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Our top Instagram shots of 2019
Our final blog post of the decade takes a look at our best Instagram shots of 2019 Kia has already reflected on how strange 2019 has been for us. She spent so much time on her book that I traveled to Nepal, Greenland and Pakistan without her. These were all multi-week trips, meaning we spent more time apart in 2019 than ever before. The year 2020 begins in a similar way as I set out to climb the highest mountain of my life: Aconcagua in Argentina. At 6,962 m (22,841 ft) it is one of the seven peaks - my third after...
Our top Instagram shots of 2019
Our final blog post of the decade takes a look at our best Instagram shots of 2019
Kia has already reflected on how strange 2019 has been for us. She spent so much time on her book that I traveled to Nepal, Greenland and Pakistan without her. These were all multi-week trips, meaning we spent more time apart in 2019 than ever before.
The year 2020 begins in a similar way as I set out to climb the highest mountain of my life: Aconcagua in Argentina. At 6,962 m (22,841 ft), it is one of the seven peaks - my third after Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Elbrus in Russia (fourth if you count Kosciuszko in Australia - which I don't).
After that, things should return to some semblance of normality as we plan joint visits to Mongolia, Canada and Alaska. These are all trips we've been putting on hold for some time, so hopefully 2020 will be the year they finally come to fruition.
While Kia looks after the editorial side of Atlas & Boots, I am responsible for social media and photography. We were pretty late to the game when it came to Instagram and didn't start a channel until almost a year after starting the blog. (What were we thinking!)
Today our Instagram channel is our largest social media platform and continues to grow. So we thought we'd use my final post of the decade to revisit our best Instagram shots of 2019 and the stories behind them.
That's all from me for 2019. We hope you continue next year, both here and on Instagram. Happy New Year.
January
The stark silhouettes of Deadvlei's seemingly petrified trees stand out against a vivid sunrise in the Namib Desert near Sossusvlei.
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The first of our best Instagram photos of 2019 is this one from Namibia. I've been wanting to photograph this incredible landscape ever since I saw it in a National Geographic photo essay years ago. The photos created a surreal Disney-like scene that I was never entirely sure was real.
Well, it's fine really. We finally visited Sossusvlei at the end of 2018 as part of a 17-day self-drive safari through Namibia.
February
The To Sua Ocean Trench on Upolu Island in Samoa.
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We visited Samoa on our first big trip: a year-long journey across the Pacific Ocean and then to South America.
To Sua felt absolutely magical. There are two deep sinkholes with steep rock walls and turquoise water. You can swim through an archway connecting the two pools or simply float on your back and watch the sky. The pools are fed by an underwater trench that comes directly from the Pacific Ocean a few meters further away. ⠀
march
We saw the first white rhinos during our visit to Eswatini (Swaziland).
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Over the course of our three-day visit, we saw 13 (!) rhinos, including two of the elusive black variety. In fact, within five minutes of arriving at our first meeting point, we saw two rhinos loitering nearby. Eswatini is proud of its work to protect rhinos. The country has lost only three in the last 24 years, compared to two to three per day in South Africa.
April
Prayer flags flutter in the wind at the Everest Monument in Chukpi Lhara near the village of Pheriche in Nepal.
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It was almost criminal that I hadn't seen Nepal yet. This year I finally finished it by hiking to Everest Base Camp. Nepal instantly became my favorite country and I vowed to return as soon as possible to complete the Annapurna Circuit and Langtang Treks. I hope to one day take it a step further and actually climb the mountain.
Can
Just one of the impressive views that greeted us as we drove over the winding Sani Pass in Lesotho.
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We knew little about Lesotho before the trip and have to admit we were expecting a dusty country of a country. What we found was some of the most breathtaking scenery we have ever seen. Lush folds of velvet green rose like waves in a painting. The drama of this mountain pass leading to one of the least known countries in the world was absolutely stunning.
June
The Múlafossur waterfall and the village of Gásadalur in the Faroe Islands.
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We landed in the Faroe Islands late in the evening, but as sunset was after 11pm we had enough time to enjoy the scenery before heading to our accommodation. This remote collection of 18 islands promised sprawling glaciated valleys, churning fjords and dramatic cliffs buffeted by the swells of the North Atlantic. It didn't disappoint us.
July
Two puffins chat on Mykines, the westernmost island of the Faroe Islands.
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We visited Mykines looking for puffins and found them! We were a little early for the peak of the breeding season, which runs from mid-June to August, so most of the puffins were still at sea. However, we managed to spot dozens of these charming birds nesting in their burrows along the cliffs.
August
Iceberg viewing under the midnight sun near Ilulissat in Greenland.
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Every summer north of the Arctic Circle the sun magically rolls over the horizon all night long. The famous midnight sun can be seen in Greenland's northernmost cities between late April and late August. Here, between the Icefjord of Ilulissat and closer to the Arctic Circle, the midnight sun is visible between early June and mid-July.⠀
September
The Peace Pagoda at the foot of Adam's Peak (Sri Pada), the holiest mountain in Sri Lanka.
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Sri Lanka was number one on Lonely Planet's annual Best in Travel list of top countries to visit in 2019. We re-shared this photo when we took over their Instagram for the weekend and it turned out to be one of our best Instagram shots of 2019.
We visited Sri Lanka in 2017 and our night climb to Adam’s Peak was one of our most memorable experiences. At 2,243 m (7,359 ft), 5,500 steps lead to the summit. The mountain has been a place of pilgrimage for over 1,000 years and people of all shapes and ages gather on its steps to make the climb in time for sunrise.
October
A long exposure of K2 from the Concordia campsite in Pakistan was another of our best Instagram shots of 2019.
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Earlier this year I couldn't turn down the opportunity to take part in a hike to K2 Base Camp combined with a technical crossing of the Gondogoro La Pass. At 8,611 m (28,251 ft), K2 is the second highest mountain on earth, one of only 14 eight-thousanders and a member of the seven second peaks.
November
Balloons float over the fairytale landscape of Cappadocia in Turkey during a sunrise balloon ride.
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We had spent three days exploring the lunar-like environment of Cappadocia. We had hiked, driven, “tumbled,” and ridden in Goreme National Park (the modern enclosure of the historic region of Cappadocia) and were ready for a full, unobstructed view from above.
The balloon ride gave us an unparalleled perspective of the area's unique landscape: fairy chimneys, towering boulders, and cave-dotted, rugged valleys.
December
Watching the sunset at Uluru in the Northern Territory of Australia.
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Climbing Uluru was finally banned in 2019 - long overdue in our opinion. We visited Uluru in 2018 after taking a 1,500km detour that included two nights of camping with spiders, snakes and dingoes.
Travel writer Bill Bryson described Uluru as strangely familiar and we felt the same. Here was the rock we had seen in films, postcards and documentaries - an icon known around the world.