Matua, Kuril Islands

From the middle of the Pacific Ring of Fire you can approach the island of Matua, which Russia and Japan claim as national territory. This is extreme wilderness and these fabulous lands, with their still-active volcanoes, provide a kaleidoscopic look at nature in all her forms but the tranquility of Matua Island, which is at the centre of the volcanic Kuril archipelago, may also surprise you.