National Geographic

Volcanic activity in Iceland has been rumbling on for months, centred around the Reykjanes Peninsula near Reykjavík, in the southwest of the country. After multiple earthquakes, the most recent series of eruptions kicked off at the end of 2023, when an explosion along a 2.5-mile fissure sent lava into the air a couple of miles northeast of the fishing village of Grindavík; another followed shortly afterwards.

Well, we’d recommend water. But I’m assuming you want a longer answer here, so what about Chartreuse — a legendary liqueur that’s been made by Carthusian monks, deep in the French Alps, since the 18th century. The recipe is based on an ancient manuscript, entitled The Elixir of Long Life, bestowed upon the monks by a marshal of King Henry IV, François Annibal d’Estrées. The exact origin of the manuscript — an alchemic labyrinth of secret symbols and cryptic codes — remains unknown, and it took the Grande Chartreuse monastery more than a century to decipher it and begin distilling the enigmatic elixir. Secrecy still surrounds the recipe, with only three monks allowed to oversee the production of the yellowy green liqueur — with each one only being privy to two-thirds of the recipe and bound to a vow of silence.

With towering peaks and pristine waters, the diverse landscapes in Japan are nature’s playground for adventure travelers. Throughout the year, outdoor enthusiasts flock to Kyushu and Central Japan, drawn by the opportunity to trek through the breathtaking, ever-changing terrain, paddle the crystal-clear oceans and rivers, and delve into the lesser-known pages of Japanese history. Whether you’re an experienced thrill seeker or a newbie enthusiast, these four destinations offer a wide variety of activities—from kayaking to cycling—that will get your heart pumping.

Los Angeles has long been the West Coast’s star attraction, offering a heady blend of Hollywood glamour and glorious sunshine. Yet recently, away from the plush red carpets and swaying palm trees, it’s been LA’s revitalised downtown, thriving art scene and diverse culinary offerings that have stolen the limelight. While it’s hard to do the wonders of this sprawling, multi-layered city justice in just a couple of days, it’s still plenty of time to get a taste for what makes LA a blockbuster hit. Here's how to spend 72 hours in LA.

Some people leave their hearts in San Francisco, others consider Paris—the “City of Love”—as the epicenter of romance. But these heart-shaped attractions, whether naturally occurring or crafted by hand, visibly channel the affectionate Valentine’s symbol. From a flight over Heart Reef in Australia to floral arbors resembling you-know-whats in Dubai, these spots could inspire passion, platonic love, or at least some heart-worthy Instagram photos.

Visitors to Japan have likely heard about the cherry blossoms, hot springs, and Mount Fuji—maybe even the snowy slopes of Niseko and sun-kissed islands of Okinawa—yet much of Japan's great outdoors remains unknown. Take the relatively under-visited regions of Shikoku and Tohoku, one a short flight west of Tokyo, the other an easy train trip north, which reward travelers who veer off the beaten path with scenic coastal trails, hikes to sacred peaks, and a host of other experiences in nature.

In a small, enclosed room, people sit side by side on wooden benches. Water thrown on hot stones releases clouds of scalding steam and temperatures soar to a scolding 80C. This is sauna bathing, a ritual believed to date back as far as 7,000 BC in Finland and a practice that’s become a cornerstone of local culture, woven into the very seams of society. In Finland, nobody disputes the powers of the löyly, the name given to the steam that rises from the sauna stove.

Towering mountains. Rushing rivers ideal for white-water rafting (one of National Geographic’s top 20 Best of the World travel adventures for 2024). America’s newest national park. Appalachian cuisine and folk music.

Through the 18th and 19th centuries, the predominant opinion in the United States was that Black Americans had no history, says Joy Bivins, director of collections and research services at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, New York.

“It’s fantastically therapeutic,” says Bhaggie Patel, ceramic artist and co-founder of Manchester’s Imprints of Earth ceramics studio. “Sometimes I’ll be sitting at the wheel and I’m so engrossed in what I’m doing, I don’t realise it’s turned dark outside.” Bhaggie is leading me in a one-to-one throwing class, teaching me how to turn an amorphous lump of clay into something useful, maybe even beautiful: a pot, perhaps, or a mug or bowl.

In Santa Barbara, California, the celebrities who live here—Harry and Meghan, Oprah, Gwyneth—aren’t the ones followed and fawned over. Whales, monarch butterflies, and a diversity of other wildlife draw fans who go on whale-watching cruises and e-bike tours, participate in beach cleanups, and volunteer for annual butterfly counts.

Open a paper or look at a news website and chances are there will be another story about the unstoppable rise of AI (artificial intelligence) and the Frankenstein-style dilemmas associated with its current state of development. Unsurprisingly, AI has also infiltrated the wellness sphere, with apps and chatbot platforms monitoring and analysing our physical and mental health. However, as the Western world hurtles forward on a fast track to the future, increasingly hooked on technology, there’s an evolving counter-culture — a turning back to age-old, intuition-led wellbeing philosophies from the East, from sound healing to forest bathing, chakra cleansing to crystal therapy. This craving for a more spiritual way of living and healing hints at a realisation that the race for material success doesn’t necessarily bring happiness and fulfilment.  Thankfully Eastern wisdom and wellbeing practises are now within easy reach, as a corner of India has recently sprung up in Italy.

Sliding into the frigid teal water, I’m instantly glad for the three pairs of socks I’m wearing inside my dry suit. I slowly skirt the jagged edge of an iceberg flaring out beneath the surface, careful not to veer too close should it suddenly flip and take me with it. Trying not think about the many ways I could meet a grisly end in the icy abyss of Antarctica, I shift my focus to what’s directly in front of my snorkel mask: thousands of tiny gelatinous creatures that look like they come from another world. 

In a remote lowland forest in northern Argentina, giant anteaters snuffle around termite mounds, and jaguars stalk prey along the muddy banks of the Bermejo River. Parque Nacional El Impenetrable, which opened in 2017, is one of the South American country’s newest and most diverse wildlife sanctuaries—and a growing site for ecotourism. Yet, these 320,000 acres of pristine wilderness were nearly lost to development following a brutal murder that gripped the nation.

Today, around 4.4 billion people live in cities. That’s more than half the world’s population, set to increase to almost 70% by 2050. While urban environments bring with them myriad benefits, from economic advantages to entertainment, they also often come with a lack of connection to nature — and it shows. Travel destinations, hotels and wellness centres around the world are catching on, offering a variety of outdoor therapies that promise to help visitors with their physical and mental wellbeing.

Many of the travellers who venture beyond the Arctic Circle to Norway’s northern capital, Tromsø, do so with very realistic hopes of seeing the Northern Lights. But those who come chiefly to be dazzled by the Aurora Borealis will find a city capable of springing plenty of culinary surprises, thanks to a varied dining scene reflecting a population that’s more cosmopolitan than some might assume. At its root, however, is a world-class offering of fresh local fish, from herring to halibut, served on its own, as sushi or in a delicious soups and stews.

To drive south of Dublin and cross into County Wicklow is to be confronted, almost immediately, with some of the most soaring, timeless scenery the Emerald Isle has to offer. This is the ‘Garden of Ireland’: a forested realm of steep, glacial valleys that climb dramatically to the stark uplands of the Wicklow Mountains. Its beauty has made it a site of pilgrimage since ancient times — between the sixth and 12th centuries, the valley of Glendalough was home to one of the most powerful and learned monasteries in all Christendom.

Hot, sticky and aching from two hours of hiking steep jungle trails, it’s a relief to leap off the lava rock ledge and feel the massaging effect of the churning ocean as I enter the water below. 

In your latest series, you’re journeying to the planet’s wildernesses  — the Congo Rainforest, Patagonia, the Pacific Ocean’s Coral Triangle and the Kalahari. Why focus on these areas now?

Over the years, Disney has dressed Scotland in fiction, overlaying its land and cityscapes with films and fables, and the nation has delivered a magical performance every time. Its varied landscapes, the architectural design of its largest cities, and the drama of its wildernesses have allowed filmmakers to create almost any world they choose within Scotland’s borders. From medieval fantasies to gritty sci-fi to tickertape parades in the Big Apple, the decades-long relationship between Scotland and storyteller has resulted in some of the most striking images in Disney’s deep catalogue.

For travellers with serious hiking ambitions, there’s no better country than New Zealand. ‘Tramping’, as the locals call it, is easy and accessible in this land of fern-fringed rivers, glacial valleys and volcano calderas. But the crowning glory is its ‘Great Walks’ — a collection of 11 multi-day hiking trails that capture the best of New Zealand’s spectacular landscapes. Though easy enough to complete, tackling any one of them requires planning — so, from how to budget or book huts to what to pack, here’s all you need to know.