Khinaliq is a high-mountain village in northern Azerbaijan, situated in the Greater Caucasus Mountains at an elevation of more than 2,000 meters. The village is built on steep slopes above the Qudyalchay valley, with tightly packed stone houses rising in terraces along the mountainside. Surrounding peaks, alpine meadows, rocky ridges, and deep valleys create a rugged landscape shaped by the high-altitude environment.

Tsavo East National Park is one of Kenya’s largest protected areas, covering about 13,747 square kilometres in the country’s southeast. Its landscape is largely semi-arid, with open plains, scrub, rocky outcrops, and river corridors shaped by the Tsavo, Athi, Galana, and Voi rivers. The park is particularly associated with its dust-red elephants, whose appearance comes from the animals coating themselves in the park’s distinctive red soil.

Nazaré, set along Portugal’s wild Atlantic coast, is a fishing town transformed into one of the world’s most dramatic surf destinations. Its identity is deeply tied to the sea, both in its centuries-old maritime traditions and in the awe-inspiring waves that now draw visitors from around the globe.

Nature is never far in Helsinki. Locals swim in the sea, walk forested trails, and gather mushrooms or berries all within city limits. One popular local habit is heading to the sauna, and the city offers several open-to-the-public options. Löyly, located on the waterfront, combines traditional wood-burning saunas with a sleek, modern design. In winter, visitors can even pair a sauna session with a quick dip through a hole cut in the ice for an experience both shocking and strangely calming.

Ostuni is a hilltop town in Puglia, in southern Italy, known for the whitewashed buildings of its historic center and the olive groves that surround it. The town occupies the final slopes of the Murge plateau, with the old quarter, known as La Terra, rising above the surrounding countryside. Narrow lanes, stairways, arched passages, and small squares wind between lime-covered houses, while the higher streets provide views across the olive plain toward the Adriatic Sea.