BEST VOLCANOES
Active and dormant volcanoes worth seeing
Lava fields, caldera lakes, and volcanic peaks — from accessible viewpoints to serious expeditions.
Antarctica
Chile
Licancabur
Atacama Desert, Chile / Bolivia
A strikingly symmetrical stratovolcano on the Chile-Bolivia border in the high Atacama, with a summit crater lake that is among the highest lakes in the world. It defines the desert skyline.
Villarrica
Pucón, Chile
One of Chile's most active volcanoes, rising above the resort town of Pucón in the Lake District. Its snow-capped cone often holds a lava lake, and guided ascents reach the crater rim.
Costa Rica
Arenal Volcano
La Fortuna, Costa Rica
A near-perfect conical stratovolcano near La Fortuna, highly active from 1968 until it entered a resting phase around 2010. Base trails and nearby hot springs draw many visitors.
Poás Volcano
Central Valley, Costa Rica
An active stratovolcano north of the Central Valley holding one of the world's largest active craters, with a steaming acidic lake. A short paved trail reaches the crater overlook.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Ecuador
Cotopaxi
Ecuador
A glacier-clad stratovolcano in the Andes and one of the world's highest active volcanoes, centrepiece of a national park south of Quito. Its symmetrical cone is a noted mountaineering objective.
Ethiopia
Erta Ale
Danakil Depression, Ethiopia
A remote shield volcano in the searing Danakil Depression, holding one of the world's few long-lived lava lakes. Reaching it requires a guided multi-day expedition across the desert.
France
La Soufrière
Guadeloupe, French West Indies
The highest peak in the Lesser Antilles, an active stratovolcano on Guadeloupe's Basse-Terre island. A steaming, fumarole-dotted summit is reached on a hike through lush rainforest.
Piton de la Fournaise
Réunion, France
One of the most active shield volcanoes on Earth, on the island of Réunion, erupting on average every few months. Its accessible caldera and crater are reached by a moderate hike.
Guatemala
Acatenango & Volcán de Fuego
Antigua, Guatemala
Twin peaks near Antigua; hikers camp on the dormant Acatenango to watch the neighbouring Fuego, one of Central America's most active volcanoes, erupt through the night.
Iceland
Fagradalsfjall
Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland
A young shield volcano near Reykjavik that erupted repeatedly from 2021 onward after roughly 800 years of dormancy, sending fresh lava across the surrounding valleys.
Eyjafjallajökull
South Iceland
An ice-capped stratovolcano whose 2010 eruption sent an ash plume across Europe that grounded air travel for days. Its glacier and outlet valleys are explored on guided hikes.
Indonesia
Mount Bromo
East Java, Indonesia
An active volcano rising from a vast sea of volcanic sand within Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. Sunrise views over its smoking crater and the surrounding caldera are a major draw.
Kawah Ijen
East Java, Indonesia
A volcano complex famous for its electric-blue flames of burning sulphuric gas, seen on night hikes, and a turquoise acidic crater lake. Sulphur is still mined by hand from the crater.
Mount Rinjani
Lombok, Indonesia
The second-highest volcano in Indonesia, dominating Lombok. Its large summit caldera holds a crescent lake and a small active cone, reached on a demanding multi-day trek.
Krakatoa (Anak Krakatau)
Sunda Strait, Indonesia
A young island volcano that emerged from the sea where the original Krakatoa was destroyed in the catastrophic 1883 eruption. It remains active and is visited by boat from Java.
Mount Tambora
Sumbawa, Indonesia
Site of the largest eruption in recorded history in 1815, which triggered a global cooling known as the Year Without a Summer. A huge caldera crowns the peak, reached by multi-day trek.
Italy
Mount Etna
Sicily, Italy
Europe's tallest and most active volcano, a frequently erupting stratovolcano on Sicily's east coast. Its heights are reached by cable car and off-road vehicles from Rifugio Sapienza.
Mount Vesuvius
Naples, Italy
The stratovolcano overlooking the Bay of Naples, best known for the eruption in 79 AD that buried Pompeii and Herculaneum. A short trail leads to its crater rim.
Stromboli
Aeolian Islands, Italy
An island stratovolcano in the Tyrrhenian Sea known for its near-constant mild explosive activity, which has erupted almost continuously for centuries and lights up the sky at night.
Japan
Mount Fuji
Honshu, Japan
Japan's highest peak and a dormant stratovolcano whose symmetrical snow-capped cone is a national icon and UNESCO World Heritage site. It is climbed during a short official summer season.
Mount Aso
Kumamoto, Kyushu, Japan
An active volcano set within one of the world's largest calderas in central Kyushu. Its Nakadake crater vents gas and steam and can be viewed by road or ropeway when activity permits.
Sakurajima
Kagoshima, Kyushu, Japan
A highly active stratovolcano across the bay from Kagoshima, erupting frequently with ash that regularly dusts the city. A short ferry links it to town, and viewpoints ring its base.
Mexico
Popocatépetl
Puebla / Mexico City, Mexico
An active stratovolcano and the second-highest peak in Mexico, visible from Mexico City on clear days. Its ongoing activity keeps a permanent exclusion zone around the summit.
New Zealand
Tongariro Alpine Crossing
North Island, New Zealand
A full-day hike across an active volcanic landscape in Tongariro National Park, passing craters, steaming vents, and the vivid Emerald Lakes beneath the cone of Ngauruhoe.
Nicaragua
Masaya Volcano
Masaya, Nicaragua
A caldera complex whose Santiago crater holds an active lava lake. A road runs to the crater rim, making it one of the few places where visitors can drive up to view churning lava.
Philippines
Taal Volcano
Batangas, Philippines
One of the world's smallest active volcanoes, sitting on an island within a lake south of Manila. It erupted in 2020, and is commonly viewed from the ridge town of Tagaytay.
Mayon Volcano
Albay, Philippines
An active stratovolcano in southern Luzon renowned for its near-perfect symmetrical cone. Its frequent eruptions keep the upper slopes off-limits, so visits center on ATV tours at the base.
Mount Pinatubo
Zambales, Luzon, Philippines
Site of one of the twentieth century's largest eruptions in 1991, which reshaped the landscape and cooled global temperatures. Its summit crater now holds a striking blue-green lake.
Spain
Mount Teide
Tenerife, Spain
The highest point in Spain and a dormant volcano dominating Tenerife, set in a national park. A cable car climbs most of the way, with a permit needed for the final stretch to the summit.
Tanzania
Ol Doinyo Lengai
Tanzania
An active stratovolcano in the East African Rift, unique as the only volcano known to erupt natrocarbonatite lava, which is unusually cool and dark. It is climbed on strenuous night ascents.
Mount Kilimanjaro
Tanzania
The highest mountain in Africa and a dormant volcano with three cones, rising freestanding above the plains. Its glacier-topped summit is reached on multi-day guided treks through varied climate zones.
United States
Kīlauea
Big Island, Hawaii
A shield volcano within Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and one of the world's most active, with frequent eruptions in its Halemaumau crater viewed from park overlooks and trails.
Mauna Kea
Big Island, Hawaii
A dormant shield volcano and the highest point in Hawaii; measured from its base on the seafloor it is the tallest mountain on Earth. Its summit hosts major astronomical observatories.
Haleakalā
Maui, Hawaii
A massive shield volcano forming most of eastern Maui, its vast summit depression protected as a national park. The high summit is a popular spot for viewing sunrise above the clouds.
Mount St. Helens
Washington, United States
A Cascade Range stratovolcano whose 1980 eruption blew away its north flank in the deadliest volcanic event in US history. Its horseshoe crater and recovering blast zone are now a national monument.
Mount Rainier
Washington, United States
The highest peak in the Cascades, a glacier-clad stratovolcano south of Seattle at the heart of its own national park. Considered potentially dangerous, its meadows and summit draw hikers and climbers.
Yellowstone Caldera
Wyoming, United States
A vast volcanic caldera beneath Yellowstone National Park, a supervolcano that powers the park's geysers and hot springs. Boardwalk trails lead through its geothermal basins.