Mount Yasur

Mount Yasur, on the island of Tanna, is one of the world's most accessible and reliably active volcanoes, offering a genuinely thrilling and rare experience: the chance to stand on the rim of an erupting crater. A short walk from where vehicles stop leads right to the edge, where visitors can gaze down into the roaring vent as it spews glowing molten rock, ash and gas in frequent, thunderous explosions. By day it is dramatic; after dark, the spectacle becomes mesmerising, with fountains of red-hot lava blazing against the night sky, an unforgettable and primal encounter with the raw power of the earth.

The landscape

• The crater rim - the walk to the edge of the erupting vent.
• The eruptions - the glowing lava and thunderous explosions.
• The night spectacle - the fountains of red-hot lava after dark.
• The ash plain - the surreal volcanic landscape around the volcano.

When to go

April to October, the drier, cooler season, for the best weather; the volcano is most spectacular at dusk and after dark, when the glowing lava shows most dramatically, so a late-afternoon or evening visit is ideal. Access depends on the volcano's activity level, which is monitored, and the crater can close when eruptions intensify.

Before you go

This is a genuinely active volcano, so access depends on the current activity level and can be restricted or closed for safety when eruptions intensify, and standing near an erupting crater carries inherent risk; it is reached by a flight to Tanna and a rough drive, so it takes effort and expense. When conditions allow, though, gazing into an erupting crater at spewing, glowing lava, especially after dark, is one of the most extraordinary and primal experiences on earth.

Nearby

The kastom villages of Tanna and the island's beaches are nearby.

Key facts