In the past two decades, The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been considered one of the most dangerous conflict areas in the world. Congo’s civil wars, which began in 1996, devastated the country. The fighting has abated in recent years, and there has been a concerted effort to secure, stabilize, and reopen parts
Mount Nyiragongo, located in Virunga National Park with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is an active stratovolcano that has erupted at least 34 times since 1882. The most recent major eruption of the volcano occurred in 2002, destroying 4,500 buildings, displacing 400,000 people, and causing 147 casualties. The primary draw of Nyiragongo is the
While visiting Indonesia, I spent two nights photographing the sulfur mine of Ijen Volcano. Although the experience was a grueling one for me, it doesn’t even begin to compare to the challenging life led by the miners of Ijen, recognized as one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Every night, the miners climb
I recently returned to photograph Argentina’s Puna de Atacama region, a high desert plateau located in a remote corner of northern Argentina, adjacent to Chile’s Atacama Desert. I previously wrote about Argentina’s Puna region for Outdoor Photography Guide. This year I was leading a photo tour for Epic Destinations, and the stunning scenery of the
During my recent trip to Indonesia, I spent three days cruising through the superlative Komodo Islands. Best known as the home of Komodo dragons, the Komodo Islands also offer world-class diving and snorkeling and feature stunning landscapes. My three short days in this tropical paradise certainly weren’t enough. Most people who visit the Komodos go
I recently spent five days trekking with orangutans in Gunung Leuser National Park, on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. The orangutan’s name is based on two Malay words, “orang” (“people” or “person”) and “hutan” (“forest”), and roughly translates as “man of the forest.” Critically endangered and threatened by habitat loss due to logging and
Death Valley is the lowest, driest, and hottest place in North America. During the California Gold Rush of 1849, a group of westbound settlers got lost in Death Valley for several weeks, forced to eat several of their oxen to survive. When they eventually found a way out, one of the women in the group
Valley of Fire is Nevada’s oldest and largest state park, named for the park’s extensive red sandstone formations. Despite being less than an hour’s drive away from Las Vegas, Valley of Fire seems to be from a completely different world. Over 150 million years old, the ancient rock has withstood eons of uplifting, faulting, and
The Pantanal of Brazil is the world’s largest tropical freshwater wetland area, and is a great location to photograph a number of species including caiman, giant otters, hyacinth macaws, and many other tropical bird species. But forget all that: the Pantanal is the best place in the world to see and photograph wild jaguar! I
The Puna de Atacama is a breathtaking desert scene, not known by many photographers. Centuries of volcanoes and erosion have created these surreal rock formations, ideal for landscape photography.
