About
Wilderness Coffee & Natural High is about nature travel and adventures, hiking and road trips. I am Nancy, a volcano enthusiast, passionate about Iceland, mountains and spectacular nature shows. I love to drink coffee in the wilderness and lose myself in bizarre landscapes that trigger a natural high.
On this website you can find awesome walking tracks, hiking routes on mountains and islands, and various stories about weird & wonderful places. And how to visit an erupting volcano in Iceland. All of these come with lots of photos, maps and practical information.
Travel stories & articles
My articles are based on my own experiences and original research. You can find them on the blog page. In 2024 I am redesigning & restructuring my website and blog layout. The date above each article shows the last update.
I have walked, driven and explored all of these routes myself. My goal is to share my travel experience and practical tips, to inspire you and to provide helpful information when you plan a trip. I hope you enjoy these places for all the beauty they have to offer.
Flying a drone towards the active crater @ Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland! It came back to tell the story… 😉
What is Wilderness Coffee & Natural High?
I named my blog after two distinctive expressions I already used for many years: ‘wilderness coffee’ and ‘natural high’. One is part of the essential survival gear for me on any trip, the other a state of mind that occurs naturally when you blissfully bumble around awe-inspiring places. Both are a source of endless joy!
I know ‘Wilderness Coffee & Natural High’ is not what is usually recommended when choosing a website name: short and easy… But I didn’t want a cliché blog name like ‘NancyTravels’, ‘FollowMeAround’, ‘MyFootstepsAcrossTheWorld’ or something random like that.
I love to drink coffee in the wilderness, and show you the beauty of nature.
A blissful state of mind
There is something about climbing mountains and immersing yourself into nature that just can’t be explained into words. The effects it has on your state of mind are incredible. Feelings of happiness, joy & gratitude, triggered by endorphins and the beauty that surrounds you.
It’s the ultimate mindfulness. Nature & hiking & mountains becomes a natural high. It all adds up to something greater than the sum of its parts. You just never lose your sense of wonder. Seeing an erupting volcano is like looking into the very soul of the Earth, sparkling with the joyous energy of life.
A wilderness coffee & a natural high simultaneously featured in one picture! @ Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland.
About me
I am a restless native from The Netherlands. A Dutch antipodean with a nordic soul, who loves the summer midnight sun (but not so much the cold & winter time!) … I have lived & travelled extensively in Iceland, Australia and New Zealand, as well as various other places around the world in the past 25 years.
My background is in travel planning and SEO. And I’m a bit of a geology geek. I am particularly drawn to volcanoes, geothermal valleys, mountains and crazy rock formations. I’m also fascinated by various natural and weather phenomena, like northern lights, solar eclipses, and the elusive dalalæða.
So it’s no wonder that I spent a lot of time in Iceland over the past years.
Iceland is the love child of powerful geological forces. When the Mid-Atlantic Ridge mantle plume and tectonic plates collided 25 million years ago, they created an insane landscape. It’s total madness; the geological laboratory of the Earth itself.
Inner drive to explore & write stories
Creating a blog had been in the back of my mind for ages. But I ‘never got around doing it’, until I started Wilderness Coffee & Natural High in 2017. I love to write stories and I have an inner drive to go out & explore. It’s something that already manifested itself in childhood, when you’re naturally drawn to the things you like to do most.
Writing a story is like sculpting with words. It starts with bits & pieces and sentences that bubble up, then connecting them by adding more details, scrap the less essential parts, and shave & sculpt the whole thing until it all comes together in a flowing piece.
Why I love to travel
For me, travelling is not about ticking things off some so-called ‘bucket list’. It’s also not about escaping reality, trying to ‘find yourself’ or proving something to myself, or anyone. That all just sounds too compulsive to me. You need to be comfortable with your own company no matter where you go.
I travel because of the pure joy that it brings.
And I love to share that joy and sense of wonder. The excitement of exploring places, unexpected twists & turns along the way, and spontaneous encounters with interesting people.
A plan to go somewhere often comes bubbling up spontaneously. Some places have been in the back of my mind for ages. On other ocasions, I travelled somewhere on a sudden whim. Sometimes I had only vague ideas of what to expect – and was completely overwhelmed. Some places have captured my heart and keep me wanting to come back multiple times.
Beyond the beaten path
The focus of my travel tends to be a bit off the beaten track. I have a tendency to create unusual routes beyond the mainstream and look for hidden treasures. I like to stay in small scale accommodation and guesthouses. These are often run by people who are passionate about what they’re doing, and a meeting place for like-minded travellers.
Wilderness Coffee with a view! @ Wineglass Bay, Tasmania.
Let’s connect!
Do you have any questions, feedback, or simply want to say that you enjoyed reading a particular blog article? I’d love to hear from you. You are welcome to leave a comment or ask a question. If you have specific questions about a place or topic in a blog article, please share them in the comment section beneath the article itself.
I know most people don’t make the effort to comment on blog posts. So I’m grateful if you do! 🙂 Your questions, comments and suggestions are also helpful for other readers, with additional information in my reply to you. Thank you for sharing and reaching out.
Subscribe & follow
Would you like to receive notifications of freshly brewed Wilderness Coffee & Natural High articles by email? Subscribe in the box in the upper right corner of the page (on a desktop), or at the bottom of the page (on a mobile phone). You can also follow Wilderness Coffee & Natural High on Facebook and Instagram for more stories.
Projects and collaborations
Are you interested in working together with me? I’m open for projects and collaborations. Please contact me here with your details, ideas and suggestions.
Explore the beauty of nature. Embrace your sense of wonder.
And enjoy coffee in the wilderness.
© All photos and content on this website are my own, and subject to copyright (unless credited otherwise). Please contact me if you want to use a photo or quote a text from one of my articles. You’re welcome to share a link to my blog articles and photos on social media, with a tag and mention to Wilderness Coffee & Natural High.
