
New
Zealand is among the first countries to experience sunrise – and, as
a result, sunset. The South Island’s 450km-long Southern Alps, known
for their glaciers and glacial lakes, create an epic landscape that is
well suited to hikers who want to enjoy dusk in serene isolation. (Annie
Griffiths/National Geographic Creative)

Asia’s
capacious beaches remain one of the most tranquil locales for ending
the day. In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, vacationers can watch the sun set
over Ochheuteal Beach, as they sip cocktails and await nightfall
by the light of tiki torches. (Kris LeBoutillier/National Geographic
Creative)

Santorini
is one of 220 Greek islands that were created by the Minoan eruption, a
volcanic explosion that divided up a single island into today’s
beloved archipelago. Made picturesque by whitewashed buildings and an
arid landscape, Santorini is a hedonist’s dream, with a slew of
beaches, bars and infinity pools from which to enjoy the setting sun.
(Michael Melford/National Geographic Creative)

Kansas
– best known for flat landscapes, agriculture and the Wizard of Oz
– was once the bed of an immense inland sea that stretched from the
Gulf of Mexico through to the Arctic Ocean. It took millions of years
for tallgrass prairie to cover near 170 million acres of North America,
and just one century to develop and destroy it. At present, a mere 4% of
prairie remains, mostly in the Kansas Flint Hills, where the lack of
mountains and a
nature preserve make for stunning sundowns. (Jim Richardson/National Geographic Creative)

The
small island of San Esteben in Mexico’s Gulf of California is part of
the greater landmass known as Baja California. Home to a variety of
unusual reptiles and once inhabited by the Seri people, today it is
common to see both researchers and travellers navigating the rugged
terrain and the surrounding Sea of Cortez. The renowned sunrises and
sunsets of Baja seem to fall over the horizon and bow off the face of
the Earth. (Ralph Lee Hopkins/National Geographic Creative)

Fakarava,
located in French Polynesia’s Tuamotu Archipelago, is a 60km-long,
21km-wide strip of unsullied paradise. It is also a designated Unesco
Biosphere Reserve due to the rare birds, plants and crustaceans who call
the atoll home. With fewer than 1,000 residents living in two charming
villages separated by an extensive lagoon, Fakarava is a popular
destination for honeymooners who know the sunsets are hard to miss.
(Aaron Huey/National Geographic Creative)

Located
smack in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the island nation of Kiribati
borders the International Date Line at its easternmost point. This
makes it one of the last places on the planet to experience sundown, and
the undeveloped landscape makes it one of the most beautiful. Pictured
here is the view from Kiribati’s Phoenix Islands, a name whose origins
have been lost to history. At the end of the day, however, the name
seems especially appropriate for the embodiment of this fiery sunset and
its mythological counterpart. (Paul Nicklen/National Geographic
Creative)