In 2015, I had the opportunity to cross the Simien Mountains on foot. Traversing this massif, among the highest in Africa, was an incredible experience in its own right (read the article on the Simien). But an unexpected encounter made this adventure even more unforgettable.
Continue reading“The Ethiopian Wolf, the wolf on the roof of Africa”
Snow monkeys (in Japanese, nihonzaru 日本猿), also known as Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), are the only species of primate living in the wild in Japan. This species is also endemic to the Japanese archipelago. These monkeys are mainly found in mountainous regions, at altitudes ranging from 500 to 2,500 meters. In winter, when temperatures become harsh, these monkeys have developed a surprising habit: soaking in natural hot springs to keep warm!
Lake Karum is a salt lake located in Ethiopia, at the northern end of the Great Rift Valley. This lake, as well as the volcanoes of Dallol and Erta Ale, are among the most improbable landscapes of the Danakil Depression. This place also offers a timeless spectacle. Indeed, perpetuating a centuries-old tradition, Tigrayans travel to Lake Karum from the Ethiopian highlands, followed by long caravans of dromedaries and donkeys in order to recover salt slabs from the dry areas of the lake, a vestige of a time when the sea still flooded the Danakil Depression.
Larger than Australia with its 8 million square kilometres, the Sahara has not always been the biggest hot desert on the planet. About 15,000 years ago, it was a green period brought about by a warming phase that had intensified evaporation from the top of the ocean and pushed the monsoons into the heart of the North African continent. The arid landscapes that we know today were then covered by large lakes and rich vegetation. Elephants were living there, as well as hippos, crocodiles and humans too. Those ones, as to immortalize this full of life period, have drawn paintings and engravings cut out of rock. These testimonies of the past are omnipresent in Tadrart Rouge. Indeed, this Sahara’s fragment is located in south-eastern Algeria and offers the vision of over 15,000 engravings to the brave who dare adventuring themselves into there. Over the sand dunes and rocky peaks, the traveller will discover, at the same time as breathtaking landscapes, a touching testimony of the past.
Continue reading“Algeria: The Tadrart Rouge, a window to the Sahara and its history”
Under the Siberian’s winter freezing temperatures, Baïkal lake’s surface is changing into ice several months a year, usually from beginning of January to May. The 1 to 2 meters thick ice, allows people and even cars circulation on it. The following photos have been taken during a frozen lake’s foot crossing. Several aspects of the ice, sun ray’s reverberation on it, the lights playing through the “Toros” are as many photogenic subjects that would make this crossing unforgettable.
Continue reading“Russia: The Baïkal lake during winter, frozen pearl of Siberia”
The Palau archipelago, located in the Western Pacific east of the Philippines, consists of more than 250 islands. Most are uninhabited, covered in primary tropical rainforest and mangroves. While this description already promises adventure, the existence of a lake populated by millions of jellyfish on one of these islands makes the region truly extraordinary.
Erta Ale is an Ethiopian volcano located in the Afar region, in the northeast of the country, within the East African Rift Valley. Standing 613 meters high with a base diameter of 30 kilometers, its broad, low-profile shape classifies it as a “shield volcano.”
At the summit of this highly active volcano lies a caldera containing two pit craters. The South Pit, 200 meters in diameter, is currently the most impressive as it houses a permanent lava lake where molten rock reaches temperatures of 1,200 degrees Celsius. The lake’s level fluctuates constantly; in January 2017, it rose high enough to overflow. By April 2017, the level had dropped, offering observers a spectacular and cyclical phenomenon of emptying and refilling, which can be seen in the videos at the end of this article.
Continue reading“Ethiopia: The Erta Ale volcano and its lava lake”
23 to 7 million years ago, during the Miocene era, Amazonia was partially covered by seawater. Cetaceans were living in this area. When seawater has been definitely out of Amazonia ground, a species would have adapted to continue living in rivers, drawing the Amazonian landscape. This species became the Boto, known also as the biggest pink dolphin of Amazonia.
Continue reading“Brazil: The Boto, pink dolphin of Amazonia”
Called the « Blue Pearl » because of its water purity, the Khövsgöl lake (in mongolian : ᠺᠥᠪᠰᠦᠭᠦᠯ) is a sacred place for the local people, which they call « Mother ». The below pictures were taken at summer time, during a several weeks horse ride on the lakeside. More than a view on the lake, these photos show also the local inhabitants met during this trip.
Located in the Philippines’ Sulu Sea, the Tubbataha Reef became a protected marine park on August 11th, 1988. This 968 km² sanctuary was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in December 1993. In the Sama language, Tubbataha means “a long reef exposed at low tide,” referring to its two large atolls, each featuring a tiny islet at its center.
The Simien Mountains, located in the northern Ethiopian Highlands, have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978. Due to their high altitude, these plateaus enjoy a cooler and wetter climate than the surrounding lowlands. This environment supports the local population, mostly small-scale farmers, who are even able to cultivate coffee beans in this unique landscape.
The massif is a vital sanctuary for several endemic species. The most iconic inhabitants are the Gelada baboons and the Ethiopian Wolf. The latter is one of the world’s rarest canids, with only about 500 individuals remaining in the wild.
Raja Ampat, or “The Four Kings,” is an Indonesian archipelago comprising four main islands and approximately 1,500 smaller islets. Located at the meeting point of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, this region serves as a vital crossroads for marine species from both basins, fueling extraordinary biodiversity.
To each their own hat, and for each headgear, a unique meaning. In Peru, and more broadly across the Andean highlands, choosing a hat is far from a simple fashion statement.
Indeed, every piece of headgear, in addition to its practical and decorative purposes, carries vital information about its wearer. A hat can reveal the social or marital status of the person beneath it, while ethnic identity remains instantly recognizable through specific shapes, colors, and materials.
The Kyrgyz proverb “He who has no horse has no feet” speaks volumes about the lifestyle of these mountain shepherds. A former crossroads for Silk Road caravans, Kyrgyzstan remains home to a resilient nomadic culture that moves with the rhythm of the seasons.
Here is a selection of images captured during dives in the Egyptian Red Sea. This region is world-renowned for its crystal-clear waters and the exceptional biodiversity of its underwater ecosystems.
This series includes photographs of local wildlife, such as Hawksbill turtles and vibrant coral reefs, but also explores the haunting beauty of the many wrecks littering the seabed. These underwater monuments offer a unique glimpse into history, now being slowly reclaimed by marine life.
Today it is particularly hot. The air is dry and it hasn’t rained for months, yet you are crossing the vast desert. Your goal is the mountain on the far side. There lives Kon, the servant god who carries messages from the Earth to the Heavens. In exchange for the offering you bring, he might deliver your plea: a desperate request for the celestial gods to bring rain once more to your village’s crops.
To find your way to the mountain, you follow strange paths etched into the ground. These paths have never been seen in their entirety by human eyes. To do so, one would need to fly like a condor—but that gift, like these drawings, is reserved for celestial birds and the gods.
Socotra is a Yemeni island covering an area of approximately 3,579 km². Located over 250 km from the nearest coast, its geographic isolation has allowed flora and fauna to evolve far from external influences. Consequently, more than a third of the plants found on Socotra grow nowhere else on Earth.
Today, the Masks are emerging. They parade and dance to accompany a Dozo hunter toward his afterlife. The crops were bountiful, and the Senufo spirits will surely grant the hunter a warm welcome…
The Senufo people, with approximately 2.7 million members, represent one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. Their territory spans the borders of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Côte d’Ivoire.
In the Bambara language, the word Senufo means “dialect of the farmers,” referring to a traditionally peaceful and agricultural society. The Senufo are renowned for their diligence and pride in their craft. A proverb that best characterizes them is: “I do not quarrel with anyone; it is with the land that I fight.” Migrating over a thousand years ago to escape persecution from the north and east, they settled permanently in these lands due to the exceptional agricultural quality of the soil.
Continue reading“Burkina Faso: The Senufo Dozo dry funeral ceremony”
All of the images presented here were captured in Indonesia, specifically within the marine area of Komodo National Park. This park is an ideal destination for those wishing to dive and discover the incredible diversity of a coral reef. Numerous species of nudibranchs live alongside strange crustaceans, such as anemone shrimps or carrier crabs, while gigantic manta rays share the spotlight with the world’s smallest syngnathid, the pygmy seahorse.
Tasman Glacier, the largest of New Zealand, offers to its visitors a beautiful sight. Ice blocks collaps from its southern face, and remain afloat in a dark gray lake. While walking around the lake, these icebergs give us an image of a polar excursion.
The visit will continue up to the Pukaki lake, an attractive place of this glacier valley due to the turquoise color of the water.
Continue reading“New Zealand: Tasman Glacier and Pukaki lake”
Spending time in Tajikistan means “gaining altitude”! The country’s land is 93% covered by mountains, with more than half of the territory situated at least 3,000 meters above sea level. The highest point is the Ismail Samani peak, reaching an impressive 7,495 meters.
The two main massifs are the Pamir, famous since the days of the Silk Road, and the Alay Mountains, which run along the northern part of Tajikistan and the southern part of Kyrgyzstan.
Hiking through the Alay Mountains, valley after valley and pass after pass, allows you to meet the Tajik shepherds who live there. These nomads move with the seasons alongside their herds. Their traditional dwellings are called “Kappa”—wooden tents covered with animal skins. There are also permanent villages where stone and cob houses are huddled together for protection against the harsh winters.
Through these photographs, I invite you to discover the mountainous landscapes of Tajikistan, its turquoise glacial lakes, and the people who call these heights home. These images were captured in the Fansky Mountains, part of the Alay range.
Under your feet, a warm and golden sand…
The surrounding dunes are pierced with thousands limestone arrows . Some measuring almost four meters high, which give the whole place a strange atmosphere, almost surreal.
You are in the Australian Pinnacles Desert …
Continue reading“Australia: The Pinnacles Desert”
Rafflesia is a kind of parasitic flower which lives under tropical climate of the Southeast Asia. This genus has 28 species and can measure up to 1 meter in diameter (Rafflesia Arnoldii) and weights up to 10 kg. Even the smaller species, Rafflesia Baletei, has 12 cm diameter flowers. So, Rafflesias, is the world’s largest flower. The species introduced in this article, the Rafflesia Kerri, has a diameter of 50-90 cm.
Continue reading“Malaysia: Rafflesia, the world’s biggest flower”
New Zealand offers to its visitors varied and colorful landscapes. The pure white glaciers rubs turquoise blue or emerald green mountain lakes. An intense geothermal activity that reveals from soil gray mud pools, or sulfured water springs they brings small particles that colors the ground to yellow…
The pictures in this series, issued from a grandiose landscape or a small detail of a curious source, are, therefore, also rich in color.
The bamboo train, called “Norry” in Khmer, is an original form of rail transport that can be seen on the railway that crosses through Cambodia. A norry consists of a bamboo tray about 2.5 x 4 meters assembled with two axles similar to heavy weights and powered by a small engine. He runs on the Cambodian railway.
The Kauri (Agathis australis), also called Kaori, is an endemic tree from the family of the conifer that can be found in the northern part of New-Zealand. Kauris exist in New-Zealand for ages. Some fossils had been discovered and have been estimated to 220 millions of years old.
Uluṟu is a rock formation located in the heart of Australia, Northern Territory, near Alice Springs. Uluru, and other geological curiosities around (like Mount Olga) is part of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta. The park, covering an area of 1325km² created in 1987, was classified in the same year as a UNESCO Natural Heritage Site world.
The experts may certainly recognize Moray, Manta Ray, Clown fish, Parrotfish, Squid and Cuttlefish, different species of hard and soft corals, and some Shellfishes. Have a good dive!
Everyone has heard of the Azores … At least during a weather report. 😉 Indeed, an anticyclone is covering the Azores. It acts like a barrier and prevents precipitation to come to West Europe. However, this is synonymous of heavy rains and strong winds to the Azorean population.
It took me a few minutes after getting out of the plane to realize that water is omnipresent in the Azores. Rain, coulees, Hot springs getting out from nowhere, torrents, waterfalls … all in a small island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean! You see for yourself on the pictures that I have created, that water is everywhere ! Take a poncho!
Langtang is a region in the Himalayas of Nepal to the north of the Kathmandu Valley and bordering Tibet. The Langtang National Park is located in the area. About 4,500 people live inside the park, and many more depend on it for timber and firewood. The majority of the residents are Tamang. The park contains a wide variety of climatic zones, from subtropical to alpine. Approximately 25% of the park is forested. Trees include the deciduous Oak and Maple, and evergreens like Pine, and various types of Rhododendron.