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- Written by: Sophie Nicholson
Ever seen a photo so incredible you had to immediately know exactly where it was taken? That’s the idea behind our “Where in the World” series - celebrating those places that look too spectacular to be real, but absolutely are.
These are the spots that make you stop scrolling and start planning
From wild volcanic parks in Chile to a river so pristine it’s been dubbed Europe’s last wild one, from Somerset’s mystical Glastonbury Tor to Icelandic glaciers and mountains with names as wild and dramatic as they look, these are the spots that make you stop scrolling and start planning your next trip. So grab your hiking boots, pack your camera in a travel bag, and get ready to explore some of the planet’s most epic spots.
Batman Mountain - Vestrahorn, Iceland
Best time to visit: Year-round, but winter brings the most dramatic contrast with snow on the black sand.
Travel time from the UK: Approx. 3 hrs flight to Keflavík, plus a 6 hr drive to Höfn.
Book a flight: easyJet, PLAY and Icelandair fly direct to Keflavík from UK airports.
Time difference: GMT (no daylight savings).
Holy smokes, Batman! Vestrahorn Mountain, on the Stokksnes peninsula in Southeast Iceland, is also more casually named after Gotham’s finest crime fighter due to its black and brooding appearance - locals reckon the mountain’s triple silhouette looks exactly like the Bat Signal when seen from afar.
Its three peaks reach heights of 454 metres above starkly beautiful surroundings of clear lagoons and black sand beaches, a landscape photographer’s dream that is easily reached from the nearby fishing town of Höfn.
If Iceland’s wild east coast grabs you, check out our guide to the best places to travel in August, which features a stunning spot on the other side of the country - the remote Westfjords.
Coron Island - Palawan, Philippines
Best time to visit: December to May (dry season, clear skies, calm seas).
Travel time from the UK: Approx. 16–18 hrs (flight to Manila, then 1 hr domestic flight to Busuanga Airport).
Book a flight: Philippine Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines connect via Manila; SkyJet and Cebu Pacific run domestic hops to Busuanga.
Time difference: GMT +8.
The island of Coron, in the Filippino province of Palawan, looks spectacular from the air, but arguably its biggest attraction lies hidden beneath the surface.
In 1944, a squadron of American dive bombers attacked a Japanese fleet lying at anchor in Coron Bay, sinking six ships in the space of just 15 minutes.
Today, the area is known for having the best wreck-diving in South East Asia. The incredible clarity of the water means it’s often possible to see as far as 24m, allowing snorkelers to view many of the vessels, including the Okikawa Maru and the Akitsushima—two massive ships that rest on the seabed just 30m down.
For wreck divers who want to swim into engine rooms, gawk at the guns, or explore between decks, there are entire sunken worlds to uncover.
Despite the violence of what once took place here, the area is now one of the most peaceful on the planet. Even the fearsome steel ships below the waves are slowly being reclaimed by nature.
Villarrica National Park, Chile
Best time to visit: December to March for hiking, climbing and summer adventures; June to September for skiing.
Travel time from the UK: Approx. 18–20 hrs (flight to Santiago, then 1.5 hrs to Temuco, followed by a 1 hr drive).
Book a flight: British Airways and Iberia connect via Madrid; LATAM and KLM offer routes via Amsterdam or Paris. Domestic flights from Santiago to Temuco with LATAM and Sky Airline.
Time difference: GMT –3 (–4 during UK summer).
It might look like aliens caught in the middle of an abduction attempt, but these glowing lights and flying saucer-like cloud formations are entirely natural phenomena - if not particularly common ones.
The mountain is Villarica, a 2,860m high stratovolcano that’s one of the most active in the Chilean Andes. The red glow is from the lava bubbling away in its crater, shot on a long, 30 second exposure, and the double rings are what’s known as “lenticular clouds,” caused by atmospheric internal gravity waves on the lee side of mountains.
Chilean photographer Francisco Negroni regularly visits Villarica, but every trip is “quite an adventure,” he says, “never knowing what the volcano might surprise you with”.
In this instance, he stayed nearby for 10 days, before snapping this otherworldly photo at the perfect moment.
Despite not featuring wildlife, the photo was ‘Highly Commended’ in the People’s Choice category of the world-famous Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards, organised by London’s Natural History Museum. It’s easy to see why.
If South America sounds tempting, dive into our Grey Gap Year guide, which features classic trekking circuits across the continent.
Symphony of Stones - Garni Canyon, Armenia
Best time to visit: April to October (warm weather, clear access; spring brings green valleys).
Travel time from the UK: Approx. 7–8 hrs (indirect flight to Yerevan, then 1 hr drive to Garni).
Book a flight: Wizz Air, LOT, and Lufthansa connect via Warsaw, Vienna, or Frankfurt; flights arrive into Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport.
Time difference: GMT +4.
Just 28km east of the Armenian capital Yerevan, itself one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, are these spectacular basalt rock formations known as ‘The Symphony of Stones’.
Exposed by the river Garni, which still flows through the gorge below, these giant polygonal columns were formed by rapidly cooling basaltic lava and cover the entire cliff wall, towering above the road.
Also overlooking the gorge is the 1st Century AD Hellenistic Garni Temple, the only surviving pagan temple in Armenia today.
Glastonbury Tor, Somerset, England
Best time to visit: Year-round; sunrise and sunset offer the most atmospheric views.
Travel time from London: Approx. 2.5–3 hrs by car, or train to Castle Cary then short taxi/bus.
Book a train: Great Western Railway services from London Paddington to Castle Cary.
Time difference: GMT (BST in summer).
In normal times, the fields shrouded in mist on the right of this picture would be a sea of tents. For one long weekend each summer, Glastonbury Festival becomes the largest city in the Southwest, with a temporary population of 250,000.
But in 2020 and 2021, the stages fell silent during the Covid hiatus, and the view from the ancient Tor - topped by the tower of what was once St Michael’s Church - was altogether more peaceful.
The legends of King Arthur suggest that Joseph of Arimathea visited Glastonbury, bringing the Holy Grail with him - a myth which inspired William Blake’s Jerusalem.
A few years back, festivities of all kinds were put on hold - but now we can get out and enjoy England’s green and pleasant land again.
Looking for more epic spots in the vicinity? Our round-up of the best walks near Bristol includes plenty of Somerset gems.
Carpathian Mountains, Ukraine
Best time to visit: May to September for hiking and wildflower meadows; December to March for snow and skiing.
Travel time from the UK: Approx. 3 hrs flight to Lviv or Ivano-Frankivsk, then 2–4 hrs by car or train into the mountains.
Book a flight: Wizz Air, Ryanair and LOT operate services to Lviv from the UK via hubs in Poland.
Time difference: GMT +2 (GMT +3 in summer).
Home to wolves, bears, and recently re-introduced European Bison, the Ukrainian Carpathians are wild, rugged and beautiful.
Normally, these peaks would be welcoming thousands of hikers and climbers in peak summer months. But as Valentyn Sypavin, a Ukrainian mountaineer recently told us, almost all the country’s climbers have stopped for the time being in order to fight, or ferry refugees and supplies.
Ukraine has been anything but peaceful in recent years, but this stunning aerial shot is a reminder that there’s another side to the country - and a shedload of natural beauty waiting to be explored when the war is over.
Mýrdalsjökull Glacier, Iceland
Best time to visit: November to March for ice caves and snowmobiling; late spring to autumn for hiking and glacier walks.
Travel time from the UK: Approx. 3 hrs flight to Keflavík, then 2.5–3 hrs drive along the south coast to the glacier.
Book a flight: easyJet, PLAY and Icelandair fly direct to Keflavík from UK airports.
Time difference: GMT (no daylight savings).
Our second Iceland stop — because one entry just isn’t enough for this utterly stunning country.
To the east of Eyjafjallajökull – the ice-covered volcano whose 2010 eruption brought European aviation to a standstill (and whose name left TV anchors stumped) – lies Mýrdalsjökull, an even bigger glacier covering an even bigger volcano.
Stretching over 600 square kilometres, this remote and beautiful ice cap is a popular tourist draw, with snowmobile tours criss-crossing its surface. But beneath the ice, pressure is building.
Katla, the volcano below, has erupted roughly every 50 years since 930AD – most recently in 1918. Which means another major eruption is long overdue… a thought that will strike fear into non-Icelandic newsreaders everywhere.
Vjosa River, Albania
Best time to visit: April to October for rafting, kayaking and hiking along the river.
Travel time from the UK: Approx. 3–3.5 hrs flight to Tirana, then 2–4 hrs drive depending on which section of the river you’re exploring.
Book a flight: Wizz Air, British Airways and Albawings fly direct from the UK to Tirana.
Time difference: GMT +1 (GMT +2 in summer).
With jagged peaks looming over a cyan strip of sediment-rich water, this could almost be the Alps, but it’s actually from somewhere far wilder: Albania.
The Vjosa is the last major, free-flowing river in Europe. It has never been dammed for hydroelectricity, nor diverted for large-scale irrigation. On March 15th 2023, the decades-long campaign to protect it was rewarded when the government created the Vjosa National Park.
Supported by a broad coalition which included local NGOs, international experts and the clothing brand Patagonia, the move was a big step forward for Albania’s growing eco-tourism sector, and a huge victory for the 60,000 locals and over 1,100 species who depend on the Vjosa’s waters for their survival.
We’ve explored this region in depth too - check out our feature on hiking in Albania, or broaden your horizons with our best places to travel in autumn, which includes neighbouring Montenegro.
Read next: Life Behind the Lens with Dan Milner - adventure photographer, storyteller, and the man behind some of the most iconic MTB shots of the past two decades.
