by Misha De-Stroyev / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year
Henningsvær Football Field
This football field in Henningsvær in the Lofoten Islands is considered one of the most amazing fields in Europe, and maybe even in the world. The photo was taken during a 10-day sailing trip in Norway in June 2017. We arrived at Henningsvær after a week of sailing through the cold and rainy weather. Upon our arrival, the weather cleared up. I was really lucky that the conditions were suitable for flying my drone, and I managed to capture this shot from a height of 120 meters.
Photo and caption by Tetsuya Hashimoto / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year
Colorful apartment
This building is apartment complex in Gifu Prefecture of Japan. It is very colorful, but it is ordinary collective housing where ordinary people can live.
Photo and caption by Andrzej Bochenski / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year
Al Ain
New city in the desert.
Photo and caption by Hiromi Kano / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year
To live
Swans who live even in mud.
Photo and caption by Tarun Sinha / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year
Crocodiles at Rio Tarcoles
This image was captured in Costa Rica when I was travelling from Monteverde to Playa Hermosa. As you cross over this river, you can stop and peer over the edge of the bridge. Below, over 35 gigantic crocodiles relaxed on the muddy banks of the river. I wanted to capture the stark difference between the crocodiles on land and in the water. In the murky waters, the body contours of these beasts remain hidden, and one can only truly see their girth as they emerge from the river.
Photo and caption by Clane Gessel / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year
Marble Caves
The marble caves of Patagonia.
Photo and caption by Yutaka Takafuji / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year
Forest of the Fairy
This photograph was taken in the evening hours of a humid early summer day in the forest of a small remote village in the Tamba area of Japan. It beautifully captures the magical atmosphere of Princess fireflies carpeting a stairway leading to a small shrine revered by the local people.
Photo and caption by Reynold Riksa Dewantara / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year
Mt. Bromo
Mount Bromo is a small, but active volcanic cinder cone on Java, Indonesia. Early 2016, I happened to be in Mt. Bromo during an increase of seismic activity.
Photo and caption by Shane Gross / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year
In Your Face
Caribbean reef sharks are usually shy so I placed my camera on a rock where I know they frequent and used a remote trigger to click away as they came in and bumped my camera around.
Photo and caption by F. Dilek Uyar / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year
Worship
This photo was taken in Konya. Whirling Dervish in the historical village of Sille, in Turkey. The 'dance' of the Whirling Dervishes is called Sema and is a symbol of the Mevlevi culture. According to these teachings, human beings are born twice, once of their mothers and the second time of their own bodies.
Photo and caption by Julius Y. / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year
Interesting moment
Museum visitors curiously regarding Rembrandt's painting 'Syndics of the Drapers' Guild' with the illusion that the people in the paintings are also curiously watching the visitors.
Photo and caption by Rodney Bursiel / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year
Under The Wave
I recently traveled to Tavarua, Fiji to do some surf photography with pro surfer Donavon Frankenreiter at Cloudbreak. I'm always looking for new angles and perspectives. The usual surf shots have all been done so we decided to get a little creative. Makes you look twice.
Photo and caption by Jobit George / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year
Bridging Generation
A beautiful photo of a father and son sitting in white traditional attire with a beautiful blue sky on the day of Eid al-Fitr in a mosque in New Delhi, India. The photo shows the beautiful bond which these two generations in a very simple and lovable manner.
Photo and caption by Moin Ahmed / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year
The Man’s Stare
The photo was taken on 23 July 2016 at Tongi Railway Station, Gazipur, Bangladesh. A train from Dhaka at the platform for five minutes. It was raining heavily. Suddenly I found a pair of curious eyes looking at me through the window and on his left an umbrella to protect from the rain. I got the moment.
Photo and caption by Michael Dean Morgan / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year
Blessings at Besakih
Besakih Temple has been known as Bali's 'Mother Temple' for over 1,000 years and is perched 1,000 metres high on the southwestern slopes of Mount Agung. Here Balinese often come to make prayers and take blessing from the temple priests or 'Pemangku' who reside there.