Photos/Travel : Overview

Since I've purchased my first digital camera, photography has become a hobby. Besides travelling is one of my passions and this results in the photo albums below. They give a brief overview of all my journeys.

The past few years I had the opportunity to meet other cultures and to see the beauty of nature in several far countries. Here an overview of beautiful architectonic constructions, impressive remains of ancient times, picturesque places, panoramic landscapes, unspoilt nature, fascinating fauna and flora, colorful people, ...

These photos can be downloaded freely for personal use. Using these photos in publications or placing them on other websites is not allowed without the permission of the photographer.

Photo blog

Almost every month new photos will be published on this photo blog. These photos are not been taken on my travels, but on small trips or on bike or walking tours in the region or in my hometown Lommel. more Photo blog - 106 photos

Western Desert (Egypt) - 2010

In April 2010 I went to the Western Desert in Egypt for a week with the organization Anders Reizen. From the Bahariya oasis, we drove through the Black Desert in the direction of the El Aqabat region, the wonderful White Desert and Wadi Biddendee. From there we started a 6 day walk over and through big boulders, all sorts of limestone formations, sand plains, immense sand dunes, small oases with palm trees, ... At night jeeps would await us at a campsite on a sand dune and we slept under the starry sky. more Western Desert (Egypt) - 2010 - 47 photos

Ecuador & Galápagos islands - 2009

In September 2009 I went to Ecuador and the Galápagos islands for 4 weeks; 3 weeks with a Joker group and an extra week together with a friend. On the mainland we explored a few colonial cities such as Quito and Cuenca, we visited the colourful markets of Saquisili and Guamote, we spent 3 days in the Amazon jungle and twice stood at high altitude on the Cotopaxi and Chimborazo volcanos. On the wonderful Galápagos we explored 8 islands and during our boat trips, walks and snorkeling we could spot from close distance almost the all animals (iguanas, tortoises, sea lions, ...), birds (pelicans, gents, frigate birds, ...) and fish which can be found in this archipelago. more Ecuador & Galápagos islands - 2009 - 85 photos

Gran Paradiso (Italy) - 2009

In July 2009 I did a 6-day hike trip with 8 friends and 2 mountain guides in the national park Gran Paradiso in the Italian Alps. The park is characterized by the different high summits with glaciers and there are still a lot of marmots, chamois and rock-goats which live there. We climbed the 2 mountains, the Gran Serra (3552m) and the Grand Paradiso (4096m), the highest mountain in Italy. more Gran Paradiso (Italy) - 2009 - 32 photos

USA southwest - 2008

In September 2008 I travelled through the southwest of the USA (Nevada, Utah, Arizona, California) with a small group of people. We visited wonderful national parks such as the Valley of Fire, Zion, Bryce, Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Mono Lake and Yosemite. We drove on Route 66, in Bodie we sampled the atmosphere of the wild west, in Vegas we made a small bet and we finished our trip in San Francisco. more USA southwest - 2008 - 70 photos

Iceland - 2008

In July 2008 I went to Iceland with a group of friends on a 6-day hike (80km) through a beautiful and varied area from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk and then on to Skógar. The last few days we hired two cars and visited some spectacular waterfalls like Svartifoss, Seljalandfoss and Gullfoss, the impressive glacier lake Jökulsárlon, the geyser Strokkur and Cape Ingólfshöfdi where a lot of puffins breed. more Iceland - 2008 - 52 photos

Uganda - 2007

In September 2007 I went to Uganda, the 'pearl of Africa'. We visited some historical places like Lake Victoria and the sources of the Nile. We travelled through the national parks of Murchison and Queen Elizabeth. The most fascinating days were the close encounters with chimpanzees and mountain gorillas in the dense forests of Kibale and Bwindi. more Uganda - 2007 - 54 photos

Lofoten (Norway) - 2007

The Lofoten are without a doubt the jewel of Norway. These islands, which are situated north of the polar circle, appeal to one’s imagination with their capricious rock formations, breathtaking panoramic views, snowy summits, picturesque fishing villages, racks of stockfish and the beautiful midsummer light. In June 2007 we went trekking in the Moskenses and Flagstad regions of Norway, and on the island Vaerøy. more Lofoten (Norway) - 2007 - 38 photos

Cambodia - 2006

Cambodia, a country with a turbulent past, has regained stability and is attracting tourists again. I travelled to the country in November 2006. Cambodia has an extremely friendly Khmer population and in the North-East there are several interesting Chunchiet minorities. There are some nice, colourful Buddhist temples spread over the whole country, you can observe the rare Irrawaddy dolphins, there are fascinating floating villages on the lake of Tonlé Sap and of course there is Angkor. These magnificent jungle temples are undoubtedly one of the world wonders. more Cambodia - 2006 - 57 photos

Spanish Pyrenees - 2006

In July 2006 I took part in a mountain adventure week with X-Adventure. Our base was a camp site in the little town of Torla in the Spanish Pyrenees. Our main activities were rock climbing, rapelling, rafting and in particular, canyoning. more Spanish Pyrenees - 2006 - 25 photos

Finland bears trail - 2006

In June 2006 I went to Finland for a 5-day hiking tour. The bears trail or Karhunkierros is one of the most beautiful and popular hikes in Finland. There are free cabins, shelters and fire places at the trail which is 80km long and situated in the Oulanka National Park. During the hike we undertook a small rafing trip and after the hike we spent a night in an observation cabin to watch some brown bears. more Finland bears trail - 2006 - 25 photos

Patagonia (Argentina & Chile) - 2005

In November 2005 I made a journey through the wonderful Patagonia in the south of Argentina and Chile. We visited Ushuaia, the city at 'fin del mundo', we did some hiking in the nature parks of Torres del Paine and FitzRoy, we visited some beautiful glaciers (Perito Moreno, Glaciar Serrano, Glaciar Gray, Glaciar Torre) and we had some nice encounters with guanacos, sea lions, whales, dolphins and penguins. more Patagonia (Argentina & Chile) - 2005 - 44 photos

Andalusia (Spain) - 2005

In June 2005, I went 10 days to Andalusia, southern Spain. We made some hikes in the nature reserves Sierras de Tejeda and Sierras Subbeticas and we visited the beautiful cities of Granada and Cordoba with their Moorish influences. more Andalusia (Spain) - 2005 - 29 photos

Mexico - 2004

In October 2004 I made a journey through Mexico. The journey was an interesting mix of colonial cities (Mexico City, Morelia, Puebla, Oaxaca ...), pyramids and temples of Mesoamerican cultures like Zapotecs, Toltecs, Maya's and Aztecs (Teotihuacan, Monte Alban, Palenque, Uxmal, Chitzen Itza, ...) and beautiful nature with volcanoes, canyons, mangrove forests, jungle and waterfalls (Paricutin, Cañon del Sumidero, Aqua Azul, Celestun, ...) more Mexico - 2004 - 45 photos

Normandy (France) - 2004

Each year me and my best friends Robbie and Jan travel some days with our car, bicycles and tent. In July 2004 we visited all mayor attractions in Normandy (France) like Mont Saint Michel, Bayeux, Caen, Liseaux, Etretat, ... and by bike we explored the coastal region with the war cemeteries and landing beaches from WOII. more Normandy (France) - 2004 - 25 photos

Jordan - 2004

In may 2004 I went to Jordan with a group of Joker. On the menu were some nice hikes through beautiful canyons (Wadi al Yabis, Wadi Mujib, Wadi ibn Hamad, Wadi Ghuweir, Dana ...), a visit to the Roman city of Jerash and to the 8th wonder of the ancient world, Petra. Eventually we spent 2 days in the wonderful desert of Wadi Rum and one day at the Red Sea in Aqaba. more Jordan - 2004 - 41 photos

Tanzania - 2003

In October 2003 I visited Tanzania with the travel organization Joker.There were several safaris in the most beautiful wild parks of Africa on the program (e.g. Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro). Afterwards we started a climb of the highest peak in Africa, Kilimanjaro (5895m) and finally we explored Zanzibar, the exotic island off the coast of Tanzania. more Tanzania - 2003 - 34 photos

Catalonia (Spain) - 2003

In the springtime of 2003 I went with some friends to Spain for a short holiday. We stayed in Salou, made a trip through the mountains of Montsant, visited Tarragona with its Roman remains and 2 times the pearl of Catalonia, Barcelona. more Catalonia (Spain) - 2003 - 18 photos

Thailand - 2002

In October 2002 I travelled 3 weeks through Thailand, the country of the smiles, with a Joker group. We visited a lot of temples from various periods of the Thai history (Bangkok, Ayuthaya, Sokhothai, Phanum Rung, Phimai, ...) but we also enjoyed to the luxuriant nature of the Kwai river, the Mekong river, the national park of Khao and the jungle in the north of Chiang Mai. We ended our journey on the heavenly beach of Ko Samet. more Thailand - 2002 - 33 photos

Aeolian Islands (Italy) - 2002

In the springtime of 2002 I went to the Aeolian Islands with Joker for 10 days. These islands are situated between the mainland of Italy and Sicily. The trip started in Naples with a visit to Pompeii and Herculaneum. Afterwards we explored the different picturesque islands (Salina, Lipari, Vulcano, Stromboli) with the climb of the active volcano Stromboli as climax. more Aeolian Islands (Italy) - 2002 - 19 photos

Peru - 2001

In 2001 I have travelled through Bolivia and Peru for 6 weeks together with a friend. In Peru we undertook the four-day Inca trail to the magnificent Machu Picchu and we visited all the important Inca and pre Inca locations and the big cities with a lot of colonial buildings (Cuzco, Sacsaywaman, Pisac, Nazca, Lima, ...). It was a fascinating introduction to the Inca culture. more Peru - 2001 - 28 photos

Bolivia - 2001

In 2001 I have travelled through Bolivia and Peru for 6 weeks. The first 3 weeks in Bolivia we travelled around with a small group of KrisKras. We explored the old colonial towns like Sucre, Potosi and La Paz and we visited the pre Inca location Tiwanaku. And then we started a wonderful four-day jeep trip from Uyuni along salt plains, lakes, volcanoes, geysers,... Finally we made a trip to some picturesque islands in lake Titicaca and finally we made a three-day trekking from Sorata up to 5038 m. more Bolivia - 2001 - 35 photos

Botswana - 2000

In 2000 I visited some of the most beautiful wildlife parks of Africa. In the Okavanga delta we travelled with a mokoro (a kind of canoe) for 4 days. Afterwards we toured by jeep through the wildlife parks of Chobe and Moremi. Encounters with zebras, elephants, giraffa, gnus, impalas, lions, buffalos, crocodiles, eagles, ,... guaranteed. more Botswana - 2000 - 18 photos

Zimbabwe - 2000

In September 2000 I toke a journey with Joker to the African countries Zimbabwe and Botswana. In Zimbabwe we paid a visit to the wildlife park Matopos with its white and black rhinoceros and the ruines of 'Great Zimbabwe'. We ended our journey at the Victoria Falls where I took a bungeejump and where we made a marvelous rafting trip on the Zambezi river. more Zimbabwe - 2000 - 17 photos

Egypt - 2000

In 2000 I travelled for 10 days along the Nile from Cairo to Aswan with the travel organisation KrisKras. We visited all the impressive historic places like Gizeh, Saqqara, Dashur, Luxor, Karnak, Edfu, Kom Obo, Phillae and Abu Simbel. more Egypt - 2000 - 21 photos

Morocco - 1999

My first distant journey was to Morocco in 1999. In this multifaceted country we paid a visit to the 4 imperial cities (Rabat, Meknes, Fes and Marrakech), the desert of Erg Chebbi and we made a jeep tour for several days in the mountains of the Atlas. We ended our journey in the picturesque fishing village Essouira. more Morocco - 1999 - 26 photos

Italy

I already paid a visit to Italy 4 times. Almost all big and smaller cultural cities like Rome, Venice, Florence, Napoli, Sienna, San Gimignano, Parma, Bologna, Verona, Padua, ... and the Roman sites like Ostia, Tivoli, Pompeii and Herculaneum I already have explored. more Italy - 18 photos

Macro

Macro photography is a very nice pursuit because it makes us aware of an awful lot of beautiful small objects around us. Insects, plants, shellfish, ... are all fascinating subjects to make close-ups. I do not utilize any special macro lenses so propably not all macro photos are completely perfect. more Macro - 33 photos

Panorama

Panoramic pictures give a better impression of the wideness of some landscapes. By putting a series of photos together, you can make one large panoramic picture. Click on a photo to see the larger version (width 1800 pixels). more Panorama - 21 photos

Stefan Cruysberghs