The world's most spectacular travel photos in 2016

The 2016 Travel Photographer Contest on National Geographic attracted hundreds of thousands of impressive photos. The first prize belongs to the image of Mongolian horse herders.

Anthony Lau, the author of the first photo of a horse-bearer in Mongolia, said: "Winter in Inner Mongolia is very harsh. With temperatures down to -20 degrees Celsius and intense snow, I was very hard. The new towel persuaded myself to get out of the car and take a picture. When I saw the horse-owners show off their remote control skills, I quickly took the lens and recorded the moment when a person came out from the morning mist. " .(Photo: Anthony Lau).

Lightning strikes the sky behind Komtar tower, symbol of George Town, Penang, Malaysia.The tower is a symbol of the city's innovation, where there is a unique blend of ancient and modern buildings.(Photo: Jeremy Tan).

Ben Youssef Church in Marrakesh (Morocco) has a quieter and quieter atmosphere than the bustling street outside.The author has waited a long time to capture this impressive moment.(Photo: Takashi Nakagawa.)

Seen from helicopters, central parks and buildings of New York City (USA) as divided into two separate worlds.(Photo: Kathleen Dolmatch).

The author took this picture during a trip to Guangzhou, China.This is a dormitory of Hoa Nam University.(Photo: Wing Ka H).

This impressive photo was taken in Brazil's swamp, capturing a momentous moment when predators also became prey.(Photo: Massimiliano Bencivenni).

A heavy weightlifter while bodybuilder is performing aerial movements in Venice, California, USA beaches.(Photo: Dotan Saguy).

Lake Baltinache (aka secret lake) is a series of 7 sand pools located in the Salt Cordillera area, near San Pedro de Atacama, north of Chile, in the Atacama desert.The author said that he was the first person to publish a photo of this place at night.(Photo: Victor Lima).

Two foxes running after each other on a background of white snow at sunset.(Photo: Hiroki Inoue).

This photo called "Dream on the terrace" was taken in Varanasi (India) at 5:30.The author climbs 7 stairs to reach the terrace watching the sunset over the Ganges.When the sun rises, he looks to the right and sees a family sleeping.(Photo: Yasmin Mund).

An elderly Kinnaura woman in a remote village in Himachal Pradesh (India) is carrying a log home in the cold -21 degrees C. (Photo: Mattia Passarini).