10 Active Volcanos Worth Visiting

There are nearly 1,500 active volcanos in the world and around 40 of them are erupting right now! Here is a list of the top 10 active volcanos that should definitely feature on your bucket list if you are into volcano tourism.

Let’s be honest. You visit active volcanos because they are a challenge. If this is something you appreciate, then head to Iceland where the Eyjafjallajökull volcano is situated. A majestic glacier strapped strato volcano, this behemoth is easily the most famous one in the world today. Erupting recently in 2010, the entire volcano is an ice cap with several outlet glaciers. The big ones lie to the north and the mountain itself stands at around 5,417 ft (1,651 meters).

This volcano is famous because of a recent explosion that stalled all air traffic in North-West Europe. Throwing volcanic ash several meters up in the air, the eruption also caused major electrical storms knocking out communication arrays. Lasting for six whole days, it stranded thousands of tourists and led to the evacuation of nearly 800 people.

Today, volcano tourism has made it possible for you to observe the aftermath of the explosion from Thorsmork Glacier Valley. This is a natural oasis that formed behind the volcano due to years of volcanic ash and silt deposits. You can either rent a snowmobile or go on one of the tours that are widely available. They take you to the crater from where you can get fabulous views of southern Iceland. A moderate difficulty tour will take you on a walk over the icy side at only GBP 138.

Getting to the volcano isn’t very difficult. Drive along the South Shore and you will reach pretty close. From here you can take a super jeep and get quite close to the actual eruption point.

Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanos in the world today and is located off the southern coast of Italy. It is Europe’s tallest volcano and has been a UNESCO World Heritage since 2013. If you are in Italy and want to visit active volcanos, you should begin with this. You can explore the smoldering craters and vast lava fields that are magnificent to behold, to say the least.

There are various tours available and you can either ride, take a cable car, and hike up the mountain. With half-day and full-day tours available, you are free to choose one that suits your itinerary. You can begin most of these from the nearby cities of Messina, Taormina, and Catania. An exciting thing to do here would be to take the cable car originating from Funivia dell’Etna and glide over most of the mountain to land at nearly the top.

Once near the crater, don’t forget to go down and explore the Alcantara Gorge situated nearby. Be sure to carry your camera as there are sunset tours available as well, capitalizing on the magnificent views the evenings bring. If you want to see an eruption then you won’t be disappointed as they occur a few times every day. With brilliant orange lava spewing up with the sky providing an inky black backdrop, the sight of the main crater erupting is something spectacular.

The volcanic soil is very fertile and things like wine, fruits, and vegetables. Some tours will often add wine-tasting to their itinerary if you want to visit a volcanic vineyard.

Responsible for wiping out the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae, and Oplontis, Mount Vesuvius needs no formal introduction to volcano enthusiasts. Although the eruption cycle is 20 years, the last time it erupted was in 1944. Although it is one of the world’s most dangerous places, heading to Mount Vesuvius is possible if you are on a mission to visit active volcanos. Vehicles do not go to the top and will drop you at an altitude of 1000 meters.

If you are departing from Rome, then the best thing to do would be to catch the Circumvesuviana train which leaves from a station adjacent to the main Naples Central Station. If however, you are in Pompeii, then there is a tourist service till Mount Vesuvius. Tickets are available at the station itself. Once you reach the Mount Vesuvius National Park you will find 9 trails that will take you directly to the volcano cone. Trail number 5 is the most popular as it starts directly from the car park, but remember there is a fee associated with the parking. This road will end at 250 meters, and you will have to climb a bit more to reach the crater. The climb is gentle, but if you are severely out of shape it’s advisable not to undertake this exercise.

Once you have reached the edge of the crater you will notice a hut that you can use to wait for a guided tour by a volcanology expert. The views across the Bay of Naples are spectacular so be sure to be carrying your camera. The path will finally end right at the crater with a few staircases to aid you on the journey. The landscape is akin to the moon and is pockmarked with smaller craters and sulfur gas vents. No lava pools as such, but you should still wear appropriate warm clothing with strong sturdy shoes.

The Whakaari, or White Island as its locally called is one of the most active volcanos out there. Being an andesite-type volcano, only ten percent is above sea level. Formed nearly 900,000 years ago, the Whakaari volcano originally had two craters. The one that you can visit on a tour is the smaller one and it’s absolutely spectacular.

Although eruptions are rare, when the magma comes close underneath the crust it leads to random eruptions that are highly dangerous. That’s why to ensure safety, the volcano is constantly under watch by the IGNS (Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences). Weather permitting, most tours to this volcanic island operate every day. You start from Whakatane that’s located around 90 minutes from Rotorua and is popularly known as a route “off the beaten track”.

There are both land and helicopter tours available, so if you want a bird’s eye view of the crater you can do so very easily. However, if you want to hike it then you will see some of the most fascinating geothermal activities in the world. You are provided with gas masks and hard hats to protect the body against roaring steam vents, bubbling pits of boiling hot sludge, a lake of steaming acid, and hot volcanic streams. The vivid shades of orange and yellow make for drastic contrasts and are brilliant to capture on film. You will be taken on an adventure if your guide is experienced and can last up to 2 hours. Try to see if you can notice an old abandoned sulfur factory that has stood through multiple eruptions.

Don’t worry about food as once you are back on board the boat you will be served a light lunch. If active volcanos are what you went searching for, you will get more than your fair share here.

Fifty kilometers south of Quito lies the Cotopaxi National Park, home to the Cotopaxi volcano. The first thing you will notice as you drive around the park will be the remnants of past eruptions. This volcano is famous for its almost cone-shape and is always covered with a thick blanket of frigid snow. Although the volcano is the most climbed volcano in the country, it’s dangerous and not for the inexperienced. Cracks in the ice, low oxygen levels, and frigid temperatures are just a few of the things that will hamper you on this climbing tour.

The tour has another part that involves cycling a bike! After a short brief on safety, you can set off down the side of the volcano. With active volcanos, and lakes surrounding you, it will be one of the best rides of your life.

Located in the northern end of Cost Rica, Mount Arenal once erupted more than 40 times daily. Now it has entered into a quieter phase, but that doesn’t mean it’s one of the most dangerous and exciting active volcanos ever. Surrounding this massive mountain are waterfalls, rainforests, and the country’s largest lake. This has given rise to a lot of wildlife and biodiversity around the volcano and can be observed on a tour.

Dominating the landscape, this conical shaped volcano is a naturalist’s delight and taking a walkthrough across the park is fascinating. Head to the thermal pools where you can soak your muscles and also get a free spa treatment through the natural minerals that come up in these thermal pools. Used in Costa Rica’s therapeutic baths for more than two hundred years. You can even go ziplining in Arenal National Park which will give you an aerial view of the volcano and its crater.

Once you are done with the hiking and climbing, head down to the tiny town of La Fortuna which is situated at the foot of the mountain near La Fortuna Waterfall. You can get here either on foot or by horseback so take your pick! If you are feeling adventurous enough, then jump off the waterfall which is a 200 feet fall into a pool of crystal clear waters. Be sure to carry your swimsuit or you won’t be allowed off the ledge.

Other activities that you can do would be to hike through a lush green forest and walk over naturally formed hanging bridges. Head over to Lake Arenal as the hike is a visual treat with lots of animals like sloths and monkeys.

An active shield volcano, the Kilauea mountain has been erupting since 1983 well into 2018. Emerging out of the sea around 100,000 years ago, the mountain itself is more than 250,000 years old. This active volcano has been known to cause a lot of destruction as the town of Kalpana witnessed in 1990. The volcano has continuously erupted well into 2018 with the lower Puna eruption, where nearly two dozen lava vents erupted downrift.

The volcano has been the center of tourism since the 19^th century, and noted businessmen Benjamin Pitman, and George Lycurgus constructed hotels along the ridge. One of them, Volcano House stands to this day and is the only hotel or restaurant within the national park which the volcano calls home.

Tourists generally visit the volcano after arriving at Kilauea Visitor Center, which is near the entrance to the national park. The Thomas A. Jagger Museum is a popular tourist hotspot, and is situated near the edge of the crater. The museum has an observation deck that offers brilliant views of volcanic activity at Halema’uma’u. There are several hiking trails spread across the region around the volcano and multiple ranger programs also exist. Due to the constant eruptive state of the volcano, most of these are being stopped to prevent injury and harm to tourists. However, if you still want to visit, then there is a Lava Viewing Area for tourists in Kalapana.

Known once as Hi No Kuni or Land of Fire, Mount Aso is one of the most active volcanos in Japan. Located in Kumamoto Prefecture, the peak is nearly 1,600 feet and is full of mystery. There are several ways to get to Mount Aso, but the fastest way would be to land at Kumamoto and take a car to the mountain. It’s only an hour away so you won’t miss much of the day. If you cannot get a car, then there are many buses that travel every couple of hours in the morning. If you take a local bus from Aso Sta, it will take you an hour extra, but the route is very scenic and picturesque so you won’t realize the time.

For sightseeing there are multiple opportunities through cycling, hiking, rope-way, and much more. The best part of this volcano is that it’s still fuming. You can see smoke rise up from the ground at Aso Nakadake crater. The unique shape of the mountain was given by volcanic activities by Mount Aso over 270,000 years ago. There are five main peaks including Aso crater and each has varying levels of difficulty in hiking and trekking. It’s nearly impossible to visit all in one day so be sure to plan accordingly.

The Asosan Ropeway Building is a spectacular way to observe the caldera which is the largest in the world, but it only opens up at certain times of the day. If it’s closed you can go around the region on horseback and soak in all the natural beauty the volcano has to offer. Don’t forget to touch base at the Uchinomaki Hots-spring which is among 80 hot-springs that you find there, and the price starts from three hundred yen. If you like, there are other activities like hang-gliding, hot-air balloon rides, and much more.

Considered as a sacred mountain by most Javanese, Mount Merapi is an active volcano that erupted recently in 2010. Beginning with an earthquake, the volcano erupted suddenly, displacing nearly 400,000 people.

One of the best ways to experience this active volcano is by jeep. There are multiple jeep tours available that you can take to go around the mountain. The tour generally starts at around 4 am from the city of Yogyakarta and you drive down to the village of Sleman. If you time your trip, then you can capture the brilliant sunset over Merapi.

Before finishing the tour, be sure to visit the Mount Merapi Museum which is a house turned into a museum. It was abandoned during the 2010 eruption and today it shows you the aftermath of that time. Among the exhibits you will find household items nearly destroyed completely by lava, and a clock that stopped at the exact time the eruption occurred. A spectacular place to hike and reflect the destructive powers of an active volcano, you will not be disappointed.

In spite of being the highest mountain in Spain, there are several ways to reach the Teide volcano. You can rent a car and go through the national park which is home to the volcano, and there are a plethora of activities for you to do. Even if you don’t feel adventurous, the hike across the park is enough to make the trip worth it.

Go for some traditional Canarian cuisine at Parador Las Canadas if you don’t want to leave after the hike. The food is delicious and the menus have small facts about the mountain which makes for an interesting read while you wait for your order.

You must avail the Mount Teide cable car which will take you over the park, giving you an aerial view of the volcano and its crater. If you are lucky, you might notice steam coming out of cracks and fissures on the mountainside. The cars open at around 9 am and get crowded quickly so plan accordingly. If you start your tour early, then you can even catch the sunrise over Mount Teide, considered as one of the best views in Spain. Overall, a fascinating tourist spot that gives volcano tourism a great name!