Every week of the year our ships send back compelling images captured on expeditions around the globe by our talented and dedicated naturalists and certified photo instructors. From an astounding welcome ceremony at an Asmat village in Papua New Guinea to a spectacular portrait of emperor penguins in Antarctica, these are some of our favorite picks from the past year. Get Inspired By Photos, Videos, Webinars, Stories, And Exclusive Offers. Sign Up
Exploring Alaska's Coastal Wilderness
Passengers take in the beautiful early morning views from the bow of the National Geographic Venture. —Tara Kaestner-Barth, Naturalist/Expedition Diver
Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands
In dense snowfall and a thick silence only found in a few places on Earth, we set out to get a closer look at these majestic emperor penguins. Some sat in the snow, some transited to the other end of their ice floe, and others went for a swim beside our boats. Few of us had words to describe how lucky we were to experience this. What an absolute privilege. — Kirsa Nørregaard, Naturalist
Baja California: Among the Great Whales
A gray whale approached two pangas, repeatedly swimming between them. Occasionally, the whale blew so close to the small boats that we were covered in the salty droplets of the whale’s exhaled breath. In this image, a miniature ‘rainblow’ is visible! — Berit Solstad, Naturalist
Exploring Indonesia: Bali, Raja Ampat and Papua New Guinea
On October 15, National Geographic Orion was the first ship to return to the remote Asmat region since the pandemic began—and the excitement for our visit was electric. Our first stop brought us to Agats, a city in Asmat, Papua, Indonesia on the western portion of New Guinea. Guests rode Zodiacs upriver to Per Village, where they were greeted in an astounding fashion with a canoe welcome and a spirit pole raising ceremony. —Brett Garner, Naturalist/Expedition Diver
After breakfast, we made a dry landing onto North Seymour to explore some of the breeding sites for seabirds on the island. As we walked farther into the island, we encountered a few blue-footed boobies nesting, magnificent frigatebirds, and Galápagos land iguanas. We spotted a few land iguanas feeding on prickly pear cacti, while others rested under the shade of bushes. —Jonathan Aguas, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Wild Alaska Escape: LeConte Bay, Wrangell & the Misty Fjords
A sea otter dries off in the early morning sunlight. Steam rises from the otter, positioned so perfectly in front of the National Geographic Sea Bird. —Nathan Kelley, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Exploring the Bahamas’ Out Islands: Natural Wonders & Hidden History
The highlight of my day was finding a live queen conch, one of the iconic animals of the Bahamas. We even showed a mutual curiosity. It’s been a very long time since I’ve been eye-to-eye with an invertebrate, and any day I can get guests excited about something without a backbone is a good day. If you look closely in the bottom right third of this image, you can see the queen conch’s two curious eyes looking back at you! —Kim Nesbitt, Expedition Diver
Antarctica, South Georgia, and the Falklands
What a gorgeous afternoon we had at Jason’s Harbour, enjoying all that South Georgia has to offer. —Amy Malkoski, Naturalist/Expedition Diver (Photo by Jamie Coleman)
Exploring the Sea of Cortez: A Living Sea and Desert Isles
Orion rises from behind us as we start to explore the beach at night. The moon is only a sliver now so the sky is dark and full of stars. —Gemina Garland-Lewis, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Costa Rica and the Panama Canal
A local Guna woman paddleboarding by National Geographic Quest. —Max Vindas, Expedition Leader (Photo by Jose Calvo)
The highlight of the day was a pair of mountain lions encountered in the middle of Río Pargo trail. What a way to start our expedition, our adventure and of course, a new year. —Frank Simms, Naturalist
East Greenland: Wild Shores of the High Arctic
The small island of Vaeroya used to be home to fishermen but now only hosts summer residents due to its remoteness. It is an adventure gateway, with high mountains that promise unforgettable hikes and our more adventurous and feisty guests hiked all the way up to the top to enjoy the most stunning view. —Anne Hedlund, Naturalist/Expedition Diver (photo by Jamie Coleman)
We have all become very accustomed to dealing with one of my favorite birds, Arctic terns, over the course of this voyage. They are fiercely protective of their nests, and will swoop and scream at anyone who comes anywhere near their nest. So how do you work in Arctic tern territory? Give them something else to dive bomb. While in the past, I’ve just walked with someone taller than me, at Vigur, we got sticks to hold up high to give the terns a target. —Kim Nesbitt, Naturalist/Expedition Diver
Antarctica and Patagonia: Legendary Ice and Epic Fjords
A humpback whale waves a pectoral fin as it surfaces in front of a very excited group of viewers.—Tanish Peelgrane, Naturalist/Expedition Diver
Northwest Passage: Greenland to Alaska
A young female bear, curious and fearless, stares up at guests aboard National Geographic Resolution. This was likely a bear whose mother had recently sent it off to make its way in the world. Such bears can be trouble because they haven’t yet perfected their hunting skills and they haven’t always learned to avoid humans. She approached the ship with no hesitation, showing none of the signs of anxiety or wariness we saw in the older male bear earlier in the day. Her biggest concern seemed to be whether she would be able to board the ship to investigate those intriguing smells. —Daniel Odess, Cultural Specialist
Galápagos Aboard National Geographic Endeavour II
While exploring at Prince Philip’s Steps, we were surrounded by Nazca boobies, red-footed boobies, and frigatebirds. We found our first elusive short-eared owl and observed it from an extremely close range. We felt rewarded to enjoy a unique view of this camouflaged diurnal raptor. Today was an owl day! Little did we know that we were going to have close encounters with many of them. —Celso Montalvo, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands
King penguin chicks (known as ‘Oakum boys’) gather in a creche surrounded by adults. —Andrew Peacock, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Northwest Passage: Greenland to Alaska
National Geographic Endurance with Zodiacs shuttling passengers ashore to Pond Inlet. —Sue Forbes, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Land of the Ice Bears: An In-Depth Exploration of Arctic Svalbard
During the morning, we entered into Hornsund, one of the most scenic landscapes of Svalbard. We searched the shores and cruised towards the edge of fast ice in the inner fjords of Hornsund. A walk on the ice outside of Samarinbreen was certainly one of the great highlights of our voyage. —Carl Erik Kilander, Naturalist
A flamingo feeding in a brackish lagoon on Punta Cormorant. —Ixora Berdonces, Naturalist
Wild Alaska Escape: Sitka to Juneau
As the afternoon passed to early evening, we gathered in the lounge for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Our staff began our first recap, a Lindblad tradition each evening during cocktail hour. As the first staff member began her talk, we saw the expedition leader step to the phone behind the bar. Moments later, the announcement was made, “Killer whales off the bow!” The entire lounge emptied as everyone made their way outside for a rare sighting of killer whales. —Sharon Grainger, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands
The last of the down to molt is on those hard-to-reach places, such as the top of the head. Most of the Adélie penguin chicks are sporting comical ‘hair styles’ at this time of year. —Conor Ryan, Naturalist
May 2023
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May 2023
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May 2023
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