The best travel photographs of 2024 revealed
, The Times
The Australian photographer Joshua Holko came face to face with a pallas cat in the snow of eastern Mongolia’s Steppe region, where winter temperatures can reach minus 35C. He won best single image in the wildlife, nature and underwater photography category
JOSHUA HOLKO/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
A young Kuchi nomad girl in Herat, western Afghanistan, is the star of the runner-up image in the faces, people, cultures category, by the Irish photographer Trevor Cole. Pashtun nomads hail from more than a dozen tribes of the larger Ghilzai group, who were once one of the largest nomadic communities in the world
TREVOR COLE/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
In many parts of Pakistan it would be unthinkable for girls to wear jerseys and play football in public. But for the Wakhi women in the remote Karakoram mountains, it has become a part of daily life. This photograph, by Priska Seisenbacher from Austria, was highly commended in the women in world culture category
PRISKA SEISENBACHER/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Leonardo Murray, 12, from Australia, was named the young travel photographer of the year in the under-14 age group for his shot of a person walking along a sand dune in Namibia
LEONARDO MURRAY/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
The musical talents of two monks at the Paro monastery in Bhutan were the subject of a highly commended image in the faces, people, and culture category, by the Spanish-Australian photographer Ignacio Palacios
IGNACIO PALACIOS/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Maksymilian Paczkowski, 17, won in the 15-18 age group for capturing the bright yellow canola fields in Kórnik, Poland — her home country. She said: “Every year, I try to find yellow wagtails in these yellow fields. After checking dozens of fields on my bike, I found nothing. My last hope was in the field closest to my house, and I got really fortunate.”
MAKSYMILIAN PRACZKOWSKI/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
For the second year in a row the overall honours went to a female photographer — this time from the US. Piper Mackay was named the travel photographer of the year after taking the unusual approach of shooting in infrared to capture the people and wildlife, below, of Kenya’s Masai Mara
PIPER MACKAY/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
PIPER MACKAY/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
The British photographer Jenny Stock took the top prize in the wildlife, nature and underwater category by getting up close and personal with a crocodile in Jardines de la Reina, Cuba. She said: “Crocodiles have a very low profile above the water line once they are swimming, in order to keep their presence well hidden from their prey … I wanted this powerful beast’s eye to just pop out above the waterline and had to take many photos like this to eventually achieve this image.”
JENNY STOCK/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Mutiari, aged four, plays with a friend in the flooded streets of Jeruksari near Pekalongan, Indonesia, in a photograph by Alain Schroeder from Belgium — winner of best single image in the landscape, climate and water category. The sea level in Indonesia has risen by 4mm a year since 1992
ALAIN SCHROEDER/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
The colourful celebration of Holi landed the Indian photographer Tittu Shaji Thomas the runner-up place in the festivals and celebrations category with this shot from Nandagaon, Uttar Pradesh Mathura
TITTU SHAJI THOMAS/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
The American photographer Kevin Hoare captured the distinctive black and white striped body paint of the Insect Hunters, a tribe in Mindima, Papua New Guinea. While navigating the highland forests they wear large hats made of leaves and mud, which are set on fire. The fire serves multiple purposes, including providing light while walking at night, and grilling insects. Hoare was named a rising talent
VLAD PAULET/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Vlad Paulet, 18, was a runner-up in the 15-18 age group. He said: “Cuejdel lake, located in Neamt county, Romania, is one of the most unique and beautiful places in my country, especially during this time of the year. The wide colour palette of the trees reflected in the lake creates a beautiful view and, if you are lucky enough, you can also have a little fog on the surface of the water.”
VLAD PAULET/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
The everyday commute takes centre stage in the work of Dmytro Geshengorin, from Germany, a winner in the rising talent category. He said: “One day, waiting for a train in a city [Dusseldorf] close to the one I live in, I noticed that the opposite platform looked like a theatre stage with all the commuters having arranged themselves perfectly for a brief moment and I quickly took the shot. This is the beauty of photography. No great travel is needed to make a great photograph; some luck and an awareness of one’s surroundings are enough.”
DMYTRO GESHGORIN/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Matthew DeSantis from the US captured a street game of baseball in Thimphu, Bhutan, for the winning shot in the cities, towns and streets category
MATTHEW DESANTIS/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Humpback whales make a splash in Antarctica, where they gorge on fat-rich krill to ensure their blubber reserves are sufficient for the long migratory journey to their breeding grounds in the tropics. The Australian photographer was highly commended in the wildlife, nature and underwater category for capturing their display from above
SCOTT PORTELLI/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Raymond Zhang, a 14-year-old from China, was named young photographer of the year. He said of his shot of Sandaoling coal mine in Hami city, Xinjiang province: “Those workers persisted in working in this place every day, which must have taken a toll on their health. I was moved by their persistence and their silent contribution.”
RAYMOND ZHANG/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Chilam Joshi, the spring festival of the Kalash people near Chitral, Pakistan, made a colourful subject for the British photographer Jo Kearney, winner in the festivals and celebrations category. Rituals are performed to honour gods and goddesses and the women wear headdresses featuring feathers
JO KEARNEY/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
A photographer takes a risky shot of a fresh river of lava at Fagradasfjall in Iceland in this image by Agnieszka Wieczorek from Poland, another rising talent at the competition
AGNIESZKA WIECZOREK/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
The Italian photographer Mauro Tronto was commended in the planet Earth: landscape, climate and water category for his image of the beautiful, but toxic, patterns in Lake Geamana in Romania. Chemical-containing sediments have transformed the water into a palette of bright colours, ranging from deep blue to emerald green and rusty red.
MAURO TRONTO/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
On the windswept sands of Mount Bromo, East Java, an Indonesian horseman struggles to control his horse — the winning shot in the faces, people and cultures category, by Partha Pratim Roy from India
PARTHA PRATIM ROY/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Highly commended in the same category was Ignacio Palacios’s image of the Mundari people in a cattle camp in South Sudan
IGNACIO PALACIOS/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
A fairytale-like photograph takes the top spot in the escape category. Ngar Shun Victor Wong, from Hong Kong, captured the serene scene in Sveti Tomaz, Slovenia
NGAR SHUN VICTOR WONG/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
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