Three of a Kind
Volcano experiences
MOUNT TAVURVUR, PNG
With a spectacular location overlooking Matupit Harbour and the nearby town of Rabaul on the island of New Britain, this is Papua New Guinea’s most active volcano, which last erupted on August 29, 2014. The volcano’s most infamous eruption happened 20 years earlier, on September 19, 1994, when it buried most of Rabaul. Getting close to Tavurvur is not for the faint hearted – expect to hear and feel it rumbling, and see it steaming or billowing clouds of noxious smoke into the sky.
SOMETHING SPECIAL
Just a few hundred metres from the base you’ll find the bubbling Rababa hot springs, set on a black sand beach where the scent of sulphur hangs in the air. The springs are too hot for a dip, but you will find cute kids there selling megapode eggs, which they boil in the springs and serve you as a light snack.
HOW TO EXPERIENCE IT
Hotels will arrange tours. Stay either in Kokopo, in the capital of East New Britain, and motorboat across Matupit Harbour to reach the volcano, or stay at Rabaul Hotel, one of the few buildings left standing after Tavurvur’s 1994 eruption. See rabaulhotel.com.pg.
MOUNT BROMO, INDONESIA
Set on the Indonesian island of Java in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, this still occasionally erupting volcano is best seen at sunrise from the viewpoint at Mount Penanjakan. Jeeps and motorbikes drop daring travellers at the entrance; from there it’s about a one-hour walk (in the dark, if you want to see the sunrise) to the crater. Watching the sun peek over the horizon as you sit at 2392 metres above sea level, feeling the volcano rumbling beneath you, is a powerful reminder that we’re all living at the mercy of the planet.
SOMETHING SPECIAL
Visit in August, during the annual Yadnya Kasada Festival, to witness locals trekking up the volcano en masse to appease the gods by throwing vegetables, chicken and money into the crater.
HOW TO EXPERIENCE IT
If you want to avoid the crowds, visit during the week, and avoid riding one of the horses on offer since many of them are mistreated.
MOUNT YASUR, VANUATU
Dubbed the world’s most accessible active volcano, travellers are able to walk right up to the crater of Mount Yasur on Vanuatu’s Tanna Island and look straight down at the bubbling molten lava. At night, it becomes a terrifying yet mesmerising natural fireworks display. The 361-metre volcano has been erupting since Captain James Cook was lured ashore by its glow in 1774, and is regarded as sacred by locals, with the word ‘ Yasur’ meaning ‘god’ in the local language. Many locals believe that a mysterious man-god named John Frum (some say he’s a white American serviceman) lives inside the volcano, waiting to be reborn and shower them with riches.
SOMETHING SPECIAL
Bizarrely, a postbox sits at the top of the volcano – the world’s only postbox on top of a volcano, in fact – so bring a postcard to send once you reach the top.
HOW TO EXPERIENCE IT
A one-hour drive from Tanna’s White Grass Airport, followed by a 45-minute jungle walk, will get you right up to the rim. Mount Yasur is most active in March and April, at the end of the wet season.