CAPTIVATING VOLCANIC VISTAS

Love a lava flow? Crazy about craters? Tamara Hinson suggests the world’s most exciting geothermal attractions to check out

If peering into a rumbling crater or squeezing down a lava tube is your idea of the perfect holiday, don’t make the mistake of assuming you’ll need a long haul flight. Take Iceland, where you’ll find national parks such as Vatnajökull, home to the volcano filled Ódáðahraun desert, with its crater lakes and frozen lava flows. This year, more visitors than ever are expected to head to Iceland’s northeast, now more accessible thanks to the Diamond Circle, a 250km self-drive route that launched in August and takes in remote, often-overlooked landmarks such as the striking Ásbyrgi canyon and Lake Mývatn.