Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Is it safe to go to Mt Marum or Mt Yasur? Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Vanuatu
willpan39 11:58 UTC 19 Jun 2012 | I am planning to visit these two volcanoes. Is it safe to hike to the edge of crater? Will I walk along the edge of the cliff on the way to the top of volcano? How often does it explode? I know I am nervous but the trip like this seems a little bit dangerous. Could anyone share your experience? Thanks |
lilau 18:31 UTC 21 Jun 2012 | I don't know about Marum, but have been to Yasur twice (Oct. 2010). I went on a tour with a driver and guide, arranged by my accommodation. They take you over the ash plain (awesome views) to the foot of the volcano and then you walk up the volcano on a sandy path. The guide takes you to a good (and as safe as possible) view point. Best time to start your visit is just before sunset and stay till after to fully enjoy the explosions, ash clouds, fire works and the view inside the crater where most (but not all) of the burning rocks fall into again. Many explosions on both nights I was there, and yes it's a bit scary but fascinating as well; I wouldn't want to have missed this for the world. There were not too many people around and I got a real good view at an incredibly close distance. Try to get accommodation as close to the volcano as possible to minimize transport time. Bring good shoes (some sharp lava rocks around), something warm for when you´re up there and enjoy! | 1
global_roaming 04:04 UTC 22 Jun 2012 | Yasur - It's only dangerous if the wind changes direction quickly (toxic gas). Otherwise don't worry about it. Its a spectacular sight and not one to miss. My first visit was in 1999 and due to a flat tyre on the truck we hiked up in darkness and couldn't really see where we were going, and had to carefully inch our way to the literal edge of the crater. You can see the vents clearly and every few minutes there is a rumble and explosion as lava shoots way up above your heads only to fall back into the pit. Our guide was very nervous and wanted to leave asap, but I was mesmerized. As already mentioned, the journey to the foot of Yasur and the surrounding terrain is almost as exciting as the volcano itself. Don't know about Mt Marum. | 2
s7k5 13:13 UTC 24 Jun 2012 | I've been to Marum in 2010. The most awesome experience in 15 years of travelling. Felt like beeing on another planet. I'd highly recommend going there. Camp at the edge of the caldera if you have time. I didn't, but I can imagine nights to be very spectacular up there. About the danger, from what I understood, bad weather with heavy rain can be dangerous. Also toxic gases depending on the wind. There are apparently lavabombs, but I didn't see any.Marum doesn't explode like Yasur does - at least not when I was there. The last part of the hike was along the crater rim and that was scary to me, too. I remember I was wondering what would happen to my guide walking on the very rim if there was an earthquake. I traversed a few meters below, terrain is difficult and loose, you don't want to fall there. My guide was Joses Wilfried, very nice guy, experienced, speaks good english. Apparently I was very lucky to see the actual lavalake as smoke and clouds often block the view. At the time there were 3 lavalakes, two on Marum, one on Benbow. Have fun. | 3
rob_s_nz 20:37 UTC 26 Jun 2012 | Yasur is safe unless you are very stupid and go where you obvoiusly should not!!! Or getu EXTEMELY UNLUCKY!! Its is great and generally unrestricted like ouR soft PC world here! Ive been on Yasur 4 times on two different visits! Loved it alot!! It erupts often but the frequency and intensity will depend on the time you are there. Red hot lava showers flying up into the sky! Spectacular!! Stay as late as you can as ithe show is beeter as it gets darker! There arte times when the mountain is closed for safely reason but I dont think this happens alot. And you will be able to find that out from tourist ops b4 you go or here online. Tanna is great!! I highly recommed staying a t Tanna Isalnd Dream Bungalows with Sam and Nancy. They are great and the location is fantastic!! Its a scenic and relaxed spot near the volcano that you can walka round and enjoy village life!! Enjoy | 4
hutchcroft 11:38 UTC 15 Jul 2012 | I agree with s7k5—we hiked up to Marum last month and it was amazing. The hike through the jungle to get to the expansive ash plain is crazy, and Marum's raging pool of lava is unlike anything I've seen before. We had pretty bad weather (cloudy, with some light rain that was a bit acidic) but it didn't not diminish from the experience and it wasn't that scary. The rain stung our eyes but didn't damage our clothes or anything. Some of the paths are quite narrow, but not as frightening as we had heard it would be! Definitely a trip highlight. We hiked in from the southwest with a guide called Freddy who was great. Have an awesome time! | 5