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Heimaklettur, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland.
The walking track to Heimaklettur – The Home Rock

The walking track to Heimaklettur – The Home Rock

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Heimaklettur is the iconic Home Rock of Vestmannaeyjar. It may look a bit inaccessible at first sight, but there are ladders and chains to help you up the path to the top. I made a detailed description of the Heimaklettur hike, including lots of pictures of what the track is like. In the darker days of the year, people like to light candles on Heimaklettur. And around Christmas and New Year they get totally out of control, with a multitude of candles all over the upper slopes. It’s an incredibly beautiful sight.

Mount Ngauruhoe, Tongariro National Park, New Zealand.
Tongariro – The track across Middle Earth

Tongariro – The track across Middle Earth

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Ngauruhoe featured as the terrifying Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings movies. It’s one of the many cones of the vast Tongariro complex. You can explore Ngauruhoe and its surrounding area on the Tongariro Crossing, a beautiful walking track along 20 kilometres of steaming and colourful volcanic terrain from Mangatepopo to Ketetahi in New Zealand.

Heart-shaped northern lights, Stykkishólmur, Snaefellsnes, Iceland.
Northern lights – Energy from out of space pouring in

Northern lights – Energy from out of space pouring in

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There are few natural phenomena as awe-inspiring as the magical northern lights. When the skies open up and flares of charged particles & energy from out of space come pouring in, it creates a display of light so magnificient it takes your breath away. Massive green curtains dropping down with purple tips on their edges, shifting and changing in all directions. It is literally out of this world. The northern lights will completely overwhelm you, to an extend where you can only utter sounds of sheer admiration, with a fading voice due to being blown away. But when can you see northern lights? Read about hunting the elusive Aurora Borealis in Iceland in this story.

Sunrise into the Ko’olau Gap caldera on Mount Haleakala, Maui, Hawaii.
Haleakala – The House of the Rising Sun

Haleakala – The House of the Rising Sun

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Haleakala is the House of the Rising Sun – literally. The sunrise on this volcano on Maui is of such an epic magnitude that it draws people to get up at ridiculous o’ clock at night and drive up its endless hairpin roads to the summit, in order to gawk over the ethereal beauty of its caldera when the sun lights up and paints it in otherworldly colours. You can hike all the way to Halemau’u on the other side of this vast caldera, and explore its countless craters and cinder cones.

The Hazards and Mount Amos, Coles Bay, Tasmania, Australia.
The Hazards – Scrambling up to prehistorical views

The Hazards – Scrambling up to prehistorical views

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At just over 450 metres, Mount Amos isn’t really that high, but its inclination gets rather steep & challenging. You’ll have to scramble your way up (and down again!) over huge granite boulders to reach the top of this peak in The Hazards mountain range. Once you’ve braved the hardcore scrambling bit, you will be rewarded with awe-inspiring views over Wineglass Bay and the Freycinet Peninsula on the east coast of Tasmania.

Eyjafjallajökull craters on the Fimmvörðuháls hiking route, Thórsmörk, Iceland.
Fimmvörðuháls – The fiery pass across Eyjafjallajökull

Fimmvörðuháls – The fiery pass across Eyjafjallajökull

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The Fimmvörðuháls hike between Skógar and Thórsmörk is nothing short of epic. This 26 kilometer walking route takes you over the fiery pass across Eyjafjallajökull and into the fabled valley of Thórsmörk. On the top of the pass you can see the giant lava flows and new craters from the 2010 eruption. But is it possible to do all this in one day? Read all about Fimmvörðuháls the easy way, the hard way, and an unexpected grand encore on that ridiculously steep (but utterly beautiful) Útigönguhöfði mountain.

Fog waterfalls pouring over the cliffs, Heimaey, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland.
Dalalæða – Spectacular waterfalls of fog

Dalalæða – Spectacular waterfalls of fog

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The Icelandic dalalæða is an elusive natural phenomenon of fog waterfalls. When it crawls up a valley and bumps into obstructions, it causes waterfalls of fog tumbling down the mountain tops. I was incredibly lucky to experience this, being at the right place at the right moment when it accidently happened. I stood right in the middle of it, and saw spectacular waterfalls of fog flowing over the rocks and mountains all around me. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was absolutely magical.

Útigönguhöfði and Hvannárgil canyon, hiking route, Thórsmörk, Iceland.
Thórsmörk – Útigönguhöfði and Hvannárgil canyon

Thórsmörk – Útigönguhöfði and Hvannárgil canyon

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Útigönguhöfði is that ridiculously steep mountain you see looming everywhere in Thórsmörk and on the way down from Fimmvörðuháls. Climbing it is as challenging as pronouncing its name… The impressive Hvannárgil canyon runs below its slopes and together they form a beautiful circuit, with jaw-dropping views from one end to the other. See how to get there, and combine this walk with Hvannárgil canyon or the lower part of the Fimmvörðuháls route. Be prepared for some serious crawling up the rocks on either side!

Crossing the Waal river bridge in Nijmegen on the first day of the Vierdaagse Walk of the World, The Netherlands.
Vierdaagse of Nijmegen – Four days of long distance trials & tribulations

Vierdaagse of Nijmegen – Four days of long distance trials & tribulations

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The epic trial & tribulation that is the Vierdaagse of Nijmegen. This long distance walk is internationally known as the Walk of the World. Four days of walking 40 kilometers per day. Why do people even want to do this? It’s hard to explain, or even understand, if you haven’t experienced it for yourself. As you crawl along the Via Gladiola on the final stretch of the last day, the euphoria that comes over you causes a natural high that may well turn into a recurring virus. You get itchy feet, and you’ll want to do it again. The Vierdaagse virus is real.