Instagram is flooded with panoramic shots of the most famous views on Planet Earth; searching ‘Grand Canyon’ brings you back no fewer than 2.4 million posts! Of course, there’s a reason these images are so shareable: they never fail to impress and give people serious travel envy.
With these most famous views getting all the attention, there are a host of other, lesser-known and lesser acknowledged, views just waiting to be enjoyed. If you’re a true adventurer, why not set out to capture some of these images before they become too busy?
The magical light in Utah’s canyon parks
A little further down the road from the mega-famous Grand Canyon, lies Bryce Canyon National Park. The incredibly clear skies here — often providing up to 100 miles of visibility — make for sensational photographs, and the way the light shifts through the day gives the rock-face a pink-orange-red hue, which is breathtaking even without the use of Instagram filters! Lodging in Bryce Canyon puts you right at the heart of it, with acres of private land and exclusive canyons to explore.
NYC’s evolving skyline from DUMBO
Arguably the most famous shot taken in New York City is from atop the Empire State Building, with views down on to Central Park and across the Hudson into Brooklyn and Williamsburg. Yet, if you cross the river and find a spot in a place named DUMBO – Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass – you’ll be able to take in the whole of NYC’s impressive skyline, including one of the most interesting buildings: The Empire State.
What’s truly exciting about this perspective on The Big Apple, is that each time you go, it’ll look slightly different; buildings come up and down, facades alter, and boats move along the river bank. Come back at nighttime to see the city lit up, and once again, experience a totally different visual spectacle.
Mt Rinjani, Lombok: a view over the Island of the Gods
Bali has long been the preferred holiday destination in Indonesia, but Lombok has much to offer. Take the three-day hike on Mount Rinjani, and reach its peak by sunrise, to be rewarded with sensational sights over a crater lake from one side and on the other, a panorama across the Lombok Strait to the picturesque cluster of Gili Islands and Island of the Gods, Bali, beyond.
Set your camera to a small aperture and high f-stop for best results.
Outsmart the tourists in Agra
Even if you wake at the crack of dawn, to be at the gates of the Taj Mahal when it opens at 6am, you’ll still queue to enter with the crowds of other visitors also keen to get an unpopulated view — and photograph — of the UNESCO site.
Instead, get your camera prepared for a trip to the Tomb of I’timād-ud-Daulah, also a mausoleum with intricate and jaw-dropping architecture but — crucially — the peace and quiet a resting place deserves, and that you’ll need to get a mesmerising photo.