A year in travel photography: the best images of 2020

Photographer Annapurna Mellor snapped this smiling shopkeeper in Goa, India, where he sells prayer wheels, flags, tapestries and other souvenirs. When the Himalayas are covered in snow in the winter months, many Tibetan refugees head south to earn some extra money during India’s high tourist season. The photo occupied the coveted Snapshot page of our Jan/Feb 2020 issue of National Geographic Traveller.

Madrid’s after-hours scene was the subject of a city feature in our March 2020 issue, photographer Ben Roberts captured this neon-lit scene in Salmón Gurú, a sister bar to the equally unconventional taverna Viva Madrid, also in the Las Letras district. Here, rooms are a trippy riot of neon pop art and animal prints, with rooms themed around Berlin, New York and China. Read the article.

For issue 8 (spring 2020) of National Geographic Traveller Food, Angela deCenzo took her camera into the valleys and hillsides just north of San Francisco, where artisan cheesemakers are taking advantage of the same varied terroir that produces world-class wines. The result? Gorgeous images of unique cheeses flavoured by sea air and forest-lined marshes. Here, Donna Pacheco poses with several wheels at the Achadinha Cheese Company. Read the article.

The soaring canyons and sagebrush plains of northern New Mexico have attracted artists, spiritual seekers and free thinkers for over a century. On a mission to illustrate the region’s unique vibe for our April 2020 issue, local photographer Jen Judge captured this vendor carrying a dish of the state’s beloved green chillies in Santa Fe’s Farmers’ Market. Read the article.

Richard James Taylor trained his lens on the mountains of Austria’s dramatic Hochkönig region, a place where legends are woven through its subterranean ice kingdoms, treacherous fissures and turreted fortresses. This landscape shows the village of Maria Alm, where farmhouses hold quirky businesses, including a herbalist apothecary. Read the article.

David Charbit hit the trail in search of the culinary traditions of Thessaloniki, Greece’s gastronomic heart. “This melting pot city is constantly evolving”, reads the foodie feature. Here, David captured morning light streaming into the stalls of the historic Kapani Market. Read the article.

In the same market, a fishmonger holds an octopus aloft. Kapani Market stands in what was originally the Ottoman bazaar. Today, breezeblocks of Greek feta sit alongside Asian spices and Macedonian saffron. In the seafood aisles, fishmongers in blue aprons shout across rows of iridescent skins. Read the article.

The annual red chilli harvest in Bangladesh sees the fields of Bogra, in the country’s rural north, transformed into vast carpets of crimson. Between August and October, women collect the fruit, later drying the crop in the hot sun to preserve it. Photographer MD Tanveer Hassan Rohan captured this image of a process that has remained virtually unchanged for centuries.

Photographer Rebecca Stumpf captured this scene of dusk at Linger in Denver, Colorado for a city feature in our May/Jun 2020 issue. The restaurant is set in a former mortuary, but if you think having dinner here is creepy, you’d be dead wrong: not only does this global street food restaurant have a menu to die for, it also has one of the coolest rooftop bars in town. Read the article.

At Bake in London’s Chinatown, chefs make Japanese taiyaki — cakes shaped like tai (red seabream). Fillings include read bean paste (made from sweetened adzuki beans), custard, chocolate, cheese and sweet potato. Our photo story for Issue 8 (spring 2020) celebrated the history and dishes on offer in this area. Thanks to immigration from Hong Kong and nearby regions, the food here was once largely Cantonese, but in recent years it’s diversified, and today there are outlets specialising in everything from Taiwanese fried chicken to Malaysian roti. Read the article.

Our feature on Lima’s buzziest barrios took readers into cool beachfront neighbourhoods and industrial spaces that had been reborn as creative hubs. Photographer Karolina Wiercigroch snapped our opening spread, a city shot of the Barranco district that illustrates the Peruvian capital’s mix of greenery and terrace bars, set across rolling hills. Read the article.

What are the main characteristics of a Thai green curry? Mildness? Sweetness? Bright green-ness? If you’ve eaten Thai food in Europe or the US, you’ll certainly have come across versions of the dish that tick all three boxes — but the real deal is entirely different. Steven Joyce shot our Deconstruct feature for Issue 9 of National Geographic Traveller Food (summer 2020). Read the article.

Moroccan tanneries are known for their quality and craft, and nowhere is the deep-rooted heritage of leatherwork better experienced than in the Red City. Within the bustling Medina, tanners, dyers and merchants ply their trade, having honoured the same techniques for centuries. For our Jul/Aug 2020 photo story, photographer Nico Avelardi captured this dyer, wearing rubber galoshes and gloves, pulling a hide from a vat of green dye in Marrakech’s tannery. Read the article.

Our Photography Competition 2020 grand prize winner was Hadriel Torres, who snapped this arresting image at the Matavaa O Te Henua Enana arts festival, held on the remote Marquesas Islands. The celebration of local music, dance and crafts showcases the lively traditions of this Pacific archipelago, attracting delegations from all six inhabited islands, as well as tourists. Here, the haka (a ceremonial dance of powerful gestures and stamping) is performed by the local dance group on the small island of Ua Pou while awaiting the arrival of the neighbouring islands’ canoes. The shot, entered into the ‘People’ category, was selected as the overall competition winner from more than 4,500 entries. Discover the full list of winners.

In Courmayeur, in the shadow of Mont Blanc, family meals are hearty affairs, involving plenty of cheese and suitably mountainous portions. Photographer Karolina Wiercigroch captured this image of an Alpine feast for the Breaking Bread feature for Issue 9 (summer 2020) of National Geographic Traveller Food. Here, regional dishes are shared between Ottone, Ivette, Peter, Emanuela, Maëlle and the writer, Hannah Summers. Read the article.

Stonehaven’s glory days as a thriving Scottish fishing village may be behind it, but the culinary legacy of its past remains. It’s a place to grab yourself a table with a sea view and tuck in to smoked haddock, award-winning fish and chips or fresh lobster. For this foodie photo story, Simon Bajada captured the plates and produce. In the smokehouse in Gourdon Harbour, fresh filleted haddock are hung up, waiting for the smoker. Read the article.

Magenta, yellow, crimson, blue — the vibrant colours of Holi are recognisable the world over, but this time-honoured Hindu festival of colour has its roots firmly in the subcontinent. In the cities of Vrindavan, Nandgaon, Barsana and Mathura, in the Braj region of India’s Uttar Pradesh, some of the most spectacular celebrations take place, as photographer Prabir Mitra showcased in National Geographic Traveller’s Sept/Oct 2020 issue photo story. Read the article.

Popularised in the 19th century, the British classic of steak and kidney pie has since become a pub staple. And while, over the centuries, the ingredients have been up for some debate, these days the kidneys are non-negotiable. Various types of kidney can be used, depending on your taste. Ox kidney offers a distinct, robust flavour, but for something more subtle, try veal or even lamb. Ant Duncan shot this delectable pie for our Issue 10 (winter 2020) of National Geographic Traveller Food.

Here, Daniele Rango makes a bracciale ball (used in an ancient, tennis-like sport) in his workshop in the village of Treia, in the Italian region of Le Marche. For craftsmanship, there’s nowhere in the country like this region, populated by family businesses that handcraft paper from hemp and weave basket bags for Italy’s biggest fashion houses. Francesco Lastrucci shot our ‘Italy: Off the beaten track’ cover story for the Sept/Oct 2020 issue of National Geographic Traveller. Read the article.

Bahati, a female leopard, surveys the Maasai Mara National Reserve from a tree. This image is part of photographer Greg Funnell’s shoot in Kenya, illustrating a feature on an intrepid trekking safari through Kenya. Exploring terrain inaccessible to vehicles, travellers walk between remote lodges and luxurious fly camps, revealing, at riveting close range, the rich drama of this unique African ecosystem. Read the article.

Strolling down the historic alleys of Hoi An in central Vietnam is like travelling back in time: colourful buildings, wooden bridges and, in many winding lanes, no traffic at all. Photographer Roger Borgelid encountered this friendly hairdresser down one such side street. ‘For me,’ he wrote, ‘his face, smiling through the green curtains of his open shop window, reflects the spirit and soul of this spectacular city.’

It’s known for being India’s tech capital, but Bengaluru is also arguably the country’s best city for vegetarians and vegans, with a truly vibrant meat-free dining scene. From buttery dosas drenched in coconut chutney to fluffy idli dipped in mild yet addictive sauces, South Indian snack food is luscious and languid, with flavours that sing of the Keralan coast and spicing as mellow as Goa trance music. Hajra Ahmad shot the colourful feature, here showing vegan cheese pizza with tofu and house sauce made at Carrots restaurant.

For our Nov/Dec 2020 issue, Mark Parren Taylor walked some of Japan’s Nakasendo Way, a 17th-century highway linking the spiritual centre of Kyoto with the political hub of Edo (modern-day Tokyo). Only sections of the epic 332-mile route remain, offering up the hospitality and flavours of modern mountain life. For a traditional experience, Fujioto Ryokan — a century-old inn in Tsumago — offers tatami rooms and a 6pm-sharp eight-course kaiseki dinner.

The final photo essay for National Geographic Traveller Food in 2020 was shot by Karolina Wiercigroch, and this image opened the print feature. Peru’s second-largest city, Arequipa, is known for its historic centre, with its array of white baroque buildings made from volcanic sillar stone. The area is also home to most of the city’s picanterías: informal diners with communal tables, serving up hearty portions of comfort food. These culinary institutions first emerged in the 16th century as taverns dedicated to feeding the working class, and they remain a treasured part of Peruvian cultural heritage.

Our Nov/Dec San Francisco cover story focused in on local characters and their favourite neighbourhoods. Resident photographer Andria Lo dutifully tracked down these subjects and came back with sensational portraits, including this one of activist and drag artist Nick Large (posing as his alter ego Kirsti Yummykochi) in the historic Castro neighbourhood. Read the article.