The Ten Most Famous
Santorini, the Grand Canyon, Angkor Wat, the Taj Mahal, Haleakalā, Bali, Uluṟu, Key West, Borobudur and Bagan: the skies that travel journalists, Tripadvisor reviews and Instagram name most often.
Each sky as it is seen from the horizon upwards: six bands from the warm glow of the horizon to the top of the sky, then the sun and the landscape. They are read from freely licensed photographs of each place, taken as inspiration; the sky changes every day, so these are one evening or one morning, not the only true colours.
Oia, Santorini
Greece · sunset
The village at the northern tip of Santorini, on the rim of the caldera. In a 2020 survey of travel journalists from 46 countries, a summer sunset in Santorini came first in the world.
The sun goes down over the open sea, which works as a mirror: the gold of the horizon comes back on the water, and the cliffs and houses turn to warm shadow.
Oia, Santorini · horizon
The horizon, where the sky is warmest: the light crosses the most air and only the reds and oranges get through.
Material: Oia, Santorini, sunset, horizon
RGB(243, 168, 79)
Oia, Santorini · just above the horizon
Just above the horizon, the brightest band of the glow.
Material: Oia, Santorini, sunset, just above the horizon
RGB(252, 204, 119)
Oia, Santorini · lower sky
The lower sky, where the warm colours start to fade.
Material: Oia, Santorini, sunset, lower sky
RGB(238, 208, 142)
Oia, Santorini · middle sky
Halfway up, where warm and cool meet.
Material: Oia, Santorini, sunset, middle sky
RGB(229, 209, 161)
Oia, Santorini · upper sky
The upper sky, already closer to the colour of the day or of the night.
Material: Oia, Santorini, sunset, upper sky
RGB(219, 201, 154)
Oia, Santorini · top of the sky
The top of the sky in the photograph.
Material: Oia, Santorini, sunset, top of the sky
RGB(205, 193, 157)
Oia, Santorini · sun
The glow around the sun, not the blinding disc itself.
Material: Oia, Santorini, sunset, sun
RGB(255, 248, 163)
Oia, Santorini · landscape
The landscape: the sea, rock or water that the light paints.
Material: Oia, Santorini, sunset, landscape
RGB(135, 104, 61)
Grand Canyon
United States · sunrise and sunset
The South Rim, in Arizona. The National Park Service points to viewpoints such as Hopi Point and Mohave Point for sunset and sunrise. It came second in the 2020 journalists’ survey and first in a 2023 ranking built on Tripadvisor reviews.
When the sun is low, the canyon fills with shadow and only the tops of the rock layers catch the light, in orange. The landscape colour is read from a second free photograph of the lit rim.
Grand Canyon · horizon
The horizon, where the sky is warmest: the light crosses the most air and only the reds and oranges get through.
Material: Grand Canyon, sunrise and sunset, horizon
RGB(220, 177, 139)
Grand Canyon · just above the horizon
Just above the horizon, the brightest band of the glow.
Material: Grand Canyon, sunrise and sunset, just above the horizon
RGB(237, 216, 197)
Grand Canyon · lower sky
The lower sky, where the warm colours start to fade.
Material: Grand Canyon, sunrise and sunset, lower sky
RGB(197, 192, 182)
Grand Canyon · middle sky
Halfway up, where warm and cool meet.
Material: Grand Canyon, sunrise and sunset, middle sky
RGB(163, 177, 184)
Grand Canyon · upper sky
The upper sky, already closer to the colour of the day or of the night.
Material: Grand Canyon, sunrise and sunset, upper sky
RGB(131, 157, 175)
Grand Canyon · top of the sky
The top of the sky in the photograph.
Material: Grand Canyon, sunrise and sunset, top of the sky
RGB(107, 137, 162)
Grand Canyon · sun
The glow around the sun, not the blinding disc itself.
Material: Grand Canyon, sunrise and sunset, sun
RGB(255, 250, 216)
Grand Canyon · landscape
The landscape: the sea, rock or water that the light paints.
Material: Grand Canyon, sunrise and sunset, landscape
RGB(212, 112, 25)
Angkor Wat
Cambodia · sunrise
The great temple of Angkor, in Siem Reap province. UNESCO describes Angkor as one of the most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia, with Khmer art from the 9th to the 14th centuries. Its sunrise is the most mentioned in Tripadvisor reviews in the world.
The sun comes up beside the silhouette of the towers, and the pools in front of the temple repeat the sky: peach above, copper in the water.
Angkor Wat · horizon
The horizon, where the sky is warmest: the light crosses the most air and only the reds and oranges get through.
Material: Angkor Wat, sunrise, horizon
RGB(225, 174, 130)
Angkor Wat · just above the horizon
Just above the horizon, the brightest band of the glow.
Material: Angkor Wat, sunrise, just above the horizon
RGB(231, 204, 181)
Angkor Wat · lower sky
The lower sky, where the warm colours start to fade.
Material: Angkor Wat, sunrise, lower sky
RGB(226, 205, 183)
Angkor Wat · middle sky
Halfway up, where warm and cool meet.
Material: Angkor Wat, sunrise, middle sky
RGB(219, 207, 194)
Angkor Wat · upper sky
The upper sky, already closer to the colour of the day or of the night.
Material: Angkor Wat, sunrise, upper sky
RGB(211, 201, 191)
Angkor Wat · top of the sky
The top of the sky in the photograph.
Material: Angkor Wat, sunrise, top of the sky
RGB(198, 191, 187)
Angkor Wat · sun
The glow around the sun, not the blinding disc itself.
Material: Angkor Wat, sunrise, sun
RGB(241, 177, 123)
Angkor Wat · landscape
The landscape: the sea, rock or water that the light paints.
Material: Angkor Wat, sunrise, landscape
RGB(103, 66, 53)
Taj Mahal
India · sunrise and sunset
The mausoleum on the right bank of the Yamuna, in Agra, built by Shah Jahan in memory of Mumtaz Mahal between 1632 and 1648, in white marble and red sandstone (UNESCO). Third in sunrise mentions on Tripadvisor and fourth in the journalists’ survey for sunset.
In the photograph we used, the haze over the river turns the sun into a pale pink disc and the sky into a soft grey-blue: a palette of powder, not of fire.
Taj Mahal · horizon
The horizon, where the sky is warmest: the light crosses the most air and only the reds and oranges get through.
Material: Taj Mahal, sunrise and sunset, horizon
RGB(185, 148, 134)
Taj Mahal · just above the horizon
Just above the horizon, the brightest band of the glow.
Material: Taj Mahal, sunrise and sunset, just above the horizon
RGB(226, 193, 173)
Taj Mahal · lower sky
The lower sky, where the warm colours start to fade.
Material: Taj Mahal, sunrise and sunset, lower sky
RGB(215, 195, 182)
Taj Mahal · middle sky
Halfway up, where warm and cool meet.
Material: Taj Mahal, sunrise and sunset, middle sky
RGB(199, 190, 186)
Taj Mahal · upper sky
The upper sky, already closer to the colour of the day or of the night.
Material: Taj Mahal, sunrise and sunset, upper sky
RGB(183, 183, 185)
Taj Mahal · top of the sky
The top of the sky in the photograph.
Material: Taj Mahal, sunrise and sunset, top of the sky
RGB(167, 173, 176)
Taj Mahal · sun
The glow around the sun, not the blinding disc itself.
Material: Taj Mahal, sunrise and sunset, sun
RGB(235, 184, 158)
Taj Mahal · landscape
The landscape: the sea, rock or water that the light paints.
Material: Taj Mahal, sunrise and sunset, landscape
RGB(88, 89, 84)
Haleakalā
Hawaii, United States · sunrise
The volcano of Maui. Its summit, Puʻu ʻUlaʻula, rises to 10,023 feet (3,055 m), and the National Park Service requires a reservation to enter the summit area for sunrise. Its sunrise is the second most mentioned on Tripadvisor.
The sun rises above a sea of clouds: a gold strip opens between bands of dark cloud, and the clouds below stay in the deep blue of the night.
Haleakalā · horizon
The horizon, where the sky is warmest: the light crosses the most air and only the reds and oranges get through.
Material: Haleakalā, sunrise, horizon
RGB(177, 104, 58)
Haleakalā · just above the horizon
Just above the horizon, the brightest band of the glow.
Material: Haleakalā, sunrise, just above the horizon
RGB(236, 192, 96)
Haleakalā · lower sky
The lower sky, where the warm colours start to fade.
Material: Haleakalā, sunrise, lower sky
RGB(120, 76, 59)
Haleakalā · middle sky
Halfway up, where warm and cool meet.
Material: Haleakalā, sunrise, middle sky
RGB(89, 57, 57)
Haleakalā · upper sky
The upper sky, already closer to the colour of the day or of the night.
Material: Haleakalā, sunrise, upper sky
RGB(56, 54, 62)
Haleakalā · top of the sky
The top of the sky in the photograph.
Material: Haleakalā, sunrise, top of the sky
RGB(32, 40, 60)
Haleakalā · sun
The glow around the sun, not the blinding disc itself.
Material: Haleakalā, sunrise, sun
RGB(252, 211, 82)
Haleakalā · landscape
The landscape: the sea, rock or water that the light paints.
Material: Haleakalā, sunrise, landscape
RGB(19, 30, 51)
Tanah Lot, Bali
Indonesia · sunset
The Hindu sea temple on a rock off the coast of Bali. Bali is the sunset with the most Instagram posts in the world in two recent studies, from 2023 and 2025.
The low clouds catch fire in orange and pink while the high ones stay violet, and the wet rocks of the shore return a dark copper.
Tanah Lot, Bali · horizon
The horizon, where the sky is warmest: the light crosses the most air and only the reds and oranges get through.
Material: Tanah Lot, Bali, sunset, horizon
RGB(235, 191, 148)
Tanah Lot, Bali · just above the horizon
Just above the horizon, the brightest band of the glow.
Material: Tanah Lot, Bali, sunset, just above the horizon
RGB(255, 240, 211)
Tanah Lot, Bali · lower sky
The lower sky, where the warm colours start to fade.
Material: Tanah Lot, Bali, sunset, lower sky
RGB(251, 185, 161)
Tanah Lot, Bali · middle sky
Halfway up, where warm and cool meet.
Material: Tanah Lot, Bali, sunset, middle sky
RGB(158, 109, 120)
Tanah Lot, Bali · upper sky
The upper sky, already closer to the colour of the day or of the night.
Material: Tanah Lot, Bali, sunset, upper sky
RGB(117, 106, 126)
Tanah Lot, Bali · top of the sky
The top of the sky in the photograph.
Material: Tanah Lot, Bali, sunset, top of the sky
RGB(77, 59, 75)
Tanah Lot, Bali · sun
The glow around the sun, not the blinding disc itself.
Material: Tanah Lot, Bali, sunset, sun
RGB(252, 243, 233)
Tanah Lot, Bali · landscape
The landscape: the sea, rock or water that the light paints.
Material: Tanah Lot, Bali, sunset, landscape
RGB(78, 49, 42)
Uluṟu
Australia · sunrise and sunset
The great rock of the Anangu, in the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, which has five viewing areas for sunrise and sunset. Parks Australia explains that it is arkose, a rock whose natural grey turns red as the iron in it rusts; the grey can still be seen inside its caves.
At sunset, looking at the rock, the sun is behind you: the lilac band low over the horizon is the shadow of the Earth, the pink above it is the so-called Belt of Venus, and the rusted rock catches the last light in magenta.
Uluṟu · horizon
The horizon, where the sky is warmest: the light crosses the most air and only the reds and oranges get through.
Material: Uluṟu, sunrise and sunset, horizon
RGB(184, 145, 195)
Uluṟu · just above the horizon
Just above the horizon, the brightest band of the glow.
Material: Uluṟu, sunrise and sunset, just above the horizon
RGB(213, 135, 156)
Uluṟu · lower sky
The lower sky, where the warm colours start to fade.
Material: Uluṟu, sunrise and sunset, lower sky
RGB(217, 145, 137)
Uluṟu · middle sky
Halfway up, where warm and cool meet.
Material: Uluṟu, sunrise and sunset, middle sky
RGB(215, 162, 142)
Uluṟu · upper sky
The upper sky, already closer to the colour of the day or of the night.
Material: Uluṟu, sunrise and sunset, upper sky
RGB(214, 182, 161)
Uluṟu · top of the sky
The top of the sky in the photograph.
Material: Uluṟu, sunrise and sunset, top of the sky
RGB(216, 201, 190)
Uluṟu · light on the rock
The light on the rock: the sun is behind the viewer, and the rock itself glows.
Material: Uluṟu, sunrise and sunset, light on the rock
RGB(177, 79, 136)
Uluṟu · landscape
The landscape: the sea, rock or water that the light paints.
Material: Uluṟu, sunrise and sunset, landscape
RGB(115, 47, 18)
Mallory Square, Key West
Florida, United States · sunset
The square at the end of the Florida Keys, where every evening the Sunset Celebration gathers magicians, jugglers, musicians and artists to watch the sun sink into the Gulf of Mexico. Sixth in the 2023 Tripadvisor-based sunset ranking.
A clear, open sea horizon: the sun stays round and yellow down to the water, and the clouds above it turn amber.
Mallory Square, Key West · horizon
The horizon, where the sky is warmest: the light crosses the most air and only the reds and oranges get through.
Material: Mallory Square, Key West, sunset, horizon
RGB(230, 139, 55)
Mallory Square, Key West · just above the horizon
Just above the horizon, the brightest band of the glow.
Material: Mallory Square, Key West, sunset, just above the horizon
RGB(254, 190, 101)
Mallory Square, Key West · lower sky
The lower sky, where the warm colours start to fade.
Material: Mallory Square, Key West, sunset, lower sky
RGB(232, 163, 82)
Mallory Square, Key West · middle sky
Halfway up, where warm and cool meet.
Material: Mallory Square, Key West, sunset, middle sky
RGB(191, 142, 85)
Mallory Square, Key West · upper sky
The upper sky, already closer to the colour of the day or of the night.
Material: Mallory Square, Key West, sunset, upper sky
RGB(167, 153, 138)
Mallory Square, Key West · top of the sky
The top of the sky in the photograph.
Material: Mallory Square, Key West, sunset, top of the sky
RGB(140, 138, 138)
Mallory Square, Key West · sun
The glow around the sun, not the blinding disc itself.
Material: Mallory Square, Key West, sunset, sun
RGB(255, 200, 60)
Mallory Square, Key West · landscape
The landscape: the sea, rock or water that the light paints.
Material: Mallory Square, Key West, sunset, landscape
RGB(92, 81, 74)
Borobudur
Indonesia · sunrise
The Buddhist temple of the Kedu Valley, in Central Java, built in the 8th and 9th centuries under the Syailendra dynasty; around its circular terraces stand 72 openwork stupas (UNESCO). Fourth in sunrise mentions on Tripadvisor.
The sun breaks through the clouds in rays of saffron above the volcanoes, and the mist of the valley stays brown and grey around the stupas.
Borobudur · horizon
The horizon, where the sky is warmest: the light crosses the most air and only the reds and oranges get through.
Material: Borobudur, sunrise, horizon
RGB(232, 139, 56)
Borobudur · just above the horizon
Just above the horizon, the brightest band of the glow.
Material: Borobudur, sunrise, just above the horizon
RGB(252, 180, 80)
Borobudur · lower sky
The lower sky, where the warm colours start to fade.
Material: Borobudur, sunrise, lower sky
RGB(246, 164, 93)
Borobudur · middle sky
Halfway up, where warm and cool meet.
Material: Borobudur, sunrise, middle sky
RGB(216, 149, 115)
Borobudur · upper sky
The upper sky, already closer to the colour of the day or of the night.
Material: Borobudur, sunrise, upper sky
RGB(204, 140, 116)
Borobudur · top of the sky
The top of the sky in the photograph.
Material: Borobudur, sunrise, top of the sky
RGB(181, 131, 110)
Borobudur · sun
The glow around the sun, not the blinding disc itself.
Material: Borobudur, sunrise, sun
RGB(255, 192, 60)
Borobudur · landscape
The landscape: the sea, rock or water that the light paints.
Material: Borobudur, sunrise, landscape
RGB(93, 69, 55)
Bagan
Myanmar · sunrise
The plain of temples on a bend of the Ayeyarwady River: UNESCO counts 3,595 recorded monuments, most from the Bagan Period, between the 11th and 13th centuries. Seventh in sunrise mentions on Tripadvisor.
In our photograph the haze over the plain turns the sun pinkish white and dissolves the temples into grey; the upper sky keeps a warm sand colour.
Bagan · horizon
The horizon, where the sky is warmest: the light crosses the most air and only the reds and oranges get through.
Material: Bagan, sunrise, horizon
RGB(190, 133, 117)
Bagan · just above the horizon
Just above the horizon, the brightest band of the glow.
Material: Bagan, sunrise, just above the horizon
RGB(217, 169, 134)
Bagan · lower sky
The lower sky, where the warm colours start to fade.
Material: Bagan, sunrise, lower sky
RGB(228, 190, 146)
Bagan · middle sky
Halfway up, where warm and cool meet.
Material: Bagan, sunrise, middle sky
RGB(228, 199, 158)
Bagan · upper sky
The upper sky, already closer to the colour of the day or of the night.
Material: Bagan, sunrise, upper sky
RGB(227, 203, 166)
Bagan · top of the sky
The top of the sky in the photograph.
Material: Bagan, sunrise, top of the sky
RGB(219, 195, 161)
Bagan · sun
The glow around the sun, not the blinding disc itself.
Material: Bagan, sunrise, sun
RGB(221, 161, 132)
Bagan · landscape
The landscape: the sea, rock or water that the light paints.
Material: Bagan, sunrise, landscape
RGB(81, 80, 81)
Pigmentoria is an independent colour atlas. Each palette is our own reading of freely licensed photographs of the place, taken as inspiration; the sky changes every day, with the season, the weather and the dust in the air, so no palette is the only true one. Place and monument names are used descriptively only; no park, monument or authority has sponsored or reviewed this content.