Travel Photos We Loved in 2019

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This year, we posed for selfies with K-pop buskers in Seoul, foraged the forests of New Zealand with the chefs of the Maori food renaissance and explored remote glaciers in British Columbia. Here’s a collection of highlights from around the planet.
 

CANADA

British Columbia

Paddleboarding on Nimmo Bay
Inflatable stand-up paddleboards come in handy for exploring a hard-to-reach slot canyon near Nimmo Bay.     Photo: Jeremy Koreski
Simon Whitfield paddles across the icy blue waters of a remote glacial lake
Simon Whitfield explores a remote glacial lake in the wilderness near the resort.     Photo: Jeremy Koreski
A grassy area of Stanley Park
Lost Lagoon in Vancouver’s Stanley Park, from where many birder walks take off.     Photo: Grant Harder
A man walking along a fallen tree
The Sea to Sky Trail winds around Garibaldi Provincial Park, a hiker’s paradise.     Photo: Alana Paterson
The Silver Mine Head Path snakes along the cliffs of Newfoundland’s eastern shore
The Silver Mine Head Path snakes along the cliffs of Newfoundland’s eastern shore.     Photo: Farihah Shah
Two trees stand side by side in a patch of snow
Père-Marquette Park, Montreal, 6 p.m.     Photo: Thomas Bouquin
A man hikes up a limestone tor
Much of Ivvavik National Park has not seen an ice age in the last two million years, leaving a landscape that’s been shaped by wind rather than ice, slowly revealing limestone tors that stand like sentinels overlooking the park.     Photo: Andrew Querner
Limestone out-croppings along the Firth River
Limestone out-croppings along the Firth River, including Engigstciak, or “young mountain” in Inuvialuktun, add texture to the landscape.     Photo: Andrew Querner

UNITED STATES

Hawaii

Ferns growing out of the hardened lava from the volcano eruption in Hawaii
Ferns grow through the cracks in an old lava flow on the Puna Coast Trail in Hawai’i.     Photo: Kari Medig
View of Hawaii and volcanic lava from the air.
Lava from the 2018 Kilauea eruption pushes into a residential area of Pahoa.     Photo: Kari Medig
A monument with a bunch of multi-coloured globes at the top of a large wooden pole stands in the desert
Monument, Utah, 1995. For more than 20 years, London-based photographer Nadav Kander has been adding to his series God’s Country, re-examining the great American outdoors as a place where untouched wilderness does not exist.     Photo: Nadav Kander
Hudson Yards’ Vessel is an open-air, 16-story climbable sculpture featuring 154 interconnecting flights of stairs
Hudson Yards’ Vessel is an open-air, 16-story climbable sculpture featuring 154 interconnecting flights of stairs.     Photo: Fraser Ballard

CARIBBEAN

Dominican Republic

Sandy Bonilla gets a haircut in front of one of his monster speakers at his workshop in Bonao
Self-proclaimed musicologist Sandy Bonilla gets a haircut in front of one of his monster speakers at his workshop in Bonao in the Dominican Republic.     Photo: Marco Argüello
An ocean view from the terrace.
No shady business in this corner of Malecón 663’s rooftop terrace in Havana, with uninterrupted ocean views.     Photo: Kari Medig

SOUTH AMERICA

Brazil

A woman watching the sunset from Rio Vermelho beach
A Baiana, or woman of Bahia, watches the sunset from Rio Vermelho beach.     Photo: Luisa Dörr
A window view of Bahia de Todos os Santos
You can spot the Bahia de Todos os Santos from almost anywhere in Salvador.     Photo: Luisa Dörr
A beautiful and surreal scene in the desert, with lots of red and orange rocks
Cañón de Guatín, San Pedro de Atacama.     Photo: Chiara Zonca

EUROPE

Croatia

An olive tree in front of blue skies
In Istria, there are green olives and blue waves for days.     Photo: Ériver Hijano
A sign pointing in two different directions
At a Croatian crossroads.     Photo: Ériver Hijano
A group of people sunbathe on the rocks at Baluota (Monte) beach while others take a swim in the ocean
Rocking out at Baluota (Monte) beach in the fishing port Rovinj.     Photo: Ériver Hijano
Michalsen collects seaweed from Under’s walls
Forager Morten Michalsen diving near Norway’s underwater restaurant Under.     Photo: Jeremy Koreski
Restaurant Under's deck offers a view of the district of Lindesnes
Under pairs unlikely sea creatures with tableside science.     Photo: Jeremy Koreski
The Hverir geothermal area in northeast Iceland
The Hverir geothermal area in northeast Iceland looks eerily like the surface of Mars.     Photo: Michael George
Andrew Findlay climbing down a rock
The world-famous Haute Route ski traverse weaves an improbable line for roughly 100 rugged kilometres through the Pennine Alps and links the iconic mountain towns of Chamonix, France, and Zermatt, Switzerland.     Photo: Kari Medig
Several groups of people skiing in the Alps
Writer Andrew Findlay scrambles down a frosty granite bluff while wind gusts and a blanket of thick, foreboding clouds settles upon Aiguille du Tour in France.     Photo: Kari Medig
Every table inside the Hacker Festzelt beer tent is packed full. Painted scenes of Munich landmarks and Bavarian life adorn the ceiling
The Hacker Festzelt beer tent (the “heaven of Bavaria”) takes nine weeks to set up and boasts painted scenes of Munich landmarks and everyday Bavarian life, courtesy of Oscar-winning production designer and set decorator Rolf Zehetbauer.     Photo: Gunnar Knechtel

MIDDLE EAST

United Arab Emirates

A leaf-shaped telephone booth
A leaf-shaped telephone booth packs a heavy dose of nostalgia in Dubai.     Photo: Yosigo
Earth on Wheels, Emirates National Auto Museum
45 kilometres south of downtown Abu Dhabi is the Emirates National Auto Museum, a pyramid-shaped complex that houses over 200 cars belonging to Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, including the conceptual Earth on Wheels, a 10-bedroom caravan in the shape of a globe that’s one-millionth the size of our planet.     Photo: Yosigo

AFRICA

Morocco

The sand dunes of the Moroccan desert
Morocco is a chameleon of a country, one where the past and present are fluid and the colours change with both light and landscape.     Photo: Alanna Hale
The ancient ksar of Aït Ben Haddou can be seen through a window
The ancient ksar of Aït Ben Haddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site celebrated for the integrity of its ancient, earthen clay architecture where several families still live.     Photo: Alanna Hale
Two men stand beside their camels as they wait to take people on a tour of the desert
Desert tour in the Sahara is best experienced on a dromedary or “Arabic camel” of the one-humped variety, which is often better behaved than its two-humped cousin.     Photo: Alanna Hale
A group of giraffes graze under a tree
Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Ken Geiger offers an otherworldly perspective on Kenya through the lens of his black-and-white infrared camera.     Photo: Ken Geiger

ASIA

Bali

Palm tree at Ulun Danu Beratan Temple, Bali
Palm tree at Ulun Danu Beratan Temple, Bali.     Photo: Salva López
A black manta ray in the waters of Bali
A manta ray at Manta Point in Komodo.     Photo: Salva López
Trees line Japan’s Shiroishi River
Trees line Japan’s Shiroishi River during the Ōgawara Sakura Festival.     Photo: Fumi Homma
A girl entering a photo booth on Eouumadang-ro
Photo booths on Eouumadang-ro in Seoul make for snappy souvenirs.     Photo: Jonah Rosenberg
Park Kyungwoong does a street performance in front of a large crowd
K-pop performer Park Kyungwoong brings slick moves (and a pop of purple) to his Thursday-night slot on Hongdae Street in Seoul.     Photo: Jonah Rosenberg
A fisherman rows out to inspect his crab farm
A fisherman rows out to inspect his crab farm near the fishing village of Xiapi in Fujian province.     Photo: David Burdney

AUSTRALIA / OCEANIA

Tasmania

Kitchen Hut rises from Tasmania’s Central Highlands
Kitchen Hut rises from Tasmania’s Central Highlands.     Photo: Peter Tarasiuk
Steps leading down to the steamy hot springs
Hot springs smoulder in the Waimangu reserve near Rotorua.     Photo: John Laurie
Steaming geothermal pools at Te Puia
Steaming geothermal pools at Te Puia, near Rotorua, New Zealand, have long been used by the Maori to prepare food.     Photo: John Laurie