landscape

Swiss sojourn

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In this year of travel, it was nice to be invited on a relaxing break by a friend and simply tag along. It was my first visit to Switzerland and the lakeside city of Montreux. A budget flight from Manchester to Geneva and an efficient train ride later, we had arrived.

A stay in a genteel hotel with a stunning Alpine view and walks along the shore of Lake Geneva made this a proper little holiday, with the scenery and quaint old part of the town keeping my camera busy.

Queen legend Freddie Mercury had a home in Montreux and one of the city’s main attractions is a statue dedicated to his memory. It’s easy to see why he decided to spend time here.

As for Switzerland, it’s clean, works well but will eat into your holiday money. A cheaper lakeside alternative could be Ohrid in North Macedonia, but the polished backdrop of the Alps is hard to beat.

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Namibia: Desert nation

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This vast, sparsely populated nation possesses ancient landscapes which overwhelm and inspire in equal measure.

Namibia sits above South Africa and is a 12-hour flight from Europe. Its natural terrain is remarkable, but there’s far more besides.

It has the full complement of African wildlife, from giraffes and elephants to crowds of antelope, ostrich and pink flamingo.

Namibia’s historical quirk is being one of Imperial Germany’s colonial adventures, which has left a lasting architectural and cultural legacy.

And those fans of abandonment porn, the ghostly mining town of Kolmanskop is a must in a country where your camera will work hard.

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Chile’s deep south

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Chile may be a slender nation, but it’s full of wild, varied and majestic landscapes. It takes a few hours to fly from the arid lands of the Atacama Desert in the north to Patagonia, towards the tip of South America.

You instantly feel the chill, rasping winds and even summer snow as you climb higher on epic treks. Torres del Paine is a territory full of rugged mountains, glacial lakes and craggy moraines.

The nearby town of Puerto Natales has a frontier feel to it, with its own otherworldly views and sunsets that last an age.

It’s easy to be overwhelmed with landscape photo opportunities here in a country of boundless contrasts – but this is one beguiling place.

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Chile’s Atacama

/ mikeosbornphoto / 8 Comments

Distant Chile is the longest nation on Earth, snaking its way down the side of South America. Its geography is monumentally diverse, starting in the north with the Atacama Desert.

This is the most otherworldly and magical place on Earth that I’ve visited. Between the barren, mesmerising landscape there are vast salt pans inhabited by flamingos, geysers which only bubble into life before sunrise, and Martian sunsets cloaking lunar terrain. A photographic spectacle.

Visitors are looked after well in this at times inhospitable place – you can even have drinks to witness the sunset and a hot breakfast rustled out of nowhere to see off the freezing dawn.

It may be a long journey to Chile, but the rewards are there.

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Glorious Georgia

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This small country is sandwiched between the Black Sea and Caucasus Mountains and packs a punch way beyond its size.

Georgia is steeped in history and studded with impressive monasteries, richly decorated churches and rustic castles. Combine that with its mountainous terrain, and you have the real Game of Thrones country.

Its attractive capital Tbilisi bristles with life and energy – definitely worth considering as a long weekend destination.

Unlike its historically introspective neighbour Armenia, Georgia looks to Europe for its future destiny and has a palpable dynamism. It’s a country I would definitely visit again.

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