Vanuatu Volcano (July 08, 2026)

Port Resolution on Tanna Island was our first stop in Vanuatu. The hillside, which hides Mt Yasur behind it, regularly emits plumes of steam.

Our tour, organized by the World ARC group we were travelling with, started at a friendly village in Port Resolution. Naturally, we expected the visit to a live volcano to be exciting. Our first indication that there was more to the journey than "just" viewing a volcano, was the sturdy metal cage over the back of the truck. Five of us climbed into the truck bed, settling on the unsecured wooden benches, while our companion with the bad back wisely took the passenger seat inside. What followed was a ride that involved desperate clinging to the roll bars as we lurched over potholes that you could almost fit a cow into. While our sides were being bruised they were also splitting with laughter – not the laugh-in-the-face-of-danger kind but the almost hysterical outlet for adrenaline that comes when you are not entirely sure you are going to make it out in one piece.

Tourist seating consisted of unsecured planks in the cargo bed.

Dave, Morten, Cheryl and Bjarne firmly hanging on. Standing gave some warning of upcoming potholes, but also required a sharp lookout for low branches

The narrow dirt road from the village gave way to pavement after about 25 minutes, allowing us to catch our collective breath. With fewer overhead obstacles, it was more feasible now to stand and spare the buttocks, but it also left one vulnerable to bruised ribs as they banged into the bars. It was also disconcerting to actually see what obstacles were coming up. The reprieve ended and we were back to bouncing our way to a cultural village, fording shallow streams and revving the engine to skid the tires up short but steep muddy hills. The truck we were in was actually well-suited to the task, aside from the unsecured benches. The enterprising owner had worked very hard to acquire it and had just made his final payment. I hope for his sake that the vehicle survives the roads in the long run.

Village women presented us all with a welcome lei of twisted grasses.

No, she isn't a sacrifice to the volcano...this was a demonstration of an improvised stretcher made solely from leaves of a plant related to kava.

We stopped in a village with a great view of Mount Yasur (see banner photo), where people live in their traditional style. The villagers are very welcoming and earn a modest income by sharing aspects of their culture with tourists. Hence, we enjoyed dances and demonstrations with the dramatic backdrop of a rumbling volcano – yes, we could both feel and hear the sporadic lava burps. One of the dances involved a tribute to the volcano and included foot-stomping and rattle-shaking to mimic the volcano's activity.

Another demonstration was of firestarting: after vigorously rubbing two hibiscus sticks, the embers were transferred to coconut husk fibres which quickly burst into flame. The whole process took about two minutes.

Off we went again on the twisting road, through the streams and down the hills. Whenever another vehicle met us head on, one was obliged to back up until there was room for both to squeeze by. Next stop: the Volcano Centre for a safety briefing – and to sign a waiver, because, let’s be honest, standing beside a force of nature that is spewing hot rocks and ash has its risks.

Finally, we arrived at a barren expanse of ash and loose volcanic rock a little before sunset. There was some sulphur in the air, but less than I expected. Joining the line of tourists, we made our way up to the edge of the crater, then walked along it until we could look down into a glowing pit about 150m deep. We were warned to not lean on the wobbly wooden railing, but it at least prevented someone from walking off the edge in the deepening darkness and kept people in check. There was a definite internal tension between that sensible, don’t-approach-danger aspect of self and the that’s-amazing-I-want-to-get-closer! part.

The crater is about 500 metres across, and had a constant plume of rising gases. The prevailing wind generally blew the fumes and ash away from the viewing area.

A high-flying-bird's eye view of Mt Yasur.

The volcano’s activity level is monitored by the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department. Ratings are 0-5, with zero being normal/quiet and 5 being a major eruption. We were fortunate in our timing which allowed us to witness the level 2 – moderate unrest – amount of activity. At level 3, access to the volcano is prohibited.

Most of the time the crater was fairly quiet, with only a few pops and rumblings while steam and gases lifted lazily into the air.

Eruptions, which occured every few minutes, started with a rumble followed by a blast of gases and glowing lava.

So, there we stood, a few metres from the edge, in awe of the dynamic show. It made me think of how one gets mesmerized by a constantly changing campfire, although this was on a much grander scale. At times it was fairly quiet, with the pool of molten lava too far below to appear as more than a bright glow. Rumblings were heard and felt with frequent spurts of material being ejected from the pool to greater or lesser degrees, with some billows of smoke and ash. Sometime a period of calm would stretch on, anticipation building as we learned to identify some signs of a coming explosion. Then suddenly there would be a giant plume of smoke, a loud explosion and bright scorching material would be ejected high above our heads. It was sobering to contemplate the force and realize that it was entirely possible that a different trajectory could send dangerous material our way. At times the wind would shift, requiring us move upwind, but mostly the toxic clouds were blown toward the sea.

The start of a medium-sized eruption.

The ashes, gases and even lava bombs would sometimes rise higher than us awed spectators

Truly awe-inspiring!

Not long after dark, our guides directed us back to the waiting vehicles. Yes, we still had to get back over those roads, but we deemed it a price well worth paying.