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# Climbing an active volcano? Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Vanuatu
yasur 13:52 UTC 21 May 2008 | Hi all! In early 2009 I'm planning to go to Vanuatu to watch the world's most active volcano, Yasur. Looking for travel mates to do it! Although there are commercial trips that do the same, the plan is to rent a car, know the island and spend some time near the crater watching the lava flows. This is the world's most active volcano which is in a continuous eruption for some years. Although it is alive it is quite safe and there are tourism agencies that offer tours every day to the crater. If interested mail me: faoliveira@tap.pt Regards Filipe |
api 05:22 UTC 22 May 2008 | It actually isn't that safe... there have been some deaths, but not many considering how active it is. The good thing about having a guide is that they can tell you the best approach to take at the time you are going... although I guess you just go wherever everyone else is and stay upwind. You might have some problem renting a car though and the roads are extremely bad (4WD is necessary for some parts). There is plans to redo them, but I don't think they have started yet. | 1
yehyeh 07:56 UTC 22 May 2008 | I doubt very much that you'd be able to rent a car on Tanna. It is really quite a primitive place. The roads are barely roads. It depends on the level of activity of the volcano at the time as to how close you can go. The activity level is supposed to be cyclical. Our guide told us that where we were standing on that day (about 150m from the vent), sometimes lava the size of a cow lands there. There have been deaths. | 2
raro 21:31 UTC 22 May 2008 | I met a guy who had done what you are planning. He had a large burn mark on his face from lava that suddenly shot out of the volcano, so quick he could not even cover up. So, be realistic, volcanoes are never 100% safe. | 3
eflatjan 13:09 UTC 23 May 2008 | Previous posters are right. Renting a car for self-drive on Tanna is (as far as i know) impossible. And if you should manage to do it anyway , you must be a very, very experienced 4WD driver to negotiate most of the Tannese "roads" (as the one to Yasur) ..and do not try to climb the Yasur vulcano on your own. (without a local guide) Accompanied by a guide who knows what he is doing, it is not very dangerous. (just a little bit - but what isn't?) When i was there a couple of month ago, a couple of big chunks of superhot lava flew over our heads and landed 50 meters behind us. According to our guide this is quite common. But the chanses of beeing hit is extremly low anyway. Enough warnings! A visit to Yasur is a once in the lifetime experience you definitively should not miss. Just take care... eflatjan http://www.pbase.com/bolla49 http://my.flightmemory.com/eflatjan | 4
kiararose 01:40 UTC 06 Jun 2008 | I climbed Mt Yasur two weeks ago. It was FANTASTIC. As far as I know you can't hire vehicles on Tanna, it's a very rural island. The only way I know of to get to the volcano is by joining a tour, which are great. We left from essentially the airport on the western side of the island at 2.30pm and got to Yasur at about 5pm, via a few great photo ops, crossing a river etc, all fun. Stayed watching it until about 6.30 and back by 8. Cost was around 7500 vatu, ($80AUD or so), so not that much for a whole day, and absolutely worth it. I believe tours go most/every day and if your accommodation doesn't have enough people to go (they will go with one but you pay more), then they'll most likely hook you up with another. Now, as to the danger....sure, it's a live volcano, and it 'erupts' every few minutes, 24 hours a day, BUT.. the level of activity is gauged daily and beyond certain levels, people are simply not allowed up. I saw it at level 2, which meant the eruptions kept essentially within the crater. I understand one woman and 2 guides have died, in one accident several years ago, and this 'level' gauging has been brought in since. You are probably more likely to get runover by a car in your home town than be hurt by the rocks. And its not a 'lava flow' type volcano... it erupts seriously hot rocks (1000c), it doesn't overflow with molten lava. If you have the chance... go... it is probably THE best thing I have ever seen... oh and PS I wouldn't take kids and I would take a jacket. | 5
chyna1 03:58 UTC 13 Aug 2008 | hey guys, am thinking of doing the tanna island volcano tour.. thanks for the info re price.. all i've managed to find so far is Unity airlines quoting some astronimical price. kiararose did you stay in tanna for the day or do you have to stay longer? cheers | 6
vivavanuatu 22:15 UTC 16 Aug 2008 | Oh boy, you need to do some research on Tanna. I lived on Tanna for three years, so hear it goes: 1: NO hire cars on Tanna, dont even think about it, the local taxis would linch anyone who would contemplate such a thought. 2: No lava flows, Mt Yasur is what is refered to as a Strombolian volcano (or "Dry volcano), you can Google that word and find lots of reference material on this. Here is a little info for you: About 7km under Tanna island is the Australian plate plunging under that of the Pacific plate at the same time fusing with it, generating magna that reaches the surface creating hot spots, one of them is the Yasur Volcano; a ‘young' volcano, only 100,000 years old. Mt. Yasur explodes magna hundred of metres into the night sky, a life changing experience for anyone witnessing it. Pompei was a dry volcano; isn't that reassuring? Mt. Yasur is regarded as the most accessible dry volcano in the world because you can stand on top of the rim looking in (depending on the activity level of the day). A vast reservoir of lava feeds into Yasur's eruption vents through a network of faults and large gas pockets measuring over a metre in diameter hundreds of metres under you to erupt in the crater measuring 400 to 700 metres in diameter, see photos http://www.vanuatu-hotels.vu/photo .The journey to the volcano is just as exciting - moonscapes made of ash, cascades, panoramic views, coffee plantations, local villages, lush forests and the road of a thousand pot holes! You can post a letter from the only post box in the world on a live volcano. Don't ask, Vanuatu Post is into extreme post. Have been on the crater over 30 times in last 7 years and only once felt in real danger, it was my fault I wanted to get a killer photo of it exploding and took more risks. I did get the shot, and what a rush, magna lumps the size of a small car flying 100 metres over me. No one can be on top of Mt Yasur (called it "The bitch" because she has such a bad temper) without feeling......, well you will know when your on top of the "bitch" (no puns intended). There is a lot more to Tanna than the Volcano, but first to getting to Tanna: By air is a sure way of getting there as ships are notoriously ill maintained, often overloaded and normally make the journey every 4 to 5 weeks. Air Vanuatu Domestic airline flies to Tanna 7 days departing Port Vila at 10am with supplementary flights on Monday at 3:30pm, Thursday at 8am; Fridays it departs at 11am. The flight to Tanna takes 45 minutes. It returns for Port Vila immediately after landing. From Tanna you can fly to Aneityum (landing on neighbouring Mystery Island, 30 minutes later) every Thursday, or to Aniwa (30 minute flight) every Saturday. When flying to Tanna, remember to sit on the left of the plane (facing forward) as you will view Erromango Island on the way and Tanna island as you fly in to land, (have cameras on the ready). The right side you will see endless ocean. Tanna boasts one of the best airports in Vanuatu. Getting Around There are two main means of transportation on Tanna. 4WD ‘taxi' utilities or your legs. Accommodation providers on the island will have a ‘truck' waiting for you. If you don't suffer from back problems, take the option of sitting in the open back of the truck as it's truly an experience! Road rules hardly exists in the islands so you're in for a great ride with the highly experienced 4WD drivers who know every pot hole by name, and when it rains, it gets even better! There is one bus servicing the main road roughly every 30 to 45 minutes. Taxis are not cheap (due to expensive fuel costs) so it is a good idea to group-up and hire a taxi to split the fare. Yakel Custom Village "Kastom" is a way of life in Tanna but more so in this tribe. It is said that many years ago the chief of Yakel told his people to reject everything introduced from the western world. The children do not go to school. The village dress from, and eat what the forest will provide. Visiting Yakel is a voyage back in time. Tom the guide (his western name) is the only one who speaks English. Most of the Yakel villagers don't even speak Bislama. When visiting, they are always happy to accept a bag of rice as a gift. Tom will walk you through his village and the tribe will perform a few dances to welcome their visitors. Handmade carvings etc., are for sale at great value. There is an entrance fee which will be part of your tour. Best time to visit is late morning. Private visits are not suggested as it interrupts their daily chores. One day the chief was asked by his villagers "what have you done with all the money collected?" The chief sheepishly displayed his pride and joy - a matting mattress stuffed with notes. He thought it was better than sleeping on the ground at his old age. Nowadays, money collected is kept for medical emergencies, and fixing the one truck that services 700 people. There are numerous other villages where you will experience the friendliness, dancing and art for sale. Ask if they're a traditional ‘nambas' village. The nambas is the sole dress apparel for a ‘kastom man'; it covers his modesty. The Jon Frum Cult Sourced this from Peter Worsley, "The Trumpet Shall Sound" - a case study of Cargo Cults in Melanesia (Printed London 1957) Native unrest did not become apparent until early 1940, exacerbated no doubt by a fall in copra prices. Meetings were held from which Whites were excluded, as were women. These meetings were to receive the message of one John Frum (spelt sometimes Jonfrum), described as a "mysterious little man with bleached hair, high-pitched voice and clad in a coat with shining buttons." 'He used ingenious stage-management appearing at night, in the faint light of a fire, before men under the influence of kava.' John Frum issued pacific moral injunctions against idleness, encouraged communal gardening and co-operation, and advocated dancing and kava-drinking. He had no anti-White message at first and prophesied on traditional lines. The prophet was regarded as the representative or earthly manifestation of Karaperamun, god of the island's highest mountain, Mount Tukosmeru. Karaperamun now appeared as John Frum, who was to be hidden from the Whites and from women. John Frum prophesied the occurrence of a cataclysm in which Tanna would become flat, the volcanic mountains would fall and fill the riverbeds to form fertile plains, and Tanna would be joined to the neighbouring islands of Erromango and Aneityum to form a new island. Then John Frum would reveal himself, bringing in a reign of bliss, the natives would get back their youth, and there would be no sickness; there would be no need to care for gardens, trees or pigs. The Whites would go; John Frum would set up schools to replace mission schools, and would pay chiefs and teachers. Only one difficulty prevented the immediate attainment of this happy state - the presence of the Whites, who had to be expelled first. The use of European money was also to cease. A corollary was the restoration of many ancient customs prohibited by the missionaries; kava-drinking above all, and also dancing, polygamy, etc. Immigrants from other islands were to be sent home. This was not simply a programme of 'regression.' Only some of the ancient customs were to be revived, and they were customs banned by th missions. And the future envisaged as not the restoration of primitive tribalism and hand-agriculture, but a new life with 'all the material riches of the Europeans' accruing to the natives. John Frum would provide all the money needed. Natives now started a veritable orgy of spending in European stores in order to get rid of the Europeans' money, which was to be replaced by John Frum's with a coconut stamped on it. Some even hurled their long hoarded savings into the sea, believing that 'when there would be no money left on the island the white traders would have to depart, as no possible outlet would be found for their activity.' Lavish feasts were also held to use up food. Existing wealth was meaningless in the light of the prodigious riches to come. Friday, the day on which the millenium was expected, became a holy day, whilst on Saturday dances and kava-drinking took place. This represents some socially recognized breaking of existing conventions. The movement was organized through messengers known as 'ropes of John Frum." The enthusiasts broke away from the existing Christian villages which the missions had set up under Christian chiefs, and broke up into small family units living in 'primitive shelters', or else joined pagan groups in the interior. This development symbolizes the same basic social fact: a break with the mission-controlled villages and the old pattern of group life. The first John Frum wave in April 1940 occasioned little alarm, but the revival of the movement in May 1941 created considerable pertubation. Large amounts of money were suddenly brought in by natives. Even gold sovereigns, which had not been seen since 1912 when they were paid to the chiefs who accepted the authority of the Government, appeared; this perhaps symbolized renunciation of the agreement. Some natives came in with over 100 British Pounds in cash; cows and pigs were killed, kava drunk, and there was all-night dancing at the Green Point villages on the west coast where the movement had its centre. The Presbyterian missions, on Sunday the eleventh of May, found their services unattended. One of the most influential chiefs had given the order to abandon the mission and their schools. Dominican services were equally neglected. After a lapse of a week, Nicol (the British Agent) visited Green Point, only to find it empty except for a few women and children. He summoned twenty police reinforcements from Vila and, with the aid of one of the chiefs, arrested the John Frum leaders. A menacing crowd followed him shouting "Hold firm for John Frum!" In the trial, it transpired that John Frum was a native named Manehivi in his mid-thirties. He was illiterate (though he pretended to read), and refused to say where he had obtained his gold-buttoned coat. Manehivi was sentenced to three years' internment, and five years' exile from Tanna; nine others received a year's imprisonment, Nicol had Manehivi tied to a tree and exposed as an imposter for a day, and made five chiefs sign a statement asserting that they renounced John Frum, and fined him 100 Sterling. The movement still flourished in spite of repression. December 1941 was the significant date of the next major outbreak. News of Pearl Harbour had percolated through even to the natives of Tanna, though the defeat was credited to the Germans, who were going to win. Because of growing anti-British feeling, Nicol had twenty men arrested and sent to Vila, and recommended the establishment of a permanent police force. Meanwhile the John Frum leaders in Vila were active. Manehivi was not the real John Frum, people said; the latter was still at large. Missionaries intercepted messages written from Vila by a second John Frum, a Tanna police-boy, Joe Nalpin, and addressed to a west coast chief and two other men. They contained a new theme: John Frum was King of America, or would send his son to America to seek the King, or his son was coming from America, or his sons were to seek John Frum in America. Mount Tukosmeru would be covered by invisible planes belonging to John Frum. Nalpin actually helped to direct the new phase from gaol, where he was serving a nine months' sentence. In January, Australian Cataline flying boats on patrol were the probable origin of the rumour that three sons of John Frum - Isaac, Jacob and Lastuan - had landed by plane on the other side of the island from Green Point. 'Junketings' were going on night and day, as it was believed that John Frum's advent was imminent. The appearance of the first Americans and of numerous planes added fuel to the flames...As the Americans moved in to meet the Japanese threat, the news of their arrival swept the islands. A man was arrested for saying that Mount Tukomeru was 'full of soldiers'; it would open on the Day, and the soldiers would fight for John Frum. But the most astounding piece of information was the news that many of these U.S. troops were black! It was prophesied that large numbers of black Americans were coming to rule over the natives. Their dollars would become the new money; they would release the prisoners, and pay wages. Consequently, the Americans met with a splendid response when they set out to hire native labour. The movement now revived on Tanna, and kava-drinking and dancing were the order of the day, especially on the east coast; the missions were still boycotted. More arrests were made, and the prisoners sent to Vila, where many were allowed to work for the U.S. Air Force. In October, Nicol returned. His arrival precipitated a new John Frum demonstration which was broken up by the police. Natives armed with guns and clubs resisted arrest and reinforcements were summoned. A new leader in the north of the island, Neloaig (Nelawihang), proclaimed himself John Frum, King of America and of Tanna. He organized an armed force which conscripted labour for the construction of an aerodrome which the Americans had told him to build for American Liberator planes bringing goods from John Frum's father. Those who refused to work would be bombed by planes. This pressed labour was resisted by a few natives who were wounded. The District Agent, under the pretense of demanding a ship to evacuate him from the island, radioed for help. He arrested Neloaig when the latter visited him at his office. The arrest of Neloaig produced demands for his release. The supporters of John Frum, undaunted, went on feverishly building the airstrip, and a band of Naloaig's folllowers even attempted to liberate their leader from gaol. The police reinforcements, with two U.S. officers, were quickly despatched to the John Frum airstrip. There they found 200 men at work, surrounded by others with guns. Afte the latter was disarmed, an American officer spoke to the natives, trying to persuade them of their folly. This was backed up by a demonstration of the power of a tommy-gun turned on a John Frum poster pinned to a nearby tree. Many fled in panic; the police then burned down a John Frum hut and took forty-six prisoners. Neloaig received two years, ten others one year, and the rest three months. Later Neloaig escaped from gaol and hid in the bush on Efate for three years before he gave himself up. In April 1948 he was committed to a lunatic asylum. His wife was detained at Vila, but the people of north Tanna still paid homage to her. Though illiterate, Neloaig had preteneded to read and had started his own schools. When the missionaries at Lenakel tried to restart classes in 1943, only fifty children out of a total population of 2,500 attended. Dances and kava-drinking still flourished, and villages were allowed to fall into untidiness. John Frumism still flourished. Pagans, too, provided recruits; pagan leaders had long attempted to play off Government against mission, Neloaig's father among them. These days John Frum day is still celebrated every February 15th at Sulphur Bay. It attracts many tourists. Snorkelling Tanna offers exceptional pristine coral viewing close to shore where visibility is 20 to 30 metres. Swimming over brilliantly coloured coral and sunlit black sand with turtles effortlessly swimming past you is quite a unique experience. Best coral is around Tanna Evergreen and White Grass resort. Horse Riding Different horse riding tours are available. Across the island to the volcano and to one of the largest trees in Vanuatu; an ancient Banyan, with a circumference of 170 metres. Important Dates for Tanna February 15 - Jon Frum Day July - Tafea Agricultural and Trade Show (this is a biannual fun filled fair lasting three days with horse racing, rodeo and a lot of horsing around!. Handicraft stands - get their early; the best and original art is purchased quickly by the expatriot population. Great day to meet a large part of the population and see them really enjoy themselves). August - Mini games for all the surrounding islands. October - Cultural Spirit Arts and Carving Exhibition - again, great art bargains to be got by the early bird. Nekowiar or Toka Ceremony - see The Nekowiar/Toka information. Finally, have a look at tripadvisor, (you will find plenty of info under Tanna), the Vanuatu Tourism office, and Positive earth. Lukim Yu! as they say around here | 7
greggig 22:01 UTC 05 Sep 2008 | Wow Viva, what a great report. I think I'll stay there 6 days instead of 4 as planned. | 8