Live volcanoes you can visit
Amazingly, many of the world’s rumbling and smoking active volcanoes can be explored up close. Be filled with a primeval sense of awe and dread as you watch huge ash clouds being sent up into the sky or peer right into the glowing crater rim in some of these live volcanoes.
Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland
In 2010, newsreaders around the world struggled to pronounce the name of the Icelandic glacier volcano that brought air traffic in Europe to a standstill. Eyjafjallajökull belched out huge ash clouds that hung in the air for more than six days.
Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland
Although it’s too dangerous to walk on the ice cap that covers the caldera of the volcano, hikers can explore the rocky terrain on the 15-mile Fimmvörðuháls ridge hike – walk between the Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull glaciers and see the craters and lava flow formed by the 2010 eruption. If you want to see more of Iceland, check out these brilliant places few people visit.
Mount Bromo, Indonesia
Sitting on the Ring of Fire at the edge of the Pacific Ocean, East Java is home to the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park, a vast sandy caldera boasting the famous smoking Mount Bromo (7,641 feet).
Mount Bromo, Indonesia
The majority of visitors travel by jeep in the early hours of morning to a packed viewpoint to watch the sunrise over Mount Bromo. You’ll have to cross the sea of sand to get close to the actual crater – locals offer bike or horseback rides.
Mount Vesuvius, Italy
The cone of Mount Vesuvius looms large over the city of Naples in southern Italy. The vast crater at its summit was formed during the last eruption in 1944 – and it’s not a question of if the volcano will erupt again, but when.
Mount Vesuvius, Italy
The once prosperous Greco-Roman city of Pompeii at the southeastern base of Mount Vesuvius was devastated by an eruption in AD 79 that rained down ash and volcanic rock. When the city was rediscovered nearly 2000 years later, everything had been perfectly preserved.
Mount Fuji, Japan
Around 60 miles from Tokyo, Mount Fuji is Japan’s most iconic peak and some would say that the snow-capped view is best appreciated from afar. Fuji-san, as it’s known locally, is long overdue an eruption.
Mount Fuji, Japan
The official climbing season is July to mid-September when the weather is relatively mild – although it’s best to avoid the crowds in the August school holidays. There are dozens of mountain huts on various trails where you can stay overnight and then tackle the summit in the early morning before it’s shrouded in cloud. Explore more of Japan with these brilliant weekend trips from Tokyo.
White Island (Whakaari), New Zealand
In northern New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty, White Island (Whakaari to the Māori) is a grumbling volcanic island of billowing steam and bubbling mud. Most of the volcano is below sea level, so visitors step straight off boats into the actual crater.
White Island, New Zealand
The spectacular landscape is tinged yellow from the sulphur – the smell can be overwhelming and all visitors to White Island are issued with a gas mask (and a hard hat).
Mount Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo
The 3,000-sq-mile Virunga National Park in Central Africa’s Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to a quarter of the world’s critically endangered mountain gorillas. The park, Africa’s oldest, attracts visitors keen to see rare wildlife and trek to the summit of Nyirangongo (treks are 4–6 hours and include an overnight stay in a summit shelter).
Mount Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mount Nyiragongo has the world’s largest lava lake and after dark is the best time to peer into the crater and see the glowing molten rock. The unusual fluidity of the lava makes it all the more dangerous to the people living in its shadow – more than a hundred villagers were killed in a devastating eruption in 2002.
Taal volcano, the Philippines
The world’s smallest active volcano is famous for sitting in a lake in a volcano in a lake in a volcano. The still green water belies the fact that it’s a volatile area – Taal has been showing signs of unrest since 1991.
Taal volcano, the Philippines
Outrigger canoes ferry passengers from Talisay to Volcano Island in around 30 minutes, and from the dock, a well-worn dusty trail leads to the crater lake and its pretty views.
Cotopaxi, Ecuador
Cotopaxi (19,288 feet) is one of the world’s highest volcanoes and any ascent requires mountaineering equipment suitable for a glacier climb – as well as plenty of time to acclimatise. The summit has only recently reopened to climbers after a major eruption in 2015.
Cotopaxi, Ecuador
The near-perfect snow cone of Cotopaxi can be seen from as far as Ecuador’s capital city, Quito, 35 miles away. Mountain bikers can take the steep downhill from the refugio just below glacier level, or bike the trails in Cotopaxi National Park with the volcano as a scenic backdrop.
Kīlauea, Hawaii, USA
Kīlauea, on Hawaii’s Big Island, has been constantly erupting molten lava since 1983. You can explore the crater rim drive independently and there are a number of signposted trails to viewpoints.
Kīlauea, Hawaii, USA
The name Kīlauea means “much spreading” in Hawaiian, but right now, although the caldera lake is still active, the lava entry into the ocean has paused. You can take a helicopter tour to view the caldera from above and get up close to the bubbling lava fields.
Volcan dé Fuego, Guatemala
The small city of Antigua Guatemala has a knot of volcanoes to the southwest – Agua, Acatenango and Fuego. Fuego is the most active, erupting as recently as February 2018, when ash blanketed nearby villages. This latest activity has been ongoing since 2002.
Volcan dé Fuego, Guatemala
Eruptions from Volcán de Fuego – Spanish for “Fire Volcano” – can be seen from Antigua, but take the strenuous hike up Acatenango for a unique view of the glowering peak. Setting out from your camp in the early hours to watch the volcano spit up stones, fire and smoke is an unforgettable experience.
Telica volcano, Nicaragua
Telica is a steep-sided cone-shaped volcano on the west coast of Nicaragua. You can hike right up to the smoking crater and camp just below it – the walk is an arduous six hours that most people do with a guide (if you plan to do it independently you’ll need some Spanish to ask for directions along the non-signposted trails).
Telica volcano, Nicaragua
You can opt for a lift in a jeep to the trail head just 45 minutes from the peak – but the bubbling mud pools, hard rock and steep incline make it a bumpy (and not very pleasant) journey.
Villarrica volcano, Chile
Villarrica, along with Quetrupillán and the Chilean portion of Lanín, falls inside Villarrica National Park in Chile’s central valley. Permanently active, the glacier volcano often has a lava lake at its summit.
Villarrica volcano, Chile
Villarrica was closed for expeditions as recently as 2015, when an eruption blasted out ash and lava and caused around 4,000 people to be evacuated from nearby homes. In 2018 it’s open and you can take a ski lift partway up and then tackle the snow and ice to reach the summit (9,300 feet).
Yellowstone Caldera, Wyoming, USA
Yellowstone National Park attracts more than three million people a year with its incredible volcanic landscape of geysers and hot springs. The Yellowstone caldera is a supervolcano that hasn’t erupted for around 174,000 years – though beneath ground, it’s still very much active.
Yellowstone Caldera, Wyoming, USA
Seismic activity at Yellowstone is closely monitored and there are between 1,000 and 3,000 earthquakes below ground each year – despite this, scientists aren’t predicting any major eruptions in the near future.
Mount Etna, Sicily
The highest active volcano in Europe, Mount Etna is a magnificent landmark in the northeast of Sicily. Fiery Etna erupts several times a year and is sometimes closed for safety reasons.
Mount Etna, Sicily
There’s a 20-minute cable car (Funivia dell’Etna) up to 8,000 feet on the south side of the mountain, and then it’s a long walk or short 4×4 drive through the barren landscape to the otherworldly summit craters.
Mount Teide, Tenerife
Mount Teide is on the volcanic island of Tenerife, one of Spain’s Canary Islands. Despite a seismic swarm (a series of mini earthquakes) in 2016 and 2017, scientists say they aren’t concerned about an imminent eruption (low level seismic activity is very normal).
Mount Teide, Tenerife
At 12,200 feet, El Pico del Teide is the highest point in Spain. You can reach the base station by road and then take the cable car up to the upper station, where trails lead to the peak. Around three million people visit each year and you’ll need a free permit for entry before you visit.
Arenal volcano, Costa Rica
A fearsome eruption in 1968 devastated nearby villages and killed 87 people. Between then and 2010, Arenal rumbled on, regularly spewing smoke, ash and lava, but today the volcano slumbers quietly once more.
Arenal volcano, Costa Rica
Arenal National Park is a lush green paradise with trails to explore the forest and old lava flows. The peak is still part of a 2.5-mile exclusion zone, but various routes take in gorgeous viewpoints – all best viewed at sunrise.
Volcán de Colima, Mexico
Mexico has over 3,000 volcanoes, but only a fraction of these are active. The Volcán de Colima (also known as the Volcán de Fuego) is one of the most volatile and explosive eruptions in January 2017 triggered mass evacuations.
Volcán de Colima, Mexico
You can’t hike up Volcán de Colima, but it is possible to climb nearby Nevado de Colima for spectacular views of the smoking cone.
Mount Pelée, Martinique
Mount Pelée on the Caribbean island of Martinique looks peaceful, but in 1902 a deadly eruption wiped out an entire town, killing around 30,000 people.
Mount Pelée, Martinique
The highest peak in Martinique (4,500 feet), Pelée has several trails to explore the slopes and peak. The views of the bay and its black sands (when it’s not too foggy) are phenomenal.
Mount St Helens, Washington, USA
In the Cascade Range in Washington State, Mount St Helens is infamous for its 1980 eruption in which 57 people lost their lives. A huge National Volcanic Monument was created and is constantly monitored for unusual seismic activity.
Mount St Helens, Washington, USA
The viewing deck at Johnston Ridge Observatory is the best place for a magnificent view of the crater of Mount St Helens. The short “eruption trail” from here has information all about the fateful eruption on May 18, 1980.
Mount Yasur, the South Pacific
Idyllic Tannu island is home to Mount Yasur, the best-known of the Vanuatu volcanoes. The trail from the car park to the awe inspiring crater rim only takes about 10 minutes to walk – possibly the easiest volcano climb in the world.
Mount Yasur, the South Pacific
Said to have been constantly bubbling and smoking for more than 800 years (Captain Cook noted its glow), the summit can be a dangerous place as the volcano is known for shooting out burning debris high into the air.
