National Geographic’s annual list of the best travel photographers in the world for 2016 is out and to say the least, the winning photographs are breathtaking. 

The Travel Photographer Of The Year 2016 Contest had three categories: People, Cities and Nature. Nat Geo chose winners for each of the specific categories, along with picking one grand winner for the best photograph among all three categories. 

We bring you 6 of the most spectacular images that have been declared the best travel photographs in 2016.

1. The Grand Winner: Winter Horseman by Anthony Lau 

Category: People

b’Horseman riding at dawn during winter in Inner Mongolia’

2. The First Prize : Wherever You Go I Will Follow You by Hiroki Inoue

Category: ‘Nature’ 

b’A pair of foxes running in Hokkaido, Japanxc2xa0′

3. The First Prize: Ben Youssef by Takashi Nakagawa

Category: Cities

b’Inside Ben Youssef Madrasa in Marrakesh, Morocco’

4. The Second Prize: Rooftop Dreams, Varani by Yasmin Mund

Category: People

b’People sleeping on rooftops in midsummer, Varanasi, Indiaxc2xa0′

5. The Second Prize: Double Trapping by Massimiliano Benciveni 

Category: Nature

b’Brazilian Pantanal along the Rio Negrinho, Brazilxc2xa0′

6. The Second Prize: Silenced by Wing Ka H

Category: Cities

b’South China Normal University, Gouanzhou, China |’

For the entire list of photographs, including the honourable mentions and best entries, visit the National Geographic website here. 

(Feature Image Source: Twitter/ @NatGeo