10 Hidden Gems From a Year in Exploration

Every year, the National Geographic Society supports hundreds of explorers as they seek to increase our understanding of the world and all that’s in it.

They hack through jungles, get up close with wild animals, dive the depths of the sea, experience little-known cultures, unearth the remains of life from the ancient past, and they share it as it happens, revealing what it’s like to live the life of an explorer, here on the Explorers Journal blog.

While many stories make their way to front page headlines and record-breaking social posts, many more become lost treasures in their own right.

Here are 10 hidden gems from among the hundreds of stories and reflections shared by National Geographic explorers this year. Dive in and see what they had to say.

In Praise of Silence

A quiet morning hike made more peaceful in Big Sky country. (Photo by Sean Gerrity)

Slovenia’s Winter Carnivale Draws a Woolly, Colorful Crowd

Kurents Gather in Kongresni Trg. (Photo by Riley A. Arthur)

2,100 Feet and Holding: Inside the Mind of a Submarine Pilot

The narrow conning tower hatch of Idabel is the only way in or out. Time to get cozy. (Photo by Stanley Submarines)

Hōkūle‘a: The Art of Wayfinding (Interview With a Master Navigator)

Pwo navigator, Lorenzo Sartilug, patiently observes the sky to determine the weather for the upcoming day. Just like with any trip, looking at weather forecasts is a critical part of knowing when it is safe to sail. (Photo by Daniel Lin)

Mozambique Expedition: Africa’s Submerged Savannas

A sea pen pops up in an eelgrass meadow at Matamba estuary. Sea pens are not plants, but colonies of polyps where one individual grows large and serves as a stalk from which others reach out to capture food in their tentacles. (Photo by Kike Ballesteros)

A Brush With Ebola: The Ongoing Fight Against Deadly Diseases in West Africa

Kristian Andersen, a Harvard scientist deployed during the Ebola outbreak, donning full protective gear in the KGH high containment laboratory. (Photo by Stephen Gire)

Mega-Ichthyosaur Discovery on Svalbard

An ichthyosaur tail emergest from the cold rock of Svalbard. (Photo by Øyvind Enger)

The Ese’Eja: From a Cotton Thread in the Sky to Protectors of the Amazon

Ese’Eja elder Matteo Viaeja wears his traditional cloth made out of the bark of the yanchama tree. (Photo by Jon Cox)

#Okavango14: Listen to the Sound of a Golden Okavango Morning

The sun rises over one of the wildest regions of Africa. (Photo by Neil Gelinas)

The Skeletons of Olmos: Uncovering a Mystery of Ancient Peru

The first skeleton we encountered was that of this man, today known only as Huaca Juliana Sector 1 Burial 25. It was a poignant moment. (Photo by Haagen Klaus)

Still want more? Explore the full Explorers Journal Archive starting from 2011.