Mount Yasur on Tanna Island (how to visit this volcano in Vanuatu)
Mount Yasur is one of the most accessible active volcanoes in the world and one of the must-see sights in Vanuatu. Located on Tanna Island, you can reach Mount Yasur by a short flight from Port Vila (Efate Island). Flight times are seasonal and book up quickly, so plan in advance and buy your tickets either by phone or email.
You can visit the crater rim and also explore the ash plains of Mount Yasur.
Check out my Vanuatu Itinerary for my suggestions on when to visit!
Visiting Mount Yasur’s Crater Rim
Mount Yasur Crater Rim Basic info
- Entrance time for the evening visit is 4:30 p.m., though there’s also a morning hike option.
- You’ll spend about two hours at the volcano. The best time to see the volcano is in the evening or early morning, in the pitch black; that’s when the lava is most visible.
- The entrance fee is 9,800 Vatu (this may increase, as the site is privately owned, something we only discovered when we arrived).
- It gets chilly and windy at the top, so bring a windbreaker and maybe an extra layer if you get cold easily. You don’t feel any of the heat from the volcano up there (which was surprising!).
Our group had about 20 people in it in July. There was an official guide from the park once we got to the top, and she determined when we had to leave the rim. Otherwise, there wasn’t any info shared. Other people had private guides who were with them, but it’s not necessary at all to get a guide to visit Mount Yasur.
Getting to the top of Mount Yasur
After paying the entrance fee, you can either take a car to the top or walk up, which takes about 35 minutes. I really liked walking up because we could stop and take photos along the way, while the car just zooms straight through.
These were some of the best views we had of the volcano.
At the top there is a parking lot where you’ll wait until the guide lets everyone up the staircase to the crater rim.
Here, you’ll spend around an hour and a half as the sun sets, watching and waiting for the volcano do to something. The first rumble is crazy; everyone started to nervously laugh and I was thinking, “What are we still doing here!? We should run, right?!”
Mount Yasur Activity Levels
The volcano’s activity is measured in levels:
- Level 1 and 2: You can go to the rim.
- Level 1 means almost no activity.
- Level 2 has some sputtering lava and rumbles.
- Level 3: You can’t go to the crater rim and must stay near the parking lot. There will be some lava flying into the air
- Levels 4–5: Too dangerous for tours (and probably for the local villages??)
The levels can change without notice from one day to the next. We met some other tourists who visited the day before us and only had a Level 1 experience. They were underwhelmed. So, if you have two nights on Tanna, I suggest you ask what level the volcano is at that day and then decide to hold off your visit for Level 2.
Level 2 at Mount Yasur
We visited during Level 2, which meant we got to hear the deep rumble of Mount Yasur and see several bursts of lava exploding from the center.
We didn’t see a huge amount of lava, and it was tricky to capture the rumbles on video, but it was still an incredible experience.
Please enjoy all these pictures! The lava views gets better as the sun sets.
On the Way Down
On our way back down, we hitched a ride with another tour company because we had walked up ourselves. It’s completely pitch black once you leave the volcano park, so make sure you’ve arranged transportation through your accommodation or guide.
If you’re staying at Volcano Jungle Paradise Bungalows like we did, the owner’s sister met us at the entrance and walked us back. Everything looked totally different at night! I don’t recommend walking alone, as there are small streams and logs that you’ll need to cross to get between Mount Yasur and the bungalow.
It took us about 45 minutes to walk back, mostly because we were unfamiliar with the route. If you prefer not to walk, you can arrange a pickup for 1,000 Vatu.
Mount Yasur’s Ash Plains
The ash plains are an amazing spot to visit for sunrise. Organize this with your accommodation, or if you’re staying at Volcano Jungle Paradise Bungalows, you can walk without a guide. Follow the route we made on Mapy.com (download the app). However, there was a portion of the trail that washed away. We had to scramble in the dark to get to the other side. Later in the daylight, we saw a stick poking out of the ground where a better natural staircase was made.
Same spot we had to climb with pics we took before and after sunrise. Finding this in the dark was so difficult.
For sunrise, start walking at 4:30 am to catch the sunrise with the volcano in the background.
There was no one else around, and we were able to walk up the volcano a bit and explore. We could actually feel the warmth of the volcano here, something we didn’t notice when we were standing at the rim the night before.
The ash plains have a cool, desert vibe to them and we walked around here a bit too.
