Nelson Mandela make up complete. 40-year-old London-based makeup artist, Maria Malone-Guerbaa has the ability to transform herself into any celebrity or creature using only her basic makeup essentials. Maria used only make up and face paints to create the illusion of Nelson Mandela, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, and many other A-list celebrities. (Photo by Maria Malone-Guerbaa/Rex Features USA)

Layers of breathtaking colour streak the rolling hills of this vast desert, making the landscape appear as though it has been tie-dyed. The natural phenomenon, nicknamed the “Painted Desert”, was formed when the area was once a river floodplain. Each colour corresponds to a different underground geological feature – rocks which have seemingly dyed the layers of earth above. Formed from volcanic activity, the hills at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in East Central Oregon, USA, are almost bursting with colour. Pictured: The colourful hills at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in East Central Oregon, USA. (Photo by Mark Brodkin/Solent News/SIPA Press)

Brave photographer Masa Ushioda captured the shots of this wild gator in vast marsh land in the Everglades National Park, in Florida, USA. He said: “Bright sunlight and blue sky were critical elements in this picture – in addition to getting a wild 10-foot alligator in the middle of the viewfinder with a perfect angle”.

A mushroom cloud dwarfs a row of skyscrapers in what looks like a devastating nuclear bomb detonation. But thankfully this is just a spectacular weather-front blasting in from the tempestuous Rocky Mountains near Denver, Colorado, USA. The unbelievable shot is just one of many of the city's skyline taken by photographer Greg Thow. The 49-year-old has also captured equally stunning shots of lightning blasts and arching rainbows – all from the comfort of his balcony. (Photo by Greg Thow/Barcroft Media)

Son doong cave is a cave in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, Bố Trạch district, Quảng Bình Province, Vietnam. Currently the biggest known cave in the world, the cave is located near the Laos-Vietnam border. Inside is a large, fast-flowing underground river.
In early August 2013, the first tourist group explored the cave on a guided tour at a cost of US$3,000 each. The group had six members from Australia, Norway, Russia and USA and spent 7 days and 6 nights for the tour. Next exploration trips will be arranged.

In the build-up to Halloween those hunting for a real-life ghost town need look no further than this haunting spot. Bodie, California, USA – which requires special access to photograph at night – is one of the best preserved ghost towns in America, still featuring the abodes of the former miners who inhabited it more than 100 years ago. Here: Bodie, California, a real-life ghost town. (Photo by Matthew Christopher/Caters News Agency)