Volcano

The small village of Cemoro Lawang is perched on the fringes of an undulating stretch of fine volcanic sand. This is Laut Pasir which, in Javanese, means Sea of Sand. My hotel, Bromo Permai, has a charming lobby that overlooks this unsettlingly unearthly territory.

Lush rainforest and land transformed for millions of years by volcanic activity, all spread across 520 square miles of protected space. Welcome to Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park!

I have come here in East Java to experience a midnight hike to the volcanic crater of Kawah Ijen and watch the blue fire created by the spontaneous combustion of subterranean gases and toxic yellow smoke.

We had checked off a handful of well-known sights already on our three days in Iceland: soaking in the Blue Lagoon, zipping up close to icebergs in a zodiac and hiking up to Svartifoss, an impressive waterfall tumbling over Jenga-like basalt columns.