23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Travel
The quiet kingdom of the heights

High on a steep, unforgiving ridge, a small herd grazes in complete calm—unbothered by the drop beneath them or the vast silence of the mountains. Up here, the world moves slower, softer. What feels dangerous to us is simply home to them. In this quiet kingdom of the heights, survival isn’t loud or heroic, it’s humble, instinctive, and endlessly resilient.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 10.2025
Date Uploaded: 11.2025
Photo Location: Dharamshala, India
Camera: NIKON Z 30
Copyright: © Kunal Gangwar