Dazzling Places to See Sunsets Around the World
Our readers recommend the best destinations to experience this golden hour.
No matter what time it is, there's someone in the world right now watching a sunset. This golden hour is perhaps our most universally adored sky show, yet it dazzles in so many different ways across the face of the planet. A sunset over the tundra appears quite different from one highlighting the shoreline of a lake, while cloud patterns, air quality, weather, and seasons change each view. Sunsets inspire artists, prompt national parks to playfully compete over bragging rights, and convince us to take a moment for the suspended drama of a slow but steady transition from day into night.
We recently asked our readers where they have witnessed the most impressive sunsets, and diverse answers poured in from our Facebook community. We enjoyed thousands of personal photos of colorful views around the world, reminding us to pause, look up, and enjoy nature's show. Here are just a few of our favorite reader recommendations to inspire you to chase after the next breathtaking display.
Hampi, India
"Among the places I visited, this is one of my favorites: Hampi, India, one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. This is the Anjani Hills, the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. One needs to climb around 570 steps to reach the peak and witness the sunset. Also, the place is extremely serene with less visitors, where I can sit and soak in the quiet sunset." – Souptik Datta
Saskatchewan, Canada
"I have traveled all over the world and seen a lot of beautiful sunsets. I have yet to see one that beats those in Saskatchewan, Canada. They don’t call it 'the Land of Living Skies' for nothing!" – Celeste Sabourin
Cap Ferret, France
"Endless dunes and forest. No construction along the coast for miles. The great Dune of Pilat, the sandbars of Arguin, and the open Atlantic ocean. Even hazy, late-summer evenings (past 10 p.m.!) deliver the most stunning sunsets. You can even catch the elusive green ray!" – Nathalie Andrault
Davis Mountains, Texas, United States
"One June evening in West Texas, I was driving from Seattle to Corpus Christi, pretty bummed about having to leave the Northwest for what I perceived to be a featureless wasteland. Then somewhere near the Davis Mountains, I entered paradise. I wish I had a photo of that wondrous sunset. But I’ll have a picture of it in my mind all my days." – Anna Maria
Phú Quốc Island, Vietnam
"Colors are so surreal (sky blue, yellow, pink). On the way to Halong Bay, I felt like somewhere in sea heaven. It is exactly like a surreal painting of the ship I saw somewhere." – Diep Nguyen
Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States
"I've been the world over, and there is none better than Colorado Springs, Colorado. I take pictures of so much beauty. And every sunset is different." – Jeanne Roberts
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and Zambia
"Outside Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, on the Zambezi River with elephants and hippos in the middleground." – Katie Brazier
- Nat Geo Expeditions
Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States
"At the North Rim of the Grand Canyon during summer thunderstorms, the clouds march in during late afternoons like a battalion of puffy, white tanks, some the size of European countries. They reflect the colors of the canyons and then change in a nanosecond from soft greys to nearly neon oranges and peach, or deep bruising purples. Then the lightning comes and ricochets that powerful rumble through the canyon walls. It's absolutely thrilling to sit (inside) and watch the sunset as it illuminates the massive clouds and lights the canyon in ways that no manufactured lighting could begin to simulate. I'll never forget how wonderful it was to see that light show every evening in the summer I worked at the North Rim." – Dana Dahl
