Travelling to Vanuatu’s Tanna Island, there’s a few things travellers must do, one of which is climbing the active volcano, Mount Yasur. All throughout the day Mount Yasur rumbles like thunder as it erupts. Most of these eruptions are small, not that lava is pouring over the crater.
One of the best ways to start the day is by hiking Mount Yasur for sunrise. My group woke up at 3:30 a.m. to climb up. It’s so surreal to walk on a crater as eruptions shake the ground. However, there was a little bit more that went into this adventure.
Read on to see what it’s like to do a sunrise hike to Mount Yasur volcano.
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How to Get to Mount Yasur Volcano
The actual hike to get up to Mount Yasur’s volcano is 45 minutes. However, most people will meet at the entrance and pay V$1,000 per person to get a drive to the top. Note that transportation is usually arranged through your accommodation. The volcano is in the middle of the island, making it hot and humid most times of the year—which can make this steep hike gruelling and sweaty.
My intention was to hike, but we were with a group, and the tour guide hadn’t come yet. We ended up waiting too long for the other people coming and just took the ride anyways.
There’s some politics involved with entering the volcano area and it’s not possible to enter the area for free.
At the time of visiting in February 2024, the cost to enter the volcano is V$8,000 (AUD$99). Included in that cost was the ability to return until the weather was clear to see the lava eruptions. That cost doesn’t include the extra transportation up to the volcano, if chosen.
Getting to the volcano from the airport
Transportation from Tanna’s airport to the volcano takes about an hour and a half. The cost can vary, and is usually per person—as most ride prices are in Vanuatu. My ride from the airport to the volcano was V$3,500 per person.
There is no Uber or other ride services available on Tanna Island, cell phone reception is spotty so I don’t recommend venturing out too far. It may be worth haggling the price for a ride, especially if there’s a big group.
What to Know for Visiting Mount Yasur Volcano
Learn from my mistake, and if the weather is clear around the volcano, just go! After our trip to the volcano, many locals reiterated this sentiment. The view atop of the volcano is more often than not, cloudy or foggy. Even if it looks clear, there could still be residual mist around the crater.
The best time of year to visit the volcano on Mount Yasur is the dry season from late April to September.
Part of visiting an active volcanic area, means there’s beautiful volcanic ash surrounding the crater. In the case of Tanna, it’s covering the entire area within kilometres. Because of this, be prepared to get a bit dirty. I definitely had ash in my hair for the entire week I was staying near the volcano. It reminds me of all those beauty care products with volcanic clay, so hopefully there’s some good long-term benefits.
Hiking Mt Yasur Volcano for Sunrise
When my partner and I arrived on our first day to Tanna Island, the weather was great, it was clear atop of the volcano. Therefore, we thought a clear sky was normal. As we planned to stay near the volcano for a week, it seemed there was plenty of time to go up the volcano. That is, until the humidity and clouds came in, and every other day had a haze just over the volcano.
Finally, when our days were running out, we decided—with others at our accommodation—to go for the sunrise hike. My spontaneous nature loves adventures like these.
Even in the morning when the sun was rising, it looked a bit hopeful. The clouds spotted the sky, with some clear areas. We were told by the locals that sunrise can often be the most successful time to see the volcano cloud-free. And, even from our accommodation we could see the red glow of the volcano from below.
There we were, at 3:30 a.m. waking up to darkness and volcanic rumbles. We got dressed in damp clothes, as nothing stayed dry long with 100% humidity. Outside, we could see the entrance to the volcano’s building, which didn’t even have lights on.
The other travellers from our accommodation were also coming out and we headed to the building of the volcano together. Eventually, we got a ride up by sitting in the back of a truck, which kind of reminded me of my childhood. It was about a ten minute walk to the volcano rim, and the ride was dark and bumpy. The tour guide took us to the direction of the right of the crater after the steps.
It immediately felt so powerful to be up there. Instead of just hearing the eruption of the volcano—which sounded like thunder—from below, I could feel it. That shake and sound is like nothing else. Maybe similar to facing a lion head on.
There’s a sense of danger. I couldn’t help but wonder: “What if it suddenly erupts more than usual? What if lava were to hit the rim?” Or, “What if an eruption causes the land to give way?”
The group kept walking further along the rim until we reached a fence, that looked stable enough. That’s where we experienced the loudest and most colourful eruptions. The sky was cloudy, but I realized it didn’t really matter, because its a mist covering the crater, not clouds from above.
Though I couldn’t see the clear lava erupting, I could see and feel the eruptions. After an eruption the mist turned a deep red, then settled again.
After there was a rumble from the volcano, a red glow appeared through the mist. Had it not been cloudy, I may have seen the red lava erupting. With the glow also came the smell of sulphur. Sometimes it was so strong it burned my throat, nose and eyes.
Our group stayed for about 45 minutes, then walked back to the loading zone and got in the truck to head back. The morning was damp at this time as dew had settled. We headed back into the ute and towards our accommodation.
Thinking of staying on Tanna Island? Check out the area and head to White Beach on a full day hike!
