This tiny spot of volanic land is found in the Arctic Ocean and geopolitically is part of Svalbard, governed by Norway. These days Jan Mayen is all but uninhabited, only the Norwegian military have a presence.

The past, however, was a different story. An Irish monastic settlement was established in the 5th century and survived 400 years until the Vikings arrived. Later, in the 17th century, like much of the Arctic the island became a base for whalers. Since 2010 the island has been a Norwegian nature reserve and landings are limited to Batvika (Boat Bay). You can expect a wide range of bird life from fulmars to guillemots and the seas are rich with marine life too.