Landscape,  Lens-Artists,  Themed galleries,  Travel in general,  USA

Gallery: serene moments around the world

May 11, 2025 / 53 Comments

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare?

W.H. Davies, Leisure

There’s a temptation when we travel to try to cram everything in. To see every sight, explore every street and alleyway, visit every museum! We fear we’ll go home and regret having missed something that others say is a must-see. Or worse perhaps, miss seeing that one thing that we could have been the first to discover and share.

But I have learned over the years that what you see and experience matters more than what you don’t see. If you cram every day with activity, rushing from one sight to another, you miss an essential part of travel, simply being in a place that is different from your usual environment.

Take the time to sit at in a city café, enjoying a drink and soaking up the atmosphere. Take the time to enjoy a view; don’t simply take a quick photo and move on. And take the time to talk to the people you meet along the way.

If that means you go home with a few sights not ticked off your list, so be it. In a few years it may well be those moments of engagement with the place that you remember, long after the details of this historical monument or that work of art are forgotten.

Moments of serenity

With that in mind, let me share a selection of moments of serenity from my travels, prompted by Egídio’s Lens Artists challenge for this week. And if there are rather a lot of sunsets among them, maybe that’s because for all my ‘preaching’ about taking your time, it’s sometimes only at the end of the day that I do just that!

Nearly as many were taken early in the morning. I’m not one to lie in bed, especially when travelling, and the time between rising and setting out to explore is often the most peaceful of the day. Another common feature is water; somehow being beside water always calms the soul.

But I’ll start with a short video clip. My feature photo was taken during a mokoro ride in the Okavango Delta, surely one of the most serene experiences I have ever enjoyed. I hope this video will give you some idea of just how tranquil it was, being poled along a waterway just before sunset, the only sounds the cicadas and the lapping of the water against the boat.

Mokoro ride, Okavango Delta, Botswana

Early morning view of Mono Lake from our motel in Lee Vining, California

Early morning on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Sunrise from Souimanga Lodge in the Sine Saloum Delta, Senegal

Misty (and heavily edited!) view from Souimanga Lodge in the Sine Saloum Delta, Senegal

Early morning by Lake Crescent, Olympic National Park, Washington State

Forest bathing in Gould Grove, Humboldt Redwoods State Park, California

Watching hummingbirds at Aguila de Osa, Costa Rica

A relaxing cruise on the Loboc River, Bohol Island, Philippines

Late afternoon after a long day’s driving, Indian Creek Lodge, California

Sharing beach time on Playa Mendihuaca, Colombia

A sunset cruise on the Gambia River

The view at sunset from the Mirador de Kari, Atacama Desert, Chile

Sunset at Hanga Roa, Rapa Nui (Easter Island)

Watching the sun set from our hotel near the Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica

Negril sunset, Jamaica

Sunset in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

Just after sunset at Lake Quinault, Olympic National Park, Washington State

53 Comments

  • Annie Berger

    May 18, 2025 at 05:31 Reply

    Sarah, I am fond of the Davies quote and liked reading your philosophy or admonition about trying to do and see “too” much in a single day while traveling. I felt you could have been talking to us, as our overseas travel style is go, go, go. It’s worked and continues to work for us, although we’re slowing down with age and medical infirmities now!

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 18, 2025 at 09:05 Reply

      As you know Annie, I’m always amazed at the amount you two manage to pack into a day! I do often angst about what I’m not managing to see but I’ve learned to park that and focus on what I can. Trying to squeeze in too much means I risk overdoing it physically, for one thing. But also, I realise I’m missing out on the chance to slow down and appreciate my surroundings, and to be in the moment 🙂

      • Annie Berger

        May 18, 2025 at 11:49 Reply

        Both points are so valid, Sarah. Even with all we “manage to pack into a day,” I still feel (or like to think) we manage to be in the moment and are able to appreciate our surroundings!

  • Leya

    May 14, 2025 at 21:04 Reply

    Serenity from all over the world – beautifully captured, as usual! I felt it in every picture, but the short video awoke memories of the sounds and silence canoing in the Amazon.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 15, 2025 at 10:10 Reply

      Thanks so much Ann-Christine 😊 We had some wonderful boat rides in the Amazon too but pre-digital times so I have no really decent shots to share.

  • wetanddustyroads

    May 13, 2025 at 13:15 Reply

    What a lovely post Sarah! Tranquility is a good description of your video in Botswana – love it (and all your other photos). My favourite is the one in Costa Rica – sunsets have always been my preferred time of day.

  • Sofia Alves

    May 13, 2025 at 13:08 Reply

    Interestingly, I’m finding that your early morning shots have an extra layer of serenity compared with your amazing sunsets. Beautiful photos, Sarah.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 13, 2025 at 13:49 Reply

      Thank you Sofia 🙂 I think that’s true – sunrises can lack some of the drama of a sunset but they often have more subtle and tranquil colours.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 13, 2025 at 09:23 Reply

      Thank you – yes, Rapa Nui was amazing, I’m so pleased to have had the privilege of visiting 🙂 I have a few old posts dotted around here I think, if you’re interested (and don’t mind being turned even greener!)

  • Teresa

    May 13, 2025 at 01:30 Reply

    Only thing I can say is WOW! What an amazing collection for this challenge. I can really feel the serenity in each one of them.

  • Ju-Lyn

    May 13, 2025 at 00:47 Reply

    Hear hear! Taking time to soak in the vibes of a place, breathing the air and sharing space with the people who live there, that is what I enjoy too. I can just about hear the whirring of the hummingbird’s wings in your capture.

  • Joanne

    May 12, 2025 at 14:35 Reply

    These are wonderful pictures, Sarah, capturing wonderful moments. Your early morning ones are so moving, so calm. Great response to the serenity theme!

  • Vicki

    May 12, 2025 at 01:34 Reply

    What a wonderful selection.
    ….and those sunsets. They are so relaxing and put my brain to rest. In fact sunsets (and sunrises) are my ‘go-to’ place. They’re magical and the best thing is that every one is different (to my eyes).

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 12, 2025 at 08:36 Reply

      Thank you Vicki 🙂 I agree about each sunset (and sunrise) looking different. When I go to photograph one my husband always asks, haven’t you got enough sunsets, but I always tell him you can’t have too many!

  • thehungrytravellers.blog

    May 11, 2025 at 23:25 Reply

    The more we travel, the more we value those slower days and those “time out” moments. Funnily enough, I just read your post sitting on our balcony watching the 5pm sun sink towards the rocky headland, after a “time out” afternoon. Later, you often find yourself looking back and remembering the chill times with fondness, different kinds of memories from the major sights and events. I should say though, that we are in a small seaside town on a Sunday where Peruvian day trippers are out in the sunshine, so you definitely can’t call it serene! 😂

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 12, 2025 at 08:34 Reply

      Yes, you’re right – the more we travel the more we do value those moments 🙂 And I think you can find your chill time even among a degree of bustle if you’re taking time out from intensive exploring – e.g. my point about city pavement cafés.

  • photobyjohnbo

    May 11, 2025 at 18:57 Reply

    I noticed so many of your images contain shots of water. It must be ingrained in our psyche to feel calm when we find water, so necessary for our lives to continue. Beautiful gallery, Sarah!

  • Egídio

    May 11, 2025 at 16:45 Reply

    Sarah, what an amazing collection you put together here. Thank you for picking such stunning images. Your opening text set the mood for serenity in a majestic way. So many photos with such beauty. Olympic NP is one of my favorites. Your post made me realize that water and serenity go hand in hand.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 11, 2025 at 20:34 Reply

      Thanks so much for those kind words Egidio 😊 I do think scenes with water are often the most serene and I’m glad that came through in my selection.

  • Tina Schell

    May 11, 2025 at 16:06 Reply

    Loved your serene images this week Sarah. We did the same outing on the Okavanga and it never occurred to me to do a video (in fact I almost never do!) but it is a lovely way to share the serenity of those moments. Your images are all wonderful as always. I never see sunrises here unless one of my photography friends pushes me into an outing and of course the results are some of my favorite images. But when we travel I almost always see and shoot sunrise images. Your post is making we rethink that! Do you do sunrises when you’re at home???

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 11, 2025 at 20:33 Reply

      Thanks so much Tina. I don’t shoot many videos (my husband does far more) but I’m glad I thought to on this occasion. No, I rarely photograph sunrises at home. We don’t get much of a view of them, or sunsets, in our London suburban street.

  • Heyjude

    May 11, 2025 at 14:31 Reply

    Weirdly this post did not show up in my Reader. I quite agree with you about taking time to appreciate the things around us, whether when travelling or closer to home. Water features a lot in your photos, I also find it calming to be around water (not necessarily on or in it though) and surely sunsets and sunrises are the best times to simply absorb the colours of the sky painter. For me the humming bird photo is the best. I can imagine waiting patiently to capture the tiny bird hovering. A bit like when I am trying to capture a bee or butterfly when you need to be still and quiet and just be patient.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 11, 2025 at 15:42 Reply

      Thanks for letting me know about the Reader, I’ll keep an eye on things, there could be a glitch. I’m glad you liked that hummingbird photo 🙂 Yes, it needed some patience (which I have rather too little of) and I ended up with a lot of photos of that bush and relatively few of hummingbirds!

  • Ritva Sillanmäki Photography

    May 11, 2025 at 13:31 Reply

    Beautiful images, I agree with you about sunsets, it is a peaceful moment usually watching it from start to finish in an eventful day. Ending the day in calm and quiet moment. We try to do every day. Lovely moments to remember from all around the world

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 11, 2025 at 15:39 Reply

      Thank you Ritva 🙂 Yes, watching the sunset is a calming thing to do for sure – we should do it more often but it’s not so easy in our busy suburban streets.

  • kzmcb

    May 11, 2025 at 13:21 Reply

    Well that answers one of my questions – I had thought you moved about rapidly, taking in the sights, at a pace that I might envy. But note I know better.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 11, 2025 at 15:38 Reply

      A bit of both – some busy days, some slower paced. But generally these days we pack in less than we used to, valuing down-time to balance the explorations 🙂

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