Yasur is Vanuatu's most visited volcano. It's accesible and tour operators make a good business in volcano tours although it's easy to visit independently.

Activity Levels and Access Rules
There are five levels of volcanic activity:
Level 0: Low activity, access to the crater allowed.
Level 1: Normal activity, access to the crater allowed.
Level 2: Moderate to high activity, lava bombs may land beyond the crater rim, access to the crater is closed.
Level 3: Severe activity with loud explosions, lava bombs ejected up to hundreds of metres outside the crater and large plumes of smoke and ash, access to the summit zone is closed.
Level 4: Major eruption affecting large areas around the volcano and possibly other parts of Tanna and even neighbouring islands, all access closed.

Tour guides are employed on Yasur to prevent visitors from putting themselves in danger. Even though the access rules are clearly defined, your guide may let you go closer than allowed. The safe distance is beautiful but some tourists are seeking an adrenalin rush. A few people have been killed by lava bombs in the past which is not good for the tourism industry. Yasur activity levels are well known by the tour operators in Vila (also try asking the Vanuatu Tourism Office).

Too wild?
The volcano is getting VERY active and the guides are VERY lax on safety, they not only let you go closer than is safe, but take you right up and stand with you where it is definitely NOT safe. Several times we asked our guide "is it safe here?" - "Yes, its safe". Moments later we are looking up at a lava bomb the size of a bar fridge above our heads! I would advise Yasur is not an activity for children, the unfit or the elderly. If a lava bomb is above you or coming near you DO NOT RUN, wait and watch to see where it is falling then move to avoid it. Avoid being in a large group with people around you so that you can't move quickly out of harms way. The volcano was officially a level 2 but I would say it was a level 3. I saw a lava bomb land 100 metres outside of the volcano rim.
Shannon
August 2008

The entry fee is now 2250 Vatu which is shared amongst the kastom landowners around the volcano. Sometimes you can go up in the day time without being noticed, if someone approaches you coming down and announces "I am the gatekeeper" you should reply "I am the keymaster" and hope they don't kiss you (scene from the 1984 film Ghostbusters).

Yasur may be Vanuatu's biggest tourist attraction so don't be surprised to find 50 people or more on top during most evenings in the high season (June to September).

Taking photos
Impressive at any time, Yasur is probably best at dusk when there's enough light to illuminate the crater rim. This gives dimension and context to your photos, the red lava bombs will be visible and the clouds of ash look great. Keep in mind there is a narrow time window of about half an hour from sunset to dark.

At night the volcano starts to look more like a fireworks display and it's more difficult to set your focus. If you're want better photos then you should bring a tripod and use a high sensitivity film or ISO setting. If you have a digital camera you should bring spare batteries because it it will spend a lot of time on standby, waiting for the next eruption.

The best way to shoot is with a tripod and a remote shutter release. This will leave you free to watch fireworks and not spend all evening peering through the viewfinder or blinding yourself with the LCD screen. Set the camera on bulb exposure, open the shutter, wait for an eruption and then close it. The technique is same as used for shooting fireworks and lightning. Of course, focus and exposure must all be set in manual.

More Volcanos ...
Vanuatu also has active volcanos on Epi (a submarine volcano), Lopevi (a dramatic cone-shaped volcano near Epi), Ambrym (two very destructive volcanos), Ambae (an enormous shield volcano), Gaua (beside a massive caldera lake) and Vanua Lava (in the mountains). They are all different and some keen volcano tourists aim to visit them all!

Last updated: October 2008 by Stephen.