KEVIN BENCKENDORF
Photo essays

Stories

One journey per story, told in full: the pictures, and the few paragraphs they need.

A sulfur carrier on the crater ridge of Kawah Ijen, smoke rising behind him
01

Devil’s Gold

Kawah Ijen · East Java, Indonesia

Miners climb into a burning crater and carry out nearly their own body weight in sulfur. Twice a day, for a few dollars a load.

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Alpenglow on a Himalayan peak, Bhutan
02

The Snowman Trek

Lunana, Bhutan — Sep – Oct 2025

Twenty-seven days on foot through the highest kingdom on earth. A route more people quit than complete.

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A marine iguana swims through turquoise water in the Galápagos
03

Salt & Scales

Galápagos, Ecuador — 2023

The only lizard on earth that feeds in the sea, and the strange, fearless island world it rules.

Coming soon