Yasur Volcano

Yasur Volcano is one of only several persistently active volcanoes in the world. Known as the "Lighthouse of the Pacific," it has been erupting regularly for several hundred years. Every few minutes, the volcano ejects magma into the air, making it one of the most amazing spectacles on Planet Earth!

Where: Yasur Volcano is located on Tanna Island, within the island archipelago nation of Vanuatu in the South Pacific.

When: You can visit anytime, but conditions are somewhat better from April to October. The wet season is from November through March, and rain showers are more likely then.

Photography: You can sign up for either evening or morning tours to Yasur (arrangements can be made through your lodging). Evening tours arrive at the volcano before sunset, allowing you to photograph sunset, twilight, and then night for awhile before departing. Morning tours arrive in the dark, and depart after the sun rises. For both tours, vehicles will take you near to the top, with a short but steep climb taking you to the crater rim. Twilight and night are the best times to photograph the volcano, as the lava is most visible then. Consider using long exposures of six to fifteen seconds (with your camera on a tripod, of course) to capture flying magma as streaking arcs of light.

Learn more: Check out my video adventure photographing Yasur Volcano! © Ian Plant