@natgeotravel

Photo by @babaktafreshi / "Hovering in the Boston twilight, the elegant new moon beguiles onlookers just hours after skygazers in Iran have admired its thin form. That same crisp crescent hangs gracefully above the Vatican’s domes, just as it inhabits the skies over Jerusalem’s Temple Mount … This single celestial element is a shared window for every one of us … Our moon connects us to distant cultures—to every poet, writer, and artist who has been inspired by its mesmerizing glow.” —Excerpt from my book, "The World at Night" Explore more @babaktafreshi.

Photo by @andrea_frazzetta / From their balconies, the inhabitants of Matera can admire the center of one of the oldest cities in the world. Also known as I Sassi (The Stones), the historical center of Matera has been inhabited without interruption since the Paleolithic period. To see more photos from my travels, follow me @andrea_frazzetta.

Photo by @joshuacogan / As we wandered through some of the villages on the outskirts of Ubud, we began to see a different way of life that felt more connected to the older ways of being—before the rapid transformation that booming tourism brought to this area of the island. I was grateful to witness this beautiful procession to a ceremony. As dusk set in, the women's blouses danced in the last light of the day. For more images of rituals and celebrations throughout the world, follow me @joshuacogan.

Photo by @taylorglenn / Sometimes you just need to look up. A deep blue sky creates lovely contrast with the warm foliage of aspen trees. Follow @taylorglenn for more images of in .

Photo by Robbie Shone @shonephoto / The fact that a cold, dark tunnel can look welcoming toward the end of a freezing autumn day tells you everything about how hostile the Dolomites can be. In the height of summer, the prospect of temporarily living in these tunnels, as thousands of soldiers did, seems unappealing but conceivable. Come autumn, it is horrifying. As for winter …

Photo by @mridulaamin / A rugged bush walk reaches Belougery Spire, one of the magnificent volcanic plugs in Warrumbungle National Park, Australia. The name of the park comes from our First Peoples Indigenous Kamilaroi language and is believed to mean "crooked mountains." Follow @mridulaamin for photography from around the world.

Photo by @kevinfaingnaert / Hoi An in Vietnam is a charming town where you can immerse yourself in a mix of history, culture, and fine nearby beaches. You can stroll through the cozy and car-free city center, view ancient architecture, and cool off on a hot day at the beach. The hectic bustle of busy cities seems very far away here.

Photo by @daisygilardini / The first warm rays of daylight shine through the fog in the Great Bear Rainforest. This is the largest coastal temperate rainforest in the world and certainly one of the most pristine places I have ever visited. Its territory extends from the central to the north coast of British Columbia, Canada, and covers roughly an area of 32,000 square kilometers (12,400 square miles). The forest is home to grizzly, black, and Kermode bears, among many other species.

Photo by @MartinEdstrom / People eat on a houseboat hidden on a lake in the deep forests of Värmland, Sweden. It's interesting to hear about the excitement for the growing trend of zero-impact travel—cooking by a fire, sleeping without heating in the room, and using locally sourced foods. This approach of going back to basics has been on the rise for several years. One nature hostel manager I met this summer put it quite bluntly: "Twenty years ago people said I was crazy for not having satellite TV installed. Now they get mad that there's even cell phone reception. They don't want it."⁠ It feels perfectly understandable that people need rest from the modern media and information society these days. At first glance, it feels a little bit like a facade. While you stay at a zero-impact lodge or hostel for a few days, your regular life back home still generates a lot of impact. But perhaps it can help us think about which parts of our lives we could do without, or how we could reduce impact at home. If that's the only result in the end, it's still something.⁠ Follow @MartinEdstrom for more travel tips from Sweden and the Nordics.

Photo by Muhammed Muheisen @mmuheisen / As the sun sets, people enjoy floating in the Dead Sea in Jordan. For more photos and videos from different parts of the world, follow me @mmuheisen and @mmuheisenpublic. #الاردن

Photo by @juancristobalcobo / A canoe serves as transportation for people crossing the Magdalena River in the colonial town of Mompós in northern Colombia. This magnificent and well-preserved river island was one of the inspirations for the Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez when he wrote his novel "One Hundred Years of Solitude." ́s

Photo by @MichaelGeorge / There’s a single road that leads to the Miscou Island lighthouse. On either side, brilliantly red moss peat bogs sit there waterlogged, so heavy that the only thing keeping them afloat seems to be their color. And oh, what a color it is. The Earth saved up all its red paint for this one small area. My eyes (and my camera) could barely process the brightness that stretched out to the horizon. We arrived there in the pouring, freezing rain. Determined to walk the boardwalk, I pulled on my soaked gloves and protected my camera as best I could. A few teenagers ran screaming from their cars to get a quick look. We let the cold sink in and I laughed at the pops of green within the red. It was like we were stuck in someone’s Christmas-colored fantasy. This is the only place in the world I’ve seen such a consistent and striking saturation in a landscape. It felt like the leaves were glowing with their radiance. Seeing this color pop, even on the grayest of gray days, I couldn't help wondering what it’s like to witness when it’s sunny. For more photos and writing from my travels, follow along @MichaelGeorge.