Making a list of surprising or beautiful landscapes is like trying to put barriers to the sea, because there are so many and so varied that it is almost impossible to even dream of them. I have had to stop at 25, any number that does not honor the millions of amazing places that we still preserve on our land. Even so, I hope you like them, that you open your wish list again, of ‘places I plan to go to photograph one day’ and add some of those that I am going to show you next. Although as I see that you are attracted to landscape photography, I want to recommend our very complete article with everything you need to know to achieve incredible landscape images.
Now yes, these are the landscapes, although they are numbered it is not a ranking, but somehow I had to order them 😉 )
- Torres del Paine National Park (Chile)
- Los Roques Archipelago National Park (Venezuela)
- The Inca Trail (Peru)
- Glacier National Park (Argentina)
- The Great Pantanal (Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay)
- Galapagos Archipelago (Ecuador)
- Uyuni Salt Flat (Bolivia)
- Cano Cristales (Colombia)
- Copper Canyon (Mexico)
- Serengeti National Park (Tanzania)
- Rotorua (New Zealand)
- Yellowstone National Park (USA)
- Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatia)
- Kop van Noord-Holland and Bollenstreek (Netherlands)
- Iceland
- Black Forest (Germany)
- Cliffs of Moher (Ireland)
- Lake Baikal (Russia)
- Białowieża Forest (Poland)
- Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park (Spain)
- Praia de Augas Santas (or Beach of the Cathedrals) (Spain)
- Doñana National Park (Spain)
- Timanfaya National Park (Spain)
- Las Medulas (Spain)
- Castile-La Mancha (Spain)
Let’s see them one by one.
1. Torres del Paine National Park (Chile)
This National Park has been a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1978. Located in the Region of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica, it is made up of numerous lakes, rivers and waterfalls, framed by the immense beauty of granite giants over 2,400m. of height that have been modeled during years by the glacial force. It is recommended to visit it at any time of the year (bearing in mind that the rainy months are from March to April), although it is from September to November (in spring) when there is more variety of flora and fauna.
2. Los Roques Archipelago National Park (Venezuela)
The Los Roques Archipelago is made up of some 50 islands and some 290 keys and banks of great diversity and beauty. With turquoise waters and white sands, it contains one of the most diverse and best preserved coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea. It is made up of more than 220,000 hectares, which makes it the largest marine park in the entire Caribbean. Beyond the beauty of its beaches, it is in the water where you will find the richness of its biodiversity: More than 280 species of fish, 200 species of crustaceans, 140 species of molluscs, 61 species of corals… In addition to sponges, sea urchins, stars of sea, dolphins, whales, turtles, rays and 92 species of birds.
How about some underwater photography for the occasion? 😉
3. The Inca Trail (Peru)
If you like long walks surrounded by a unique environment both in terms of landscape and culture, add ‘The Inca Trail’ to your wish list. The Inca Trail offers various routes of several days (from 2 to 5) to reach the Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1983. These routes include valleys, mountainous landscapes, Andean agricultural towns, jungle, forests, mists, stone stairs… Until you reach the incredible work of architecture and engineering that is El Machu Picchu (old mountain in Quechua). June, July and August are the best months to visit, although of course, they are also the most visited by tourists. February is the rainy season and the road is closed. The best months to avoid crowds are from March to May or from September to November.
4. Los Glaciares National Park (Argentina)
Located in the Province of Santa Cruz in the region of Patagonia, and declared a “World Heritage Site” since 1981, the Glaciers National Park stands out for its vast extensions of ice, which reach 2,600 km². Perhaps the best known of the glaciers is the Perito Moreno Glacier, which has an area of 250 km² and is 30 km long.
In addition to mountains and glaciers, it has magnificent sub-Antarctic forests populated with showy flowers, as well as a great variety of animal fauna: southern parrots, condors, black-necked swans, huemules, gray foxes, maras, pumas or guanacos.
5. The Great Pantanal (Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay)
It is the largest wetland in the world and is located mainly in Brazil (80%) in the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, with a total area of approximately 175,000 km² and one of the richest ecosystems in the world in biodiversity of Flora and fauna. The rainy season includes the months of October to March, in which the Pantanal receives 80% of the total annual water. Once the rainy season is over, the descent of the waters of the pantanal begins (from May to July) and the surprising phenomenon known as the ‘lufada’ occurs, in which the millions of fish that inhabited the pantanal try to recover the channel of rivers as the water level drops. This fact attracts innumerable predators such as otters, alligators and hundreds of species of birds. A spectacle of nature in a unique landscape environment.
6. Galapagos Archipelago (Ecuador)
This group of islands is located about 972 km from the coast of Ecuador, and is the second most volcanically active archipelago on the planet. The Galapagos archipelago has 13 large islands, 6 medium-sized islands and about 215 islets, and make up the most diverse and complex archipelago in the world in conditions of practically intact evolution. Evolving without predators or human beings, they show no fear of our presence or that of other animals, so getting closer and obtaining unique photographs of the endemic (unique) species that populate the Galapagos is within the reach of everyone who may bring closer to the land that inspired Darwin.
7. Uyuni Salt Flat (Bolivia)
The Salar de Uyuni is located in the department of Potosí and, with an area of 12,000 km², it is the largest continuous salt desert in the world. Large lagoons of colors that go from white to red or green, rocks of incredible shapes, islands of enormous cacti (up to 10 meters!), active volcanoes, shepherd villages, salt mirrors, geysers, flamingos and camelids. And all at not inconsiderable heights of more than 4,500m. Dream landscapes to achieve dream photographs 😉
8.Caño Cristales (Colombia)
A new example of the wonders of nature. Can you imagine a river with the colors of the rainbow in its waters? Well, you don’t have to imagine it because it exists 🙂 It is located in the Sierra de la Macarena, and owes the color of its waters (red, yellow, green, black, blue…) to the freshwater algae that live at the bottom.
9. Copper Canyon (Mexico)
Located in the state of Chihuahua, the Copper Canyon (Sierra Tarahumara) is an impressive system of six canyons, some of which exceed 1,800m. high, under which mighty rivers and waterfalls meander. They can be seen by helicopter, on foot or by train. To get an idea of its immensity, it has been compared to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, which is larger and deeper.
10. Serengeti National Park (Tanzania)
If you like the great plains (Serengeti means “endless plain” in Maasai), the almost impossible red sunsets half hidden by a solitary acacia that breaks the eternal horizontal plane, and all this framed by the surprising animal beauty of elephants, lions, wildebeests, cheetahs, hyenas, zebras, hippopotamuses, gazelles, giraffes, jackals, flamingos, and a long etcetera, add it to your wish list because the Serengeti is all this and much more.
11. Rotorua (New Zealand)
Located on the North Island of New Zealand, at the seat of the Rotorua district and above the Pacific Ring of Fire. Impressive volcanic landscapes of geysers, hot mud pools, hot springs, lakes, vapors, or lush forests dominate it. A most photogenic show 🙂
12. Yellowstone National Park (USA)
It is the oldest national park in the United States, and is located mainly in the state of Wyoming, with an area of almost 9,000 km2, including lakes, canyons, rivers, waterfalls, geysers (Old Faithful Geyser), mountain ranges, and volcanoes (Yellowstone Caldera is the largest volcano on the Continent). It is the largest ecosystem in North America and is home to hundreds of species of mammals and birds, among which the grizzly bear, wolves, bison or elk stand out.
13. Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatia)
This National Park is located in the Lika region, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. It consists of around 22,000 hectares of forest, among which 16 lakes of different altitudes and shades (from gray to turquoise) alternate. connected by 92 waterfalls and cascades. All surrounded by karstic, dolomite stone, travertine barriers, and lush and varied vegetation that is made up of 75% beech, fir and some pine trees. The park can be visited through trails and wooden bridges, or boats to the larger lakes. It has an enormous variety of plants due to its different microclimates, as well as a great variety of animals. More than 126 species of birds have been recorded, European brown bears, wolves, eagles, lynxes, wild cats, capercaillies, etc.
14. Kop van Noord-Holland and Bollenstreek (Netherlands)
If you like intensely colored flowers in infinite lines of contrasting colours, you cannot miss the show that Holland offers every year. Flowering begins around mid-March and ends at the end of May, although the ideal time to see all the fields in bloom is usually mid-April. The most famous areas for their tulip crops are Kop van Noord-Holland and Bollenstreek (where the famous Keukenhof Gardens are located) both half an hour from the capital.
15. Iceland
Located in the Atlantic Ocean and south of the Arctic Circle and with an area of about 100,000 km², it is the second largest island in Europe. Populated by…