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Overview

Introduction

The impressive Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, with two active volcanoes (Mauna Loa and Kilauea), requires at least a half-day visit, and a full day (or even two) is better. Of the two volcanoes, Kilauea is much more accessible and is more active—it's been erupting continuously since 1983. Mauna Loa, with its challenging backpacker trails to the summit, is for the committed outdoors enthusiast.

The Kilauea Visitors Center is the place to start your tour of the park. After paying the admission fee (US$25 per car) and getting a map, walk over to the Volcano House for a first glimpse of the crater.

The nearby Volcano Art Center exhibits high-quality works by local artists.

Volcanic activity in the national park is unpredictable, varying daily (phone 808-985-6000 for recorded updates). You may be able to observe lava, and on some days you can get a much closer view. The prime place to see lava is at the viewing area at the end of Chain of Craters Road (the road ends because it, along with a visitors center, was wiped out by a lava flow). Marked trails lead to places where you can observe the flow—stick to designated areas. The trail can be treacherous. Wear appropriate footwear and bring a jacket should you end up taking longer than anticipated. Try to visit at dusk: The sun setting on the desolate landscape of hardened lava is spectacular, and the lava flowing into the sea can be best seen at night (flashlights are required to find your way back to your car). The trails close at 9 pm.

Check with park rangers on duty for latest eruption and lava-viewing details. It's a 45-minute drive to the end of Chain of Craters Road. From there, it can be a hike of 3 mi/5 km or more to the viewing site. Be prepared for rough, uneven terrain, volcanic fumes, heat, intense sun and no services of any kind. Occasional closures of various parts of the park are possible when the volcano is particularly active.

Crater Rim Drive provides access to most of the other viewing areas in the park. Worthwhile stops include Steaming Bluff; the Jaggar Museum (displays on the geology and physics of volcanic activity—note the olivine crystals in the building's columns); the Halemaumau Overlook (infants and those with respiratory problems should avoid this stop because of the sulfur); Devastation Trail (a forest killed in 1959 by a blanket of pumice ash); and the Thurston Lava Tube (a cave formed by lava that's in the midst of a cool, damp rain forest).

Hiking trails abound in the park: They take you into dense rain forests, around steaming calderas and along lava flows. One of the most memorable walks is in Kipuka Puaulu, called Bird Park because of the many native birds you can see flitting between lehua blossoms and high above in the trees. You can also walk into the Kilauea Caldera on a well-marked trail that starts at the Volcano House.

Ask the park rangers about other trails. You might also check before your trip with the Sierra Club's Hawaii chapter for information about its programs and excursions in the park and elsewhere on the Big Island. Phone 808-965-5460. http://www.hi.sierraclub.org/hawaii/mokuloa.html.

If you're not up to touring the park, consider a volcano flightseeing airplane or helicopter tour. There are accommodations within the park at the Volcano House. The inn offers a buffet lunch on the rim of Kilauea Crater that's open to guests and nonguests alike.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is 30 mi/48 km south of Hilo.

Overview

Introduction

The Irazu Volcano poured smoke from 1963-65 and deposited ash and mud as far away as San Jose. Today, the volcano, located about 35 m/56 km east of San Jose, is surrounded by trees and wide plains where, if you're lucky, you will see foxes and other animals hunting and grazing.

The summit—which can be reached by car along a well-paved and fabulously scenic road—is as desolate as a moonscape. The highest peak in the central mountain range, Irazu is chilly even in bright sunshine. Try to visit early in the day, as the crater becomes shrouded in fog and mist later on. It's a wonderful place to watch the sun rise.

On the trip to the volcano, you also can visit the Ujarras ruins, near the town of Paraiso. The ruins are the remains of a small church built in 1693. From Ujarras you can drive around the scenic Orosi Valley. Sights include the Cachi Dam, a variety of farms, patches of forest and the rocky Orosi River. The town of Orosi has an interesting colonial church with a small museum of religious art, and there are hot springs nearby.

Overview

Introduction

Located near Castle Rock, Mount St. Helens was the site of a staggering volcanic eruption in 1980. The explosive eruption blew 1,312 ft/400 m off the top of Mount St. Helens. Rock, snow and ice produced an avalanche traveling down the mountain at 200 mph/322 kph. The avalanche poured into Spirit Lake, sending out water and flooding the lower areas around the lake. Other blasts wiped out nearly everything within 16 mi/27 km. Up to 3 in/8 cm of ash buildup blanketed areas up to 150 mi/241 km away from the eruption. You can still see the jaw-dropping effects of the explosion: a crushed automobile near Windy Ridge, the enormous logjam at Spirit Lake and the shattered crags of Mount St. Helens itself.

In 2004, lava began massing in the crater again, spewing steam, gas and ash. Because of this activity, some areas may be closed on short notice. Ashfalls typically last five minutes: Cover your mouth and nose with fabric, and go inside. Drivers should roll up the windows but not start the car, as the airborne rock particles can damage engines.

East of Castle Rock on Highway 504 is the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument Visitor Center at Silver Lake, where you can see a diorama and watch films of the 1980 eruption. The telescopes on the deck of the center provide excellent views into the crater, and a short trail leads to an overlook that's 35 mi/55 km from the mountain. Naturalists are usually on hand to give talks during the summer. Phone 360-274-0962.

Another vantage point is the Johnston Ridge Observatory, where you can get a straight-on view into the crater from 5.5 mi/9 km away. It includes a wide-screen movie theater that shows a film re-creating the eruption. This site has the best view of the crater. Phone 360-274-2140.

Visit the Windy Ridge Viewpoint for a close-up look at the growing lava dome (access it from the east side of the park—Randle is the closest town). Rim climbs and hikes are limited (and sometimes restricted) because of increased volcanic activity. Apply for a permit at the ranger station.

On the southern side of Mount St. Helens (near the town of Cougar), Ape Cave is a large lava cavern that formed during a volcanic eruption more than 2,000 years ago. Keep in mind that many of the roads around Mount St. Helens are often closed in winter, as are some of the visitors centers. https://www.fs.usda.gov/giffordpinchot.

Overview

Introduction

An easy trip 35 mi/55 km northwest of San Jose, Poas Volcano (8,800 ft/2,700 m high) has what is said to be the world's largest active crater. A short hike from the car park at the summit leads to the rim, where you can see the colorful lake that often emits a puff of sulfuric smoke.

The park closes on occasion because of small eruptions and subsequent concern about sulphuric gas emissions. Stone steps lead you up through the lush cloud forest overhang to another crater, Botos Lake, that is extinct and filled with emerald waters. There is a nice sitting area overlooking the spot.

During the rainy season, it's best to visit the park early in the morning, otherwise you're likely to sit for hours waiting for the clouds to clear. Restrooms, an interpretation center with excellent exhibits, and a cafe are on-site.

La Paz Waterfall Gardens, about 8 mi/13 km east of the park, is a splendid addition to a Poas visit. In addition to the garden's stupendous waterfalls (accessed by steep trails), there's a huge netted butterfly garden, a serpentarium and several other attractions to fill the day. http://www.anywherecostarica.com/attractions/national-park/poas-volcano.

Overview

Introduction

Near Kilauea is the quiet, relaxing village of Volcano where accommodations—several bed-and-breakfast inns and lodges—are available. The town gets about 100 in/250 cm of rain each year, but the showers seldom last long. Volcano is not on the coast and isn't reminiscent of what one expects in terms of typical Hawaiian postcard scenery, but this picturesque town of hospitable people offers easy access to the most exceptional of Hawaiian attractions: volcanoes.

The village's gargantuan neighbors—Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes—are a big part of its history. The Polynesians, the first settlers of the area, revered these natural structures as the dwelling place of Pele, a volcano goddess.

When President Woodrow Wilson approved the establishment of nearby Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on 1 August 1916, it marked the start of developments and improvements in Volcano Village. Business establishments and residential homes were erected around the park's vicinity and tourism began to flourish.

In addition to the a million years of volcanism on display at the national park, there are many historic museums and other destinations located within and around Volcano. The Thomas A. Jagger Museum, for instance, has lava samples on display. Similar volcano-related sites are the Kilauea Caldera and the Thurston Lava Tube.

Aside from volcano sightseeing, downtown Volcano village has lots of shops, restaurants and art galleries. At the local general store, buy the fresh orchids those rains nourish, and while you're there, pick up some of the local poha berry jam. Volcano is 27 mi/43 km south of Hilo.

Overview

Introduction

This park, 15 mi/25 km east of Gisenyi, protects the Rwandan portion of the spectacular Virunga Mountains, which straddle the borders with Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Virunga is not a mountain range in the normal sense of the word but rather a chain of isolated freestanding volcanic cones strung along a fault line in the Rift Valley. Sometimes also referred to as the Birunga or Bufumbira Mountains, the chain is composed of six inactive and two active volcanoes, all of which exceed 9,840 ft/3,000 m in altitude. The tallest are Karisimbi (14,783 ft/4,507 m), Mikeno (14,553 ft/4,437 m) and Muhabura (13,537 ft/4,127 m).

Few national parks in Africa can be explored on foot, but this park north of Ruhengeri offers a reward worth the hike through its dramatically beautiful, albeit rough terrain: the chance to observe a family of mountain gorillas, the rarest—and largest—of the four gorilla subspecies. About 700 mountain gorillas live in the wild (roughly half of them in Rwanda), and naturalists have habituated seven of the 20-odd families in this park to the presence of tourist observers. Many people regard visiting these gentle giants (up to 485 lbs/220 kg) in their natural habitat to be the single most-extraordinary wildlife experience in the world. The park can be accessed on organized gorilla-tracking tours, which are limited to seven groups of eight people daily. Gorilla-tracking permits cost US$500 per person in cash (including park entrance fees but not transportation and lodging) and should be booked as far in advance as possible.

Other activities include a visit to a habituated troop of golden monkeys (an endangered bamboo-eater whose range is essentially restricted to the Virungas), as well as day or overnight hikes to the various volcanic peaks and a day trip to Dian Fossey's grave at her former research center high in the misty mountains. As a precaution, armed soldiers accompany each tour.