Kamchatka is the newest area on earth,save for a few islands, and has 15 active volcanoes, is snowbound most of the year,is bigger than California, with only 387,000 people – most of them in Petropavlovsk.

Major boiling points below:

About 100 miles away, over an ice or deep mud road,snowbound 11 months of the year, high into the mountains is a geothermal plant – to harness volcanic energy. Here is one of the buildings. Getting the power to the city is problematic.

A five hour climb brings you into a volcano that sometimes erupts . This is foul smelling hot sulfur gas escaping from the blowhole.One must walk carefully – sinking into the hot earth would turn your leg into charred bone instantly.

Back down in the valley – boiling mud bubbles out of the Earth everywhere – creating a beautiful,surreal scene.

In Chilean Patagonia, around 51 degrees south, is one of the most pristine areas on Earth outside of nearby (1000 miles away ) Antarctica. Though the mountain is only 9800 feet high , it is one of the most difficult on Earth to climb – due to steep grade and treacherous weather conditions most of the year. ArcticTropic has dozens of adventure travel and accommodation providers in Patagonia – both in Chile and Argentina.

On a summer’s day in Patagonia I grabbed this shot of a 100 foot wall of ice calving from Glaciar Moreno, near Calfate in southern Argentine Patagonia. ArcticTropic has many destinations near there – click on the South America map to see more!

FOR ADVENTURES IN ARGENTINA, CLICK HERE