PICTURES: Best travel photography of the year in focus
From intimate portraits and intriguing glimpses of cultures across the world, the winning images from the Travel Photographer of the Year Awards have been revealed.
Runner-up: Cultures, Heritage and Beliefs Portfolio. Photographed in India. Two men—Warkaris—are seen joyfully performing a traditional dance or mock stick-play (dand patta–style movement). Picture: Dashawatar Gopalkrishna Bade/Travel Photographer of the Year
The Travel Photographer of the Year Awards 2025 present a view of life on our planet that inspires the desire to continue to explore.
Here we bring you a selection of some of the award winning images.
This photograph has been awarded the Travel Photograph of the Year. It is also the Winner in the One Shot: Travel in Monochrome category. Photographed in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania. A massive bull elephant showers himself in dust. Picture: Dana Allen/Travel Photographer of the YearCommended: One Shot: Slow Travel. Photographed in East Bali, Indonesia. On a quiet rural path, a boy leaps into the morning light to chase his handmade kite. Picture: Thibault Gerbaldi/Travel Photographer of the YearWinner: One Shot: Slow Travel. Photographed in Japan. A lone corporate worker hurries across a large junction in Tokyo. Picture: Teo Chin Leong/Travel Photographer of the Year
Special Mention: Wildlife, Sealife, Birdlife Portfolio. Picture captured in Thailand. The photographer explains: “In a breeding season, a couple of Sarus Cranes made a nest in rice paddies and taught their chicks to walk around. I laid down for several hours a day to get the good aspect of pictures and made them calm down.” Picture: Ponlawat Thaipinnarong/Travel Photographer of the YearSpecial Mention: Best Single Image in Cultures, Heritage and Beliefs Portfolio. This photograph was taken during Kulasai Dasara, a distinctive coastal festival held in Kulasekarapattinam, Tamil Nadu, India, in devotion to Goddess Mutharamman. Children are an integral part of this celebration, taking part in processions and ritual roles alongside adults. Picture: Tittu Shaji Thomas/Travel Photographer of the YearWinner: Best Single Image in Wildlife, Sealife, Birdlife Portfolio. The photographer explains: “Chile’s Torres Del Paine is famous for its stunning landscapes, but it’s also home to a fierce predator – the puma. These majestic creatures primarily feed on guanacos. However, the hunting success rate for pumas is not very high, especially for female pumas. She tried to pull down the guanaco a few times, and she was really close to biting into the neck and suffocating the guanaco. But this guanaco was a tough cookie, and it managed to escape!” Picture: Kevin Yu Shi/Travel Photographer of the YearCommended: Wildlife, Sealife, Birdlife Portfolio. Picture taken at Komodo Island, Indonesia. As cold-blooded animals, Komodo dragons rely on external sources to regulate their body temperature. During the scorching midday heat, they can be seen lying in shallow water or mud to lower their body temperature. Picture: Suliman Alatiqi/Travel Photographer of the YearRunner-up: Cultures, Heritage and Beliefs Portfolio. Picture captured in Alandi, India. A large group of Warkaris, all dressed in traditional white attire and Gandhi-topis, gather in a circular formation as part of the ritualistic procession. Picture: Dashawatar Gopalkrishna Bade/Travel Photographer of the YearCommended: Adventures and Experiences Portfolio. Photograph captured in the Altai Mountains, Mongolia. The photographer explains: “We are surrounded by the immensity of the Altai Mountains, a corner of Mongolia where Russia, China and Kazakhstan converge, and where Kazakh nomadic herders have, for centuries, forged a unique bond with the majestic golden eagles. More than a tradition, this relationship is a symbiosis between human and animal, an ancestral legacy passed down from generation to generation. Her name is Erbod, and she proudly holds the eagle she inherited from her recently deceased father.” Picture: Katy Gomez/Travel Photographer of the YearRunner-up: Adventures and Experiences Portfolio. Picture captured in Hoi An, Vietnam. “This is a large net set up in the middle of a river in Vietnam,” explains the photographer. “There is a motor which when activated, will raise the nets and catch any fish trapped in it. I was happy to be here to document this scene during the golden dawn hours.” Picture: Teo Chin Leong/Travel Photographer of the YearWinner: Rising Talent. Photographed in Epta Piges, Rhodes, Greece. Picture: Liesel Geertsema/Travel Photographer of the YearWinner: Rising Talent. Photographed at Hoque Market, Southern Angola. This Ovahanda woman was visiting a small local market in the Lubango area with her tiny charge securely strapped to her back. Picture: Sue O’Connell/Travel Photographer of the YearRunner-up: One Shot: Travel Portraits. Photographed in the Mekong Delta, southern Vietnam. A 100-year old Vietnamese man living in a rural village in southern Vietnam poses for a photograph. Picture: Teo Chin Leong/Travel Photographer of the Year
