24 brilliant pictures of rainbows around the world
Though sun usually combines with light rain to produce a rainbow, the mist of a waterfall works just as well—like at Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls, one of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites. The Zambezi River approaches the edge of the cliff without gaining speed, giving off a thin sheet of mist and a mighty roar that earned it the name “The Smoke That Thunders.”
Rainbows are mostly experienced as semicircles, but an airborne view allows viewers to see a full circle. This rainbow spanning the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, during a rainstorm offers a hint of its arc’s full extent.
The veil of mist raised by mighty waterfalls is the perfect setting for rainbow hunters, as shown in this eerie photo of Iguazu Falls, in Brazil. Iguazu Falls—three times wider than North America’s Niagara—is composed of some 275 separate smaller waterfalls that traverse the rocky ridges overlooking the cliff.
Summer and early autumn are typically good times to spot rainbows in areas overlooking the Mediterranean basin. Here, a short swatch of the colorful bands seems to descend from a cloud toward Montjuïc, in Barcelona.
Double rainbows occur when light is reflected twice within atmospheric droplets, resulting in two different reflections at different angles—meaning outer rainbows are fainter and reversed. In this image, the two arcs strike a gloomy sky above the barren ground off Utah’s Puddle Valley Highway.
In Norway’s Forollhogna National Park, snow, ice, mist, and the distant mountaintops offer a blissful view—made more mystical by a rainbow’s ephemeral glow.
On a beach in Honolulu, beachgoers try to capture a rainbow as it cuts through passing storm clouds. Due to Hawaii’s geographical and meteorological conditions, rainbows are a common sight—even on the islands’ license plates.
Lions—but also zebras, hippos, gnus, and many others—roam the Maasai Mara National Reserve in southeast Kenya. This large game reserve is particularly popular for the great migration of wildebeest during summer and early autumn.
Even in summer, temperatures reach just above freezing at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, the northernmost community on the North American continent. Few tourists reach America’s largest tundra wilderness area, now shrunk by development of the massive Prudhoe Bay Oil Field.
Designated a national scenic byway by the Department of Transportation, the Kancamagus Highway crosses the White Mountains National Forest in New Hampshire, offering travelers breathtaking natural vistas, rich history, and picturesque hiking trails.
The Lough Salt Drive in Donegal, Ireland, is a long stretch of straight country road that grazes the western shores of Salt Lake before approaching the Atlantic.
Southeastern Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument is named after twin buttes sacred to the region’s Native American tribes. These fractured lands, where ranchers have been grazing herds of cattle for generations, are the subject of a recent dispute over policies establishing the extent and use of public land.
In eastern Brazil, the Chapada Diamantina National Park is a natural reserve of epic proportions that offers mesmerizing natural views—including caves, the Fumaça waterfall, and the black water Devil’s Pool.
The dramatic landscapes of Iceland’s West Fjords make a breathtaking backdrop for the sudden appearance of a rainbow. One of the most isolated parts of the island for centuries, the region's jagged cliffs, geothermal pools, and charming fishing villages attract adventurous travelers each year.
In the winter months, thousands of whales migrate from Alaska to Hawaii, where the warm waters offer an ideal habitat for mating and calving. To protect humpbacks, in 1992 Congress established a marine sanctuary in the main Hawaiian islands.
Sliabh Liag features some of Ireland’s tallest, most spectacular sea cliffs. A coastal motor route in County Donegal also offers breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean, the Sligo Mountains, and Donegal Bay.
Near the slopes of mighty Mount Kilimanjaro, the ol Donyo Lodge perches on the undulating terrain of Chyulu Hills National Park in southeast Kenya. Elephants on their seasonal migration stand out against the iridescent sky.
Every spring, nearly 80 percent of the world’s sandhill crane population gathers along the Platte, a major river in Nebraska, before continuing their migration northward. Platte River Valley constitutes a critical sliver of threatened habitat in North America’s Central Flyway, the bird migration route that follows the Great Plains.
One of the most spectacular natural phenomena on Hawaii’s Big Island occurs when copious amounts of fresh molten lava flow into the ocean, adding new land and reshaping the coastline in a geologic process of island-building.
Every year, rafts of tourists visit iconic Gullfoss, the Golden Falls formed as the Hvítá, a glacial river in southwest Iceland, plummets into a narrow canyon. In the sunlight, the roaring flow glows gold and a rainbow appears.
Flourishing prairies and verdant mountains tint Broadford, the second largest settlement on Scotland’s Isle of Skye. Renowned for its pristine natural landscapes, the region welcomes adventurers to its nearby mountain ranges.
Settled since the Bronze Age and already a busy fishing port by the Middle Ages, St. Ives is one of Cornwall’s most renowned destinations. Its buzzing waterfront, beachfront charm, and lively art scene attract tourists and artists from around the world.
A mesmerizing double rainbow graces the foothills of Ecuador’s Cotopaxi. The second highest summit in the country, this active volcano dominates the valley with its symmetrical, glacier-blanketed silhouette. The last eruption was recorded in 1904, marking 50 outbursts since the 16th century.
