National Geographic

The Reconnaissance Plane That Helped Win World War II

Nimble and fast, Spitfire PR planes ran vital photo missions for Allied forces.

14 min read

33 Chilean Miners Were Buried Alive. These Are the Tactics That Kept Them Sane.

As the world raced to rescue the trapped miners in a disaster that made international headlines, two psychologists were tasked with maintaining everyone's mental health.

The Treasures Emerging From Turkey’s Dying Lakes

Climate change is exposing once-submerged churches, castles and petroglyphs—and threatening their survival.

What's Next for Luxury Train Travel?

Demand for slower travel has boosted interest in premium rail trips, with new cabins, trains and routes all over the world.

Meet the Philippines' Islanders Reclaiming Their Heritage

In the central Philippines, the Visayan Islands’ tropical beaches are a backdrop for deeply rooted communities who are working to preserve locals’ unique way of life — inviting visitors to share in complex culinary traditions and heritage crafts, and explore the reclaimed relics of the sugar trade.

12 min read

An extraordinary look inside the home of some of the world’s last mountain gorillas

National Geographic Explorer Brent Stirton has photographed life inside Virunga National Park over the course of nearly two decades—chronicling stories of violence and resilience.

How a warming climate threatens Africa’s endangered forest elephants

In remote Gabon, warmer nights and less rainfall may be preventing trees from growing the nutritious fruit the animals depend on.

12 min read

What Does It Take to Move 2,000 Rhinos?

A threatened herd. An audacious plan. Inside Africa’s wildest conservation gambit.

17 min read

Fighting to Save the Pangolin, the World’s Most Wanted Animal

Relentlessly hunted for its scales, the mysterious armored pangolin is vanishing throughout Africa. Now scientists are trying to unlock the secrets that could help save it.

15 min read

Discovering Where the Nile Really Starts

In Africa’s lush highlands, the longest waterway in the world originates from a surprising place. Inside the mission to map the source of the ancient river.

The Ultimate Guide to Egypt in 15 Experiences

Touring the pyramids and sailing down the Nile are undoubted highlights of any trip to Egypt — but what else should be on your list?

14 min read

Monitoring the heart of the Okavango Delta

In northern Botswana, a vast wetland sprawl is the ecological engine for the entire Okavango basin. Every year, a team of scientists and other experts gives it a health check.

Meet the Indigenous Women Protecting Peru’s Amazon Rainforest

In Peru’s Amazon, Indigenous women are opening their communities to visitors and sharing traditions shaped by centuries of living alongside the rainforest. From cultivating medicinal plants and embracing sacred trees to crafting pottery using ancestral techniques, the way of life they reveal casts the forest as healer, teacher and home.

11 min read

Meet the First New Cat Species Discovered in 100 Years

A small, spotted tiger cat from Bolivia may just be the beginning of a wave of new small cat species.

Where to Travel in the World in October

There are plenty of experiences to fill the month with wonder, from occult festivals to glacial adventures and autumn leaf-peeping.

Supersonic Flight Didn’t End With Concorde. It’s (Quietly) Coming Back.

Two decades after Concorde’s last flight a new class of supersonic commercial jets are on the horizon.

This Hike Takes in Sparkling Views of Italy's Prosecco Hills

Follow the winding pathways that carve through the hills of northeast Italy’s Prosecco region to discover how the bubbly is intertwined with local culture — and that there’s much more to this venerable wine than its party reputation might suggest.

11 min read

See the Norman Conquest Unfold in the Bayeaux Tapestry, Scene by Scene

For centuries, the Bayeux Tapestry has preserved the glory of the Norman Conquest and the drama between Harold Godwinson of Wessex and William of Normandy. National Geographic went to France in the 1960s to photograph the 225-foot-long masterpiece, publishing the famous tapestry in its entirety for the first time in color.

60 min read

What Happened to Cleopatra’s Children With Marc Antony?

Her twins Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene were made prisoners. But they still had a big role to play in Roman history.

This Synagogue Held One of the Oldest Versions of the Bible in Greek

In 1897, nearly 200,000 dusty documents were retrieved from a forgotten genizah in Cairo. But why were these manuscripts left behind?

Rogue Planets Challenge Our Assumptions About Life in the Universe

Planets without stars to orbit raise important questions about how planets evolve and what habitability might look like across the cosmos.

National Geographic Explorer Katy Croff Bell is making a visual treasure map of the deep sea

We’ve barely explored the ocean’s floor. This new 3D map offers 10,000 new spots to look at next.

The Time Traveler's Guide to London

The River Thames is the soul of England’s capital. Along its hallowed banks, it’s possible to glimpse the past lives and possible futures of one of the world’s most storied cities.

14 min read

Can AI save the Maldives’ coral reefs?

How can you protect what you don’t understand? In the Maldives, a pioneering coral-monitoring project is combining AI, 3D mapping and marine science to reveal the hidden lives of reefs and show travellers a new way to experience conservation.

Inside the Megawatt Effort to Mount New York’s Annual 9/11 'Tribute in Light'

After artists watched the Twin Towers fall, they knew New York needed a way to honor its losses. But they never expected their installation—two beams of light projected into the clouds—to last 25 years.

Captain Jacques Cousteau’s Dangerous Quest to Live Underwater

Pioneering a new underwater world for man, the father of scuba diving and other French oceanauts lived for a month 36 feet below the surface of the inhospitable Red Sea.

53 min read

Why Do POTS and Long COVID Look So Much Like Autoimmune Disorders?

Researchers are studying the curious connection between autoimmune diseases and conditions like POTS and long COVID—in the hopes it might lead to more targeted treatments.

This Florida Angler Saw Dolphins as a Nuisance. Now They’re His Hunting Buddies.

Scientists have documented humans and dolphins teaming up to fish together in a handful of places around the world—and now, for the first time, in the United States.

11 min read

The Ancient Princess Who Crushed Enemies With Her Quick Tongue

Priestess of the moon god and daughter of Sargon the Great, Enheduanna amassed political power and waged war with her honeyed words.

16 min read

Why GLP-1s Could Be an Anti-Aging Breakthrough

Diabetes drugs have shown surprising benefits for the heart, kidneys, and brain. Now provocative animal research suggests they may influence the biology of aging itself.