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Harry Kikstra

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Makalu from Mount Everest after sunrise

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Dec 12, 2011, 3:02 am
... of my most popular images on ExposedPlanet is the image of Makalu at sunrise, taken from the 3rd step of Everest. Makalu is the 5th highest mountain on earth, so there are not too many places from where you can ... better, how about you? Related photos:Makalu from the third step on EverestC...
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Inside a Masai house, Tanzania. About kerosene lamps and solar-powered LED lights

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Nov 17, 2011, 5:07 am
A young Masai explains about his living situation and his house, which consists of a mud-covered sticks with nearly no light coming in. His boma (town or settlement) is situated near the NgoroNgoro crater in Tanzania. In the next room his young wife was laying sick under some blankets. One of the m...
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Shopkeeper behind bars in Guatemala

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Nov 13, 2011, 5:35 am
Statistically speaking being in Guatemala is almost as dangerous as being in Chicago or Detroit (or any other of the big cities in the USA) if you look at homicide figures. Still many people live voluntarily in those two cities (which metro areas have the same population as the central American coun...
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Sunset over Cho Oyu from Everest

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Nov 8, 2011, 2:17 am
I finally have some time to edit some older images that never saw the light in public, but I think are worth sharing as they show the beauty of our planet and I realize not everybody gets the chance to see this personally! From the upper flanks of Mount Everest, the sun dips behind Cho Oyu, while N...
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Masai kids at school, Tanzania

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Nov 4, 2011, 3:09 am
These little kids live in a small village close to the famous NgoroNgoro crater in Tanzania, the largest caldera in the world and home of countless wild animals. Their village is just a collection of mud houses and the school is nothing more than just a few walls made out of sticks, offering little...
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Hazelnut trees in fall in Oregon

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Nov 1, 2011, 4:33 am
It is the time of the year where leaves fall off the trees. That is, of course, if you live in a temperate zone on the Northern half of our planet, as in Australia and Patagonia, everything is just greening up again. and in the tropics, well, things just work different in all aspects of life I fou...
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Mount Hood from Bridgeton, Portland in fall

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Oct 28, 2011, 6:31 am
This was taken while crossing a bridge over the mighty Columbia River, from Vancouver (Washington, USA) to Portland (Oregon). Though Portland is rumored to be the most cycle friendly city in the US, actually getting in on our bicycles was not that easy at all… Anyway, the view to Mount Hood was b...
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School kids in Tanzania

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Oct 25, 2011, 6:02 am
I was welcomed by a group of very enthusiastic children. In Tanzania, all kids have to wear the school uniform. Many kids go to primary school, but a large part does not make it to secondary school due to the high costs and often they are needed by the family to help on the land or in the shops. Al...
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Young Nepali buddhist monk serving milk tea, Kathmandu

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Oct 21, 2011, 4:56 am
The Swayambunath complex (also known as the Monkey Temple) contains several religious places, including this small Buddhist monastery. The elders chant and the younger monks assist with the music and serve milk tea. Related photos:Young Monk in Kathmandu Buddhist Monk generations Buddhist monk at ...
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Popocatepetl from Paso de Cortez, Mexico

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Oct 18, 2011, 6:27 am
Popocatepetl is an active volcano, relatively close to Mexico city. Due to the toxic fumes that come out regularly, it is now forbidden to climb Popo. It is 5,426 m (17,802 ft) and therefore the 2nd highest mountain of Mexico, after Pico de Orizaba. The name Popocatepetl comes from the Nahuatl wo...
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tired kids at Guatemala's independence parade

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Oct 15, 2011, 8:51 am
In Quetzaltenango (also known as Xela), a few kids are getting bored. The yearly independence parade includes many colourful musical bands, women in traditional clothes and all kinds of groups from schools, universities and social institutes. As often in places like Guatemala, the spectators are at...
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Twin summits of Huascaran from the east at dawn, Peru

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Oct 13, 2011, 6:03 am
The Huascaran is the highest mountain in Peru, it has an elevation of 6,768 metres (22,205 ft). The core of Nevada Huascarán, like much of the Cordillera Blanca, are Tertiary granites. Most images of it are shot from the Huaraz valley at the other side, from which the mountain looks like 2 giant s...
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for the women: Mother and daughter, Isla Mujeres

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Oct 10, 2011, 11:11 am
I always remember reading one of fellow traveller Matt’s (from Where The Hell is Matt) Less FAQ’s: ? Why is the world so screwed up? Men. ? How do we fix it? Women. Here is a simple picture of a mother and child to celebrate the 2011 Nobel Peace prize, which was just awarded to three women:...
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Swimming in the Cenote, Yucatan

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Oct 7, 2011, 10:49 am
Ahhh, it’s been a while, I know Many other things to do, but of course that is no excuse to stop sharing our wonderful little planet. I will pick up where I left off, in Mexico. In the Yucatan peninsula are many of these so-called ‘cenotes’ or sink holes, where ground water and rain have er...
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Happy Valentine: blooming cardon cactus in Baja California

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Feb 14, 2011, 4:50 pm
Thought it might be appropriate today to send some flowers.. The tall Cardon cactuses on the Mexican Baja California peninsula flower in March-June. The small flowers open up in the afternoon and close in the morning as they are dependent on bats for pollination! Happy Valentine to everybody.. Re...
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Happy 2011 part 2: Amigos from the Galapagos: Can we just be friends?

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Jan 11, 2011, 7:47 pm
After the long list of past and present in the previous post, here is a view ahead for all of us, illustrated by these small guys. I loved my visit to the Galapagos, it was truly an old dream come true. We managed to visit the main islands ‘budget style’, so without a cruise, but by island hopp...
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Happy 2011 part 1: jumping for joy in Bolivia, looking back and ahead

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Dec 31, 2010, 7:01 pm
With Ivanas jump for joy on the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, I want to wish everybody who reads this blog a wonderful 2011. Though 2009 seemed destined to be the most powerful year in my personal history (even beating 2008!), the past year 2010 has yet again been even more crazy, interesting, tough, ...
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Marine iguana relaxing in the sun, Galapagos Islands

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Dec 28, 2010, 10:42 am
After travelling around on 7 continents, I think I found one of the coolest animals around! These creatures are normally only about a foot long (+ another foot for the tail), though big ones can be double the size and on some islands they are only half the size. But they always look great, often si...
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Merry X-mas, Maasai child with mother, Tanzania

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Dec 24, 2010, 6:54 pm
One more shot from the Tanzanian Maasai (also spelled as Massai). As a large part of the world is thinking about a mother and child today and tomorrow, I though this might be appropriate. Any day is good to think about those who are less fortunate than us and it is always good to learn about people...
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Young Maasai man performing the adumu, also know as the 'jumping dance', Tanzania

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Dec 21, 2010, 10:45 pm
Young Maasai man performing the adumu, also know as the ‘jumping dance’. Shot in a Boma in Tanzania Eunoto, the coming of age ceremony of the warrior, can involve ten or more days of singing, dancing and ritual. The warriors of the Il-Oodokilani perform a kind of march-past as well as the adu...
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Mexican Chili Peppers

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Dec 20, 2010, 8:17 am
A collection of shots from different Mexican chili peppers, all taken in the nice market of Tijuana. Tijuana has a bad reputation, but we spent some nice days, safely walking around, visiting the market, beach, museum of modern art and many more. And of course there is food everywhere, usually spic...
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Cycling through the morning fog on the Oregon coast, USA

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Dec 18, 2010, 7:29 am
Oregon can have thick fog and can be very wet, especially in fall and winter. This creates wonderful scenery on the already impressive coastal roads. Of course cycling is the best and safest way to enjoy all this, so polish up your chain, pack your panniers and get riding! Related photos:Alpine mo...
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Young woman cleaning fish, Rio Napo, Peru

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Dec 15, 2010, 6:59 am
The Rio Napo is one of the main tributaries of the Amazon river and merges with it in Peru. It is one of the more obscure and adventurous ways of travelling between Peru and Ecuador. There are a few small communities along the river, but any real city is weeks away by canoo and still many days with ...
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Alone in nature: above the HorseShoe Bend, Arizona

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Dec 13, 2010, 6:54 am
I had already posted the large Panorama from the Horseshoe bend in Arizona, but here is another shot of it that I like. though it is not as majestic as the panorama, the lone figure standing on the rock amplifies the silence and space that this wonderful place posesses… Related photos:Panorama of...
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Giant ferns in Mweka rainforest on Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Dec 11, 2010, 4:44 am
Tweet Looking up in the wet (and very slippery!) rainforest zone on Kilimanjaro, you will see huge ferns, making you feel you are in Jurassic park and not sliding down from the highest point of Africa Related photos:Kilimanjaro from the air Kilimanjaro from Moshi after snow Young Maasai man perfo...
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Climbers on Pico de Orizaba's summit, Mexico

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Dec 8, 2010, 4:18 pm
Tweet A guide embraces his client on the summit of Pico de Orizaba at dawn, happy for a safe ascent to the highest point of Mexico. WikiPedia: “The Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltépetl (from Nahuatl citlal(in) = star, and tepētl = mountain), is a stratovolcano, the highest mountain in Mexico and t...
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Harpy Eagle, Support the Belize Zoo,

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Nov 23, 2010, 5:33 am
Tweet The harpy eagle is the largest eagle in the world. WikiPedia: The Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja), sometimes known as the American Harpy Eagle, is a Neotropical species of eagle. This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 as Vultur harpyja,[2] after the mythologi...
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Maria in her kitchen, Tres Cruces, Bolivia

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Nov 18, 2010, 4:30 pm
Tweet I think this is the first image I am posting that was shot at 3200 ISO, amazingly the Canon was able to capture this moment.. Maria lives in Tres Cruces, a small dusty town on the Southern shores of Salar de Coipasa, a large Salt lake close to teh more famous Salar de Uyuni. She is taking car...
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Sunset in the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia (2)

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Nov 16, 2010, 4:13 pm
Tweet Here is another shot, taken just a few moments after the previous shot. The Salt flats are usually white or cream-coloured, but the setting sun gave everything a warm pink glow… Related photos:Sunset in the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia Maria in her kitchen, Tres Cruces, Bolivia Sunset on Changst...
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Sunset in the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Nov 14, 2010, 4:01 pm
Tweet The Salar de Uyuni is the largest Salt lake in the world and a perfect place for cycling From WikiPedia: Salar de Uyuni (or Salar de Tunupa) is the world’s largest salt flat at 10,582 square kilometers (4,086 sq mi). It is located in the Potosí and Oruro departments in southwest Bolivi...
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Fall colours in Seattle

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Nov 9, 2010, 10:35 pm
Tweet As Fall/autumn is here/there, in Northern hemisphere… A compilation of shots, made in just one street in North Seattle, a wonderful city, even in the rainy fall… Related photos:Seattle Skyline Cycling through the morning fog on the Oregon coast, USA Street sign in downtown Talkeetna, Ala...
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Summit of Mount Vinson from Basecamp, Antarctica: Alan Arnette climbing for Alzheimer

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Nov 7, 2010, 9:59 pm
Tweet Mount Vinson is one of the 7summits, the highest peaks on every continent, located in Antarctica. This month the climbing season will begin and one of the climbers will be fellow climber Alan Arnette. —————————- The above image is available as a personalized poster print in...
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Mexican dancers backstage, Cancun, Mexico

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Nov 5, 2010, 10:44 pm
Tweet Veronica (in the back) and her friends are dancers in the Maria Felix dance company. Together with their colleagues they perform several times per week in exclusive resorts around Cancun, whirl-winding through many Mexican regions in dance and clothing. Off stage, she is a timid, quiet woma...
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2 seconds of Veronica's dance, Cancun, Mexico

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Nov 4, 2010, 8:52 am
Tweet Veronika is not only a massage therapist, she is also a dancer in the Maria Felix dance company. Together with her colleagues she performs several times per week in exclusive resorts around Cancun, whirl-winding through many Mexican regions in dance, music and clothing. Off stage, she is a...
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Joshua Tree National Park in Black and White (3)

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Nov 2, 2010, 6:43 am
Tweet The 3rd and last in this Black and White Joshua Tree series (see the first and second post in the series). If you liked them then later I will add some colour photos as well. For now, let’s move on to other places! Where shall we go next?
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Joshua Tree national Park in Black and White (2)

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Nov 1, 2010, 9:28 am
Tweet As a follow up of yesterday’s post, here is another shot of the wonderful Joshua Tree national park in black & white.It is a mix of rocky spaces and empty flats, with many of the characteristic plants… More to come unless you protest against it!
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Joshua Tree National Park

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Oct 31, 2010, 7:43 am
Tweet The Joshua Tree is not just a U2 album It is the name of a wonderful park in the USA, named after the abundance of Joshua Trees found there. From Wikipedia: Yucca brevifolia is a plant species belonging to the genus Yucca in the family Agavaceae. It is tree-like in habit, which is reflected...
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Hummingbird feeding in Baja California

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Oct 29, 2010, 7:01 am
Tweet When staying at a friend’s house in Southern Baja California, at the Sea of Cortez, I noticed several small birds racing from one artificial feeder to flowers and then to other feeders. I guess it helps them survive in the desert conditions, but the nervous flight patterns make it very hard ...
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Kids along the Northern Highway, Belize

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Oct 26, 2010, 12:55 pm
Tweet Belize is a small country in Central America. Though the official language is English, along the borders with Mexico & Guatamala, most people speak Spanish (only). These kids were watching us from their porch, passing by on our bicycles and then saw us return to buy some frozen lemonade in pl...
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Sunrise from Volcan Sajama, Bolivia

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Oct 23, 2010, 9:56 am
Tweet Here is a recent image on the next ExposedPlanet, shot yesterday morning from the summit of Bolivia’s highest peak: Sajama. Sajama is an extinct volcano – the crater is filled and covered with ice and snow- of 6542m high (21,463ft), it shadow towers over the Bolivian-Chilean border, lined...
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Sweet Dessert in Cuzco, Peru, the joy of food

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Oct 4, 2010, 11:55 pm
Tweet Yes, ExposedPlanet is still alive Thanks for your patience, time has flown by the past years and I have been very busy doing many things, including shooting a lot of new pictures and organizing old ones. I climbed many mountains, cycled half way around the world and met a lot of interesting ...
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Mount Everest from BaseCamp, Tibet

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - May 19, 2009, 8:27 am
Tweet It is Everest season and here is one of my favorite images of “Chomolungma”, the mother Goddess of the Earth. This post is to celebrate 2 things: - that some of my friends will be very close to the summit at this moment (good luck and be safe!) - That my new Pocket Guidebook, “Everest...
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Paulos beach office on Zanzibar

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Apr 28, 2009, 11:22 pm
Tweet Paulo and his friends had come early in the season, preparing for the selling of Massai bracelets on the white beaches of Zanzibar. Besides being pretty fluently in Italian, his hidden cell-phone was another surprise that on one hand did not fit the picture, but on the other completed it
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Half Dome in Yosemite Valley in winter

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Apr 19, 2009, 5:29 am
Tweet A great place to enter the new year. Half Dome in Yosemite park is a wonderful place, standing proud above the snowy valley. In summer it is relatively easy to hike up, that is: if you use the hiking trail going around and not the extreme routes on the face! The evening before we were pitchi...
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The Jellyfish quarter at the Monterery Aquarium

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Apr 15, 2009, 5:28 am
Tweet Usually I am not too fond of aquariums and definitely not of zoos, especially after having bene lucky enough to have seen so many animals in the wild. But when I got an invitation to see the famous aquarium of Monterey, I took a look. Of course the otters (both seaotters as well as river otte...
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Old woman in Puno, Peru selling sweets

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Mar 31, 2009, 10:46 pm
Tweet This friendly old woman with a typical Peruvian highland hat was selling sweets on the street, part of daily life on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Slowly she approached us, but after getting close she shyly turned to the local, regular customers
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Aconcagua from Cerro Plata

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Mar 27, 2009, 6:05 am
Tweet Cerro Plata is not much of a climb, merely a long hike up. But once you get closer to the summit of the about 6000m high mountain by battling against the cold wind and the effects of altitude, you will be rewarded with a special sight: a view across the Argentinean Andes Range towards the Sou...
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The Cathedral in Puno, Lake Titicaca, Peru

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Mar 23, 2009, 3:10 pm
Tweet Hugging the shores of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world at about 3800m /13,000ft, lies Puno. Just a few hours later this relaxed scene would be one big party when the yearly world renowned Diabladas Festival for the Virgin de La Candelaria (about 2.5 weeks every early Fe...
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Panorama of the Horseshoe Bend of the Colorado River, Arizona.

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Mar 19, 2009, 10:45 pm
Tweet More impressive than the Grand Canyon is this Horse-shoe-shaped cutout that the Colorado river made in the Arizona earth. The colours and sense of scale are wonderful, I tried to capture this in a series of 5 images, merged together, as even the 16mm Wideangle could not capture the grandeur. ...
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Wedding party on Oyster Beach in Dar Es Salaam

Harry Kikstra posted an article on Exposed Planet - Jan 29, 2009, 7:27 pm
Tweet My local colleague is trying to line up a family for some nice shots. I love it that in the back kids are playing in the warm sea. Oyster Beach is a lively and fun place, with loads of local snacks to be eaten and music and performances to be seen.
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About Me

What is ExposedPlanet.com?

ExposedPlanet.com is a so-called photoblog, which is the visual variation of a blog. Normally photobloggers post one image daily with little or no comments, but as you will see, not me :)

I have started ExposedPlanet.com not only as a way to show my portfolio, but also to share the beauty of our planet. Nowadays negative press & media might make people scared of everything foreign or different: culture, religion, people and the places themselves. This xenophobia is taking over our lives and prevents us from seeing the real world as it is: a wonderful place with beautiful people. There are no bad or evil countries, religions or people. There is bad and good people in every culture, including your own.

I hope I can share a bit of the amazement I have enjoyed while traveling the 7 continents. The more I see, the more I know I still have to see and I will. Life is too short to focus on not-existing enemies & fears.

Comments are more than welcome, but please do not just say "great shot" or something similar, but let me know why this image (didn't?) touch you. Many thanks.

Who am I?

Harry Kikstra, a climber/expedition leader/ photographer/ filmmaker/ producer/ writer/ public speaker/ cycler and many other things that have to do with sharing the beauty of the outdoors. I have climbed the 7 continental highpoints and have traveled a lot and will not stop soon, though normally I am based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

See the links to the right to learn more about me or see my detail page on the 7 summits statistics here or just Google me in word or images.

You can follow me on Twitter for news, updates and tips.

7summits.com is focused on the mountains, ExposedPlanete will also show more of the culture and other nature that is to be found on our 7 continents.

I hope that it will sparkle your imagination, make you curious or even just educate you a bit, being maybe the 3 most important aspects of society in my view.

A picture can say more than a 1000 wars and can maybe help understand the world around us. It's a small place, so maybe we can make the best of it together.

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