Atlas six places, one at a time

01 / 06

Stop 01 · Valais

Zermatt

The Matterhorn shows up twice on a still morning at Riffelsee: once as a mountain, once as its reflection.

Season
Jun–Sep
Getting there
Rail from Zürich · 3h
Days
5

Stop 02 · Kansai

Kyoto

Higashiyama at dusk — wooden machiya, the Yasaka pagoda closing off the lane, and the last light caught under the eaves.

Season
Late Mar–Apr
Getting there
Rail from Osaka · 28m
Days
6

Stop 03 · Sossusvlei

Namib

Walk the dune ridge before the heat arrives, when the sand holds a hard line between light and shadow.

Season
May–Sep
Getting there
Road from Windhoek · 5h
Days
4

Stop 04 · California

Yosemite

El Capitan on the left, Bridalveil on the right, and the whole valley turning copper in the first week of November.

Season
Oct–Nov
Getting there
Drive from Fresno · 1h 30m
Days
3

Stop 05 · Atlantic

Algarve

Long exposures on the Atlantic: sea stacks gone silver, wet sand still holding the last of the sunset.

Season
Sep–Oct
Getting there
Drive from Faro · 1h
Days
4

Stop 06 · Anatolia

Cappadocia

A hundred balloons lift off over the fairy chimneys at dawn while the valley below is still switching its lights on.

Season
Apr–Jun
Getting there
Flight from Istanbul · 1h 20m
Days
3

Atlas

Six places worth the flight. Each card holds the screen for six seconds, then the next one takes over.