This month's winner is Adam Hardyman's serene photo of three sunken boats on a misty early morning on Phewa Lake, Pokhara. One of Nepal's most popular tourist regions, Pokhara (Valley of the Lakes) has no shortage of impressive sights, from mountains, canyons, caves and waterfalls to the numerous bodies of water that give the area its name. Adam's photo captures the vastness of Phewa Lake, the second largest lake in Nepal, as it disappears mistily into the horizon. Looking at it is like a lovely holiday for tired, post-party-season, worn-out eyes - go on, stare at it for a while... ahhhh.

It was another month of top-notch shots and high standards in photo competition-land, but this month's esteemed judge, the Guardian's Assistant Picture Editor Ranjit Dhaliwal, chose this image because it "stood out from the rest because of the light. It not only gives the landscape depth but when reflected in the water with the boats it creates a beautiful scene. The colour is wonderful and the reflections pin-sharp- it makes me want to go there so it's a great travel photo."

To see our gallery of our favourite December entries, click here.


Entering the photo of the month competition

You don't have to be an expert to enter the competition - all travel photos are accepted as long as they're at least 435 pixels wide (for landscape shots) or 455 pixels high (for portrait format). A shortlist of the Been there team's favourite entries will be published as a gallery each month on the Travel site.


Photo of the month hall of fame: see previous winners