See a volcano

Seeing a volcano means getting close enough to stand on or beside one, active or quiet: a steaming crater, a perfect cone above a city, fresh black lava you can walk beside. It's worth it because nowhere else shows so plainly that the ground under your feet is still being made.

Where to do it

Kīlauea, United States

In Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, on Hawaiʻi's Big Island in the United States, Kīlauea's summit crater glows at night when it's erupting, and trails cross old lava flows and steaming vents. Eruptions start and stop, so check the USGS observatory's updates and the park's air-quality alerts.

Mount Vesuvius, Italy

The volcano that buried Pompeii in 79 CE rises over Naples. A shuttle or car takes you to the car park; from there a gravel path climbs to the crater rim in about half an hour. Book a timed ticket ahead, and expect the path in Italy to close in strong wind.

Mount Etna, Italy

One of the world's most active volcanoes. On the south side a cable car and 4x4 buses climb from Rifugio Sapienza toward the summit area, and the highest craters can only be visited with an authorized guide. Areas close during eruptions, which happen often.

Mount Fuji, Japan

Japan's highest mountain, at 3,776 m, can be climbed only in the official season, July to early September. Both sides now charge climbers a fee and ask for advance registration or booking. Out of season, the Fuji Subaru Line 5th Station puts you on its slopes by road when weather allows.

Santorini, Greece

The island is the rim of a flooded caldera. Boats from the old port go to Nea Kameni, a young volcanic island in the middle, where a short, hot trail climbs to steaming vents in the crater. In Greece in summer, go on the first boat to beat the heat.

Mount Bromo, Indonesia

In East Java, a smoking crater rises from a flat "Sea of Sand". The classic trip is sunrise from a viewpoint above, then a walk across the sand and up the steps to the rim. Indonesia's volcano agency raises alert levels when activity rises, and the crater closes.

Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

A near-perfect cone above the rainforest that hasn't erupted since 2010. Trails in the national park cross lava flows from its 1968 eruption, and hot springs heated by the volcano fill the valley; see our hot spring line. The summit of this volcano in Costa Rica is often in cloud.

Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland

Near the airport and Grindavík, eruptions since 2021 have left fresh lava fields you can hike to when areas are open. Authorities close the zone during eruptions; check SafeTravel and the Icelandic Met Office. In Iceland, never step onto new lava: the crust can hide molten rock beneath.

How to make it happen

• Follow the closures and alert levels. Local volcano agencies and park staff close areas for good reasons: gas, ash, falling rock or new vents.
• Mind the gas. Sulfur dioxide and other gases collect in craters and low ground. People with heart or breathing problems, pregnant women, infants and young children should keep away from gas areas.
• Stay on marked trails. Ground near vents can be thin, hot or unstable.
• Go with a guide where it's required, as on Etna's summit, and wear sturdy shoes: lava rock is sharp.
• Get close for the photo. A picture on the volcano's slopes or at the crater, with camera location on, says more than one from across a bay.

Many of these climbs also take you above 3,000 m.