The main point of visiting Santorini is to relax on the cliffs of this crescent-shaped Greek island and admire the view. Santorini is small enough that you feel like you can see the entire coastline from any number of vantage points. As you gaze past the white cubic houses set in the volcanic rock and into the deep blue Aegean, you’ll notice a little black uninhabited isle.

That’s Nea Kameni, the center of the volcano and you can actually go there with a tour if don’t mind a little heat (there’s no shade) and the occasional whiff of sulfur. Everyone seems to be selling tickets for the same two companies that visit there, so your main choice will be what else you’d like to do on your excursion. We didn’t want to be gone for too long so we opted for one that went to Nea Kameni and the hot springs, but you can be gone for hours if you want to combine it with a sunset cruise. The hot springs were a bit of a disappointment as they weren’t that warm and the water was sort of rusty, but it was still fun to take a swim and cool off. Nea Kameni was amazing — partly because of the deep craters and different kinds of rocks but also because it gives you a different perspective on Santorini. From faraway, the white-house-covered caldera looks like a snow-capped mountain. Here are my photos from my trip last June.