Matobo Hills is a distinctive granite landscape in southwestern Zimbabwe, about 35 kilometers south of Bulawayo. Rounded domes, balancing boulders, rocky ridges, and wooded valleys form a dense group of hills rising above the surrounding savanna. The landscape is part of a large cultural heritage area that includes Matobo National Park and neighboring communal and privately managed land.

Lagos sits on the southern edge of Portugal’s Algarve where a lively old port town meets wide Atlantic skies. Just a short stroll from the heart of town, the coast drops away into a spectacle at Ponta da Piedade, where golden sandstone cliffs rise out of the Atlantic and have been shaped into stacks, natural arches and grottoes over millennia. At the top, the Ponta da Piedade Lighthouse watches over this dramatic shoreline and offers a great backdrop for photos as the sun sets into the ocean.

A city in perpetual forward motion, Abu Dhabi greets visitors with gleaming skyscrapers and opulent Islamic architecture. There is much to see here, from the recently opened Louvre Abu Dhabi to the gigantic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, with its white marble splendor. Beach life and turquoise waters can be found on Saadiyat Island, Al Bateen and Corniche Beach.

Denver, Colorado, known as the “Mile High City” for its elevation exactly 5,280 feet above sea level, offers far more than a mountain backdrop. It’s a city where old saloons, Victorian homes, and vintage brick warehouses sit beside sleek skyscrapers and buzzing food halls. While the nearby Rocky Mountains are visible from almost anywhere in the city, places like City Park and Washington Park offer wide green spaces right in town.

Bhaktapur, located just east of Kathmandu in Nepal, is a city where time seems to slow. Famous for its well-preserved medieval architecture, it is often called a “living museum” due to its abundance of temples, palaces, and courtyards.