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"A flock of flamingos flies over a river and marshland in Southern Spain. I was told that in drought times when feeding, the flamingos become stuck in the thick mud of the marshes, caking their feet. During these times, volunteers have been needed to help the flamingos release themselves from the mud in order to fly again." – Aya O.
Photograph by Aya O., National Geographic Your Shot

46 Amazing Pictures to Inspire Your Travels

From a snow cave in Russia to flamingos in Spain, we bring you some of our favorite images from the 2017 Travel Photographer of the Year contest.

ByNational Geographic Staff
June 28, 2017
Captions were written and submitted by the photographers.

An ice cave in Russia. An incense factory in Vietnam. A sumo wrestling match in Japan. The 2017 Travel Photographer of the Year contest had over 10,000 entries submitted by photographers from over 30 countries. Explore these inspirational gems and then check out the winners in the three categories of nature, cities, and people.