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Is volcano tourism safe?
This article is an adaptation of our weekly Travel newsletter that was originally sent out on April 6, 2021. Want this in your inbox? Sign up here.
By George Stone, TRAVEL Executive Editor
Traveling to an active volcano can be the thrill of lifetime—or a fatal attraction. Last month’s eruptions of Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall volcano drew thousands to the Geldingadalur valley (above) to watch flaming gobs of lava splutter and spill from the crater’s first eruption in nearly 800 years.
“It was mesmerizing,” says photographer Chris Burkard, who captured the eruption for National Geographic. “I never thought something as simple as molten rock would get me this excited.”
His incandescent images capture hikers (below), their faces reflecting the radiant orange of molten rock, clambering across the moss-covered basalt landscape to stand perilously close to rivers of lava snaking down the volcano.
In the last decade, volcano tourism has boomed, fueled in part by social media and so-called lava chasers, writes Rachel Ng. But this glowing allure has a darker side: Eruptions, such as the one at New Zealand’s Whakaari/White Island volcano, have killed and injured tourists—not to mention the millions of people who live near the world’s roughly 1,500 active volcanoes in 81 countries.
For lava chasers drawn to Iceland, Italy, Hawaii, Japan, and beyond there are ways to play it safe, says Rosaly M.C. Lopes, author of the Volcano Adventure Guide. “We’re lucky that the most beautiful eruptions are also not the most explosive ones,” she says. You can start planning post-pandemic volcanic excursions by learning about the location and activity of these fire-breathers at Smithsonian’s eruption tracker.
Volcanoes can offer gateways to learning about geology and culture, says Benjamin Hayes, chief of interpretation and education for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Ancient Hawaiian chants refer to Pele, goddess of volcanoes and fire, as “she who shapes the sacred land,” he says. “You feel the power of Mother Earth near this lifeblood of the planet.”
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YOUR INSTAGRAM OF THE DAY
Getting hungry? Photographer Kiana Hayeri captures the makings of time-consuming Afghan dumplings, often prepared for holidays and special gatherings. Ashak and mantou (vegetarian and beef dumplings) are traditionally filled with chives; these dumplings contain mint, cilantro, spring onion, and dill. This chef adds bean sauce and tops it with chakka (thick yogurt with strong flavor) and dried mint and places homemade chutney on the side. In 2014, photographer and Nat Geo Explorer Matthieu Paley explored cuisine in the nation’s high hinterlands.
Yum: What Afghanistan’s high-altitude nomads eat
TODAY IN A MINUTE
Airport pickup: The TSA reported more than 1.5 million people were screened at U.S. airports on Friday, the highest daily number in a year. The Easter weekend rush came as the CDC loosened some travel restrictions for people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. While saying those vaccinated “can travel safely” within the United States, the CDC also maintained mask-wearing and crowd-avoiding recommendations, NPR reports. Health officials continue to discourage nonessential travel, citing a sustained rise in cases and hospitalizations. In the event you have essential business in Iceland, vaccinated U.S. travelers are welcome there, effective today.
A post-pandemic caving comeback? Last year, COVID-19 cut in half the number of tourists to Kentucky’s only national park, the limestone labyrinths and aboveground trails and riverways of Mammoth Cave. The area is getting new attention after Airbnb put the park in its top 10 trending destinations in March. Writing for Nat Geo, Austyn Gaffney quotes an early guide as describing Mammoth Caves as “a grand, gloomy, and peculiar place.”
Must be vaccinated: That’s what Norwegian Cruise Line says about travelers who went to go on cruises with the company. Petitioning the CDC to return cruises in July, company CEO Frank Del Rio told USA Today that all passengers and crew would be "100% vaccinated" two weeks before boarding. The company also owns Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises.
Home in Spain: Spain is a top pork and rabbit producer, but grassroots efforts have created up to 40 farm animal “sanctuaries” to provide forever homes to abandoned or surrendered farmed animals. Many of these places have enthusiastic social media followings, Nat Geo’s Natasha Daly writes. “Sanctuaries are the only opportunity that we ever get to see these kinds of animals in a different environment—the only way we can learn about and truly connect with these animals outside the [farming] industry,” says Abigail Geer, founder of Mino Valley Farm Animal Sanctuary in Galicia, in northwestern Spain.
THE BIG TAKEAWAY
Stacks and stones: Some people stack paper, others stack stones. Call them cairns, piled-up rocks, or stone johnnies—stacks of stones seem to be everywhere. You can find them in national parks, balanced on graveyard tombstones, and laid at the feet of some statues at religious sites. It might be tempting to create your own stonework, but it’s not always a great idea, Katy Kelleher writes for Nat Geo. (Above, in Austria’s Zillertal mountain range, hikers find stone cairns on Petersköepfl Peak. Below, left: An oovo, or ceremonial rock and wood shrine, sits on the Mongolia steppe near Arkhangai. The assemblages are meant to pay homage to sky spirits. Right: Artist Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty juts out into the Great Salt Lake in Utah.)
IN A FEW WORDS
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ONE LAST GLIMPSE
Isle of enchantment: On the hunt for witches and warriors? Consider Scotland. The Isle of Skye, off the northwest coast, is a suitable setting for storytelling, with a perfect backdrop of brooding mountains, moorland, tumbling waterfalls, and loch-frayed coasts. And the weather changes on a moment’s notice, Connor McGovern writes for Nat Geo. Perhaps it’s fitting the island is called “Misty Isle.” (Above, natural rock formations, cone-shaped hills dotted with ponds, and scattered waterfalls make up Skye’s otherworldly Fairy Glen.)
This newsletter has been curated and edited by David Beard and Monica Williams, and Jen Tse selected the photographs. Have an idea or a link? We'd love to hear from you at david.beard@natgeo.com. And thanks for reading!
