IT’S A CLIFFHANGER

In a world where tourism is becoming quite the rat race, appetites are predictably increasing for isolated and unspoilt spots. Just like Hollywood’s most legendary loner, Greta Garbo, we all want to be alone. And yes, we do get the irony of tourists complaining about other tourists. Still, we all dream about disappearing off to some dramatic landscape with not a soul — bar our own loved ones, obviously, and perhaps the odd shepherd or two — in sight. And it’s a dream worth dreaming. This week’s Travel mag may help get you a little bit closer to that. We have some of Greece’s sleepier islands beckoning families, wanderers and history buffs (p22), along with some enviably isolated destinations closer to home (p28).

You can also tag along armchair-style with four intrepid women who recently all completed solo trips to the South Pole (p29).

Our Where In the World picture, meanwhile, comes from a self-governing archipelago that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Its 18 islets sit in the Atlantic Ocean, between Iceland and Norway.

Linked by undersea tunnels, ferries and bridges, the islands boast vertiginous cliffs, glistening lakes and near-perfect isolation.

Currently its airline, Atlantic Airways, offers direct flights from Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Paris and Bergen to Vagar Airport on the eponymous island, pictured above. But it’s soon to get another — and it’s a biggie. A direct service from London Gatwick will be available from June 23 to August 11, a two-hour 10-minute flight that’s sure to boost visitor numbers.

Already, the islands have seen these rise in recent years. Last year 130,000 people (nearly three times the local population) made the trip, quite a leap from the 68,000 who went in 2013.

Local government, however, is clearly walking that tightrope of wanting to benefit from tourism, but not too much. Next month it will run its second “maintenance weekend”, when it closes key visitor sites for work by volunteers — laying paths, building fences and installing information points. The goal, of course, is encouraging responsible tourism in a fragile ecosystem. Only time will tell if they can get that right.

● To stand a chance of winning R500, tell us the name of the islands. Send your answer to travelquiz@sundaytimes.co.za before noon on Tuesday March 3. Last week’s winner is Leanne Petro of Germiston. The answer was Richmond, Virginia.