Volcano and first time in Vanuatu

Hey all...

My partner and i are heading to Vanuatu from London in september, we are flying in from New Zealand via LA.
I am obsessed with volcanoes, I dream about them, i read about them and when i was a kid, i didnt have toy cars, i used to build mud volcanoes and "destroy" villages. Yes you can say im crazy. I've never climbed an active volcano and when searching the web i came across Yasur. Vanuatu is a long way to go, but worth it if is as amazing as it sounds. I love nature and new culture, and spend a lot of time in asia etc. Im also a diving enthusiast, so can anyone tell me if there is good snorkelling on Tanna?
Where is best to stay on Tanna, and is there another island we should try and see? We have a total of about 10 days in Vanuatu, but volcanoes are the main reason for us going.
Any suggestions about travel, things to see and do would be appreciated.
Keep safe
David

I would definitely reccommend a visit to Tanna. Mount Yasur was the highlight of our trip last summer. We stayed at Evergreen Bungalows on the west side of the island and booked our volcano tour through them. It is about 2-21/2 hours from there. If you stay on the east side you are only a half hour or so away. It is just amazing to be standing at the edge of the caldera and watching the vent erupt every couple of minutes. They have a rating system(5 levels of danger) for allowing visitors that close. One suggestion I would make is to be sure to have your Tanna flight booked and secured before arriving. We had booked months in advance only to find when we arrived that our reservation was cancelled. We had booked with Melanesian Tours and she was able to get us back on the flight. It seems best to contact Air Vanuatu personally and prepay - the flights to Tanna are very busy! We have been lucky enough to see lava flowing into the ocean on the Big Island of Hawaii but Mt. Yasur topped that by a mile!! Good luck with your plans.

Mt Yasur is supposed to be the worlds most accessable volcano and it is amazing!!... to stand on the very edge of the crater looking down at the red lava bubbling away and then its explodes and you just jump out of your skin and almost run away as you watch it shoot the lava bombs high in the air and you can hear them thud back to earth and you stand there and think 'God, what if the next explosion is bigger' well i did anyway!!! ...... Incredible experience!!
If you stay close by you can do serveral trips to it . i think the closest place to stay is Jungle Oasis. you can find accommodation information to stay at locally owned bungalows here ... www.positveearth.org.
We stayed at Port Resolution yacht club - excellent/ stunning place ( do a search on previous posts for this place as i have raved about it previously) from here it was about 3/4 hour along very rough tracks to near to top of the volcano, we paid 1000vt each for the transport from Port Res. and its cost 2250vt each for the volcano entry fee. You generally go late afternoon and watch the sunset then the volcano always puts on a show.
Spend at least four or five days on Tanna and it is a great place as is Vanuatu in general ... I love it.

The other island DEFINITELY worth checking out for volcano fans is Ambrym.
It has two volcanoes, both of them larger and more impressive, though less active, than Yasur.
Of course some careful planning will be required to visit both islands in 10 days, but it is doable.

And yes, Vanuatu is every bit as fascinating as it sounds - and more.

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great stuff! I give you a virtual shake of the hand. Enjoy the experience...

Though you'll almost certainly not have time to visit more islands in 10 days, this site might still be of interest for an overview of Vanuatu's volcanoes.