Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020

Mt Yasur visit - when & how long?

Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Vanuatu

Hi Fellow Travellers~

I have a 6 days window that thought of using to visit Mt Yasur, in Tanna. Could someone let me know:
- When is the best time of the year to visit the volcano? I read in some websites that the the volcano is more active during the rainy season, but I wonder if it is worthy going during that period due to bad weather. Maybe April-November is a better option then?
-Do you reckon that a couple of nights in the island is enough to visit the volcano or more time is needed?
-Is it worthy to join a tour or climbing independently is enough to have a good view of the caldera?

Any advise will be much appreciated~~
Cheers

I was in Tanna a couple of years ago early October and Yasur was very active then. I joined a tour from my accommodation with transport (it was about half an hours drive away from the volcano), guide and entrance included. The guide can show you the best spot to have a good look inside the crater and avoid the fumes. Usually you'll be there in time for sunset and stay some time after that to get a good look at the eruptions/fire works in the dark. It was such an awesome experience that I went again the next night.

Don't know if you can do it independently (the land Yasur is on is privately owned, hence the admission price), but I wouldn't want to walk/drive back in the dark over potholed dirt roads without a guide anyway.

Sometimes the level of activity is too high for a safe visit, so factor in some extra time. Besides the volcano Tanna has more to offer: lovely people, good walks in the woods, some nice beaches and an interesting culture, so 6 days are easy to fill.

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