See the best pictures of summer from Nat Geo photographers

Following the path of renowned photographer Inge Morath, eight female photographers set out to depict life along the Danube River from southern Germany to eastern Romania’s Black Sea. This image of a fisherman “reminds me of how nature makes me feel, especially on those long summer days when you get the opportunity to be left alone, quiet for a moment with your own thoughts,” says photographer Ami Vitale.

Summer in the Northern Hemisphere marks winter in the Southern. But winter in the Okavango Delta means riverside grasslands made lush and green with May’s floodwaters—the perfect gathering place for herds of elephants.

“Walking from one end [of the beach] to another is one of my favourite things to do in the city,” says photographer Dina Litovsky. In Tel Aviv, the beach scene changes dramatically: a southern spot popular with Muslim families sits alongside a tourist section, followed by a closed Orthodox Jewish area and locals’ unofficial LGBT beach in the north, where this photo was taken.

An offering of June apricots rests on the railing of a pavilion in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.

After a quick rain shower cleared, a double rainbow framed the view of Honolulu seen from the top of Tantalus, an extinct cinder cone. “This brings back some of my favourite summer memories visiting Hawaii with my family,” says photographer Maddie McGarvey. “Hawaii is so magical, and everywhere you look nature seems to be showing off.”

A father and daughter make creative use of a fire hydrant to keep cool during a 43°C (110°F) day in New York. “It reminds me of summers in Dhaka, when my family and I would take showers in the rain on our rooftop,” says photographer Ismail Ferdous.

Below the Mesa Arch, the Colorado River winds through Utah’s Canyonlands National Park. During a family motorhome trip through the Southwest, photographer Tim Laman and his son hiked to Mesa Arch just before sunrise. “The famous view, with the rising sun reflecting off the wall below to light up the underside of the arch, did not disappoint,” Laman says. “It was great to share it with him.”

A snorkeler rises to the surface of the Tasman Sea. “For me, nothing says summer quite like the ocean does—bright sun above, blue water below, a watery landscape teeming with life,” says photographer Andy Mann.

Each summer, photographer Babak Tafreshi participates in the Maine Astronomy Retreat, noting the effect of nearby towns’ light domes on the visibility of stars and the patterns of wildlife. “The eerie sounds of loons breaking the silence of late is most amazing, especially under starry skies,” he says.

Visitors soak up the sun on Parrot Cay, a private resort and one of 40 islands comprising the archipelago of Turks and Caicos. “Their languid bodies sum up the dog days of summer,” says photographer Michael George.

Boats gather on the Meghna River, one of the three major tributaries of the Ganges Delta, during National Geographic’s all-female Sea to Source expedition. For photographer Sara Hylton, who spent early summers in the lobster fishing community of Canada’s east coast, “the boats [in Chandpur], the warm light embracing the labourers, and the pace of survival reminded me of my own childhood days learning about subsistence on the water.”

In 2017, Veasna Johnson (right) and boyfriend Anthony Okocha travelled from Evanston to celebrate the first day of summer at Chicago’s Montrose Beach Dunes. “I felt these two young lovers embodied the feelings of summer so perfectly as they picnicked under the trees and gathered flowers together,” says photographer Jenn Emerling.

Summer is short in Svalbard, one of Earth’s coldest places, but as sea ice melts, Arctic tourism grows. “Sailing is the most sustainable way to explore the Arctic’s fragile seas and experience one of the last pristine places on the planet,” says photographer Katie Orlinsky.

Near the end of a five-day train trip across China, five-year-old Timo draws while his mother sleeps. “Discovering the world with our kids that year was an unforgettable experience,” says photographer Matthieu Paley.

Steam from thermal activity wreathes visitors to Húsavík, a town on Iceland’s north coast. “If I can wear a sweater all summer long, I’ve found my dream landscape,” says photographer Erika Larsen. To her, being in Iceland feels like “standing on another planet.”

After days of trekking through endless fields of grass in Serengeti National Park, photographer Gabriele Galimberti set up camp in a small acacia forest lit by moonlight. Making this image reminded Galimberti of being a young student: “I clearly remember a summer when I enjoyed photographing night scenes, using my flashes to change the atmosphere.”

“Summer in Southeast Asia for me is about the sea,” says photographer Hannah Reyes Morales. “Ha Long reminded me of days in my teenage years, coming of age with salt in my hair from sticky, warm summers by the water. Vietnam is so distinct; everything in the country felt new to me when I took this image. But the blues and greens of the water were comforting in their familiarity. That to me is the best part of travel—when parts of your past make themselves visible in a place that you're seeing for the first time.”

Despite a rainy forecast, photographer Ciril Jazbec escaped on a weekend trip to Bohinj, a lake tucked within Triglav National Park in Slovenia’s Julian Alps. “We were rewarded with an incredible and peaceful time,” Jazbec says, and “one evening, this incredible light happened just before sunset.”

Mist from Athabasca Falls shines in the sunlight falling through the dense forest of Jasper National Park. “I’ve always had a special awe for the mountains,” says photographer Amber Bracken. “I remember being amazed travelling through mist at higher elevations: as a child I was certain we were going right through the clouds.”

Evening light warms the flanks of Sermitsiaq, a beloved mountain overlooking Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. “Summer in Greenland is just an amazing thing,” says photographer Kiliii Yuyan. Though the sun shines 24 hours a day, the season itself is short, and people spend time out and about before the winter makes travel difficult.

Renowned for its iconic Persian architecture and tile work, Isfahan’s 17th-century Imam Mosque is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site. “On a summer day,” says photographer Beth Wald, “the cool interior and vast, dark spaces of the mosque are a welcome refuge from the intense sun, and a quiet place to appreciate the rich, ancient culture of Iran.”

Vineyards blanket the hills outside Charlottesville. “Virginia horse and wine country is especially beautiful in the summer,” says photographer Ed Kashi.

A canoer paddles the Milwaukee River through the city’s Lincoln Park. Outlined as an Area of Concern in 1987, the zone once suffered heavy pollution, but is now rebounding. “We only encountered one other canoe during our morning paddle,” says photographer Peter Essick, “even though we weren’t far from a large metropolitan city.”