National Geographic Photo of the Day

Tsingy Climbing, Madagascar

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

Climber John "Razor Sharp" Benson weaves through skin-ripping pinnacles. In Malagasy, the formations are called tsingy, meaning "where one cannot walk barefoot." The terrain resists intrusions from hunters, hungry cattle, and wildfires.

See more pictures from the November 2009 feature story "Living on a Razor's Edge."

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Western Cwm, Mount Everest

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

At dawn, a sliver of moon shines above the Western Cwm.

See more pictures and read dispatches from the National Geographic Everest Expedition and download the National Geographic magazine app to follow real-time updates from the team.

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Skiier, Whistler

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

A skier in Whistler, Canada, jumps through a ring of fire.

(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)

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Kayaking, Greenland

Sun, 13 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

Kayaking in Torssukatak fjord, near Kummiut, east Greenland

(This photo and caption were submitted to My Shot.)

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Arrigetch Peaks, Alaska

Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

Arrigetch Peaks, August 23, 2010
"These teeter-tottering granite boulders all wanted to slide," Andrew Skurka says of a talus-covered pass in the central Brooks Range, where his friend Roman Dial joined him.

See more pictures from the March 2011 feature story "Circling Alaska in 176 Days."

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Ora Cave, Papua New Guinea

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

The crash of rapids surrounds expedition leader David Gill, left, and Herb Laeger near the entrance of Ora Cave. Hot acidic waters welling up from deep underground, combined with drainage from heavy rains, have carved a maze of tunnels and chambers through New Britain’s young limestone.

See pictures from the September 2006 feature story "Raging Danger."

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Freerunner, Montreal

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

This shot was taken in Montreal. I’m documenting the lifestyle and the passion of freerunners. Parkour is not a sport, it is a way of life, a discipline based on respect and physical and mental training. Evolving and always pushing the limits of their body and their mind, these passionate athletes stop at nothing to perfect themselves and help other freerunners to do the same. In this shot, my friend, after a lot of training, did a backflip from a four-meter-high building.

(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)

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Shipwreck, Great Barrier Reef

Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

Marine life in the Yongala shipwreck, Great Barrier Reef

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Kathmandu, Nepal

Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

The Bodhnath Stupa is a World Heritage site in Kathmandu, Nepal. Kathmandu is for many a gateway to Mount Everest.

(This photo and caption were submitted to My Shot.)

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Half Dome, Yosemite National Park

Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

Alex Honnold takes on the third zigzag of Half Dome without a rope. He has just one more difficult section, or pitch, in the last three before reaching the summit.

See more pictures from the May 2011 feature story "Daring. Defiant. Free."

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Surfer and Seagulls, Malibu

Sun, 06 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

A picture that depicts Malibu's beauty from a different perspective. The exposure of the ocean's bottom due to the low tide, in combination with the surrounding gulls, make the surfer experience the ocean's powerful aura.

(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)

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Hiker, Oregon

Sat, 05 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

A hiker pauses on the Neahkahnie Mountain Trail, located on the Oregon coast.

(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)

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River Crossing, Alaska

Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

Dillinger River, April 17, 2010
"Despite my best efforts, my leather ski boots got soaked by the melting snow," says Andrew Skurka, who tried to leap across some creeks and rivers. "At night everything froze solid. In the morning I had to force myself to slip my feet into the icy boots."

See more pictures from the March 2011 feature story "Circling Alaska in 176 Days."

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Kayakers, Maui

Thu, 03 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

There is an incredible coral bloom off the village of Olowalu on Maui's south shore. I've seen the coral from a helicopter numerous times and always thought it would photograph beautifully, especially if I could arrange for some kayakers to be paddling in and around the coral to add scale to the scene.

(This photo and caption were submitted to My Shot.)

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Hang Gliding, North Carolina

Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

My friend Wes Stalls gave me a call one spring morning letting me know the winds were blowing out of the east and were soarable. This picture was taken at Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head, North Carolina. It is a 90-foot-tall sand dune plus smaller ones situated on a small strip of land between the Atlantic Ocean and Albemarle Sound. The Wright brothers took the first powered flight just five miles up the road from where this picture was taken. Wes was able to get in five or six turns before making his landing.

(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)

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Sunset, Mount Everest

Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Adventure and Exploration Photos

The sun sets over the west shoulder of Mount Everest (right) and Mount Nuptse.

See more pictures and read dispatches from the National Geographic Everest Expedition and download the National Geographic magazine app to follow real-time updates from the team.

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Godafoss, Iceland

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Nature and Weather Photos

A glacial torrent pours over a 40-foot-high ledge at Gođafoss, "waterfall of the gods." After the Icelandic assembly adopted Christianity in 1000, its leader threw his pagan idols into the falls. The mossy island, notes geographer Guđrún Gísladóttir, "is protected from sheep."

See more pictures from the May 2012 feature story, "Iceland’s Resilient Beauty."

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Charles Bridge, Prague

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Nature and Weather Photos

Prague's Charles Bridge at night as a dense fog rolls in off the river

(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)

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Alatna River Valley, Gates of the Arctic

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Nature and Weather Photos

Alatna River Valley, August 19, 2010
"I paddled across this deep, slow-moving river in my small pack raft," says adventurer Andrew Skurka. The Alatna meanders south from the Gates of the Arctic National Park.

See more pictures from the March 2011 feature story "Alaska Trek."

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Hikers, Glacier Bay National Park

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Nature and Weather Photos

My wife and I paddled up the west arm of Glacier Bay and back on an eight-day kayak trip in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park. We were on our own for the majority of the trip. We went days without seeing other people, but we never felt alone. This trip strengthened the already well-founded bond between us. I took this photo so that we would always have something to remind ourselves of this experience and how much closer we grew during it.

(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)

U.S. National Park Week is April 21-29. Download our new National Parks by National Geographic app and get ready to explore.

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Sequoia Tree, Yosemite National Park

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Nature and Weather Photos

The life rings of a sequoia tree in Yosemite National Park

(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)

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Mount Moran, Grand Teton National Park

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Nature and Weather Photos

Mount Moran is reflected in Snake River at Oxbow Bend in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.

(This photo and caption were submitted to My Shot.)

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Arch Rock, Joshua Tree National Park

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Nature and Weather Photos

A clear night at Arch Rock, Joshua Tree National Park. This is a self-portrait, made during a four-day stay hiking, camping, and climbing after being sent to a conference at San Diego by Johns Hopkins—it was the perfect combination of work and fun.

(This photo and caption were submitted to My Shot.)

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Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Nature and Weather Photos

Most people know about the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park, but only a few are lucky to discover the wonder near Sol Duc.

(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)

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Whale Shark, Gulf of Tadjoura

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This Month in Photo of the Day: Nature and Weather Photos

In winter young whale sharks come to feed on plankton in the nutrient-rich waters of the Gulf of Tadjoura, off the arid coast of Djibouti. The world's largest fish—weighing more than an elephant—is becoming a symbol of Arabia's bountiful, but largely unprotected, marine heritage.

See more pictures from the March 2012 feature story, "The Seas of Arabia."

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