i should log off » volcano

The World’s Only Drive-In Volcano

Danny — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:15:58 +0000

In my life I’ve been close to a surprisingly large number of active volcanoes. The first was in Guatemala followed by Volcanoes National Park in Hawai’i. Went and saw the one in Guatemala again and then a few others in Central America before continuing onto Volcanoes all through South America and then a handful more in Africa. All those Volcanoes and one thing I’ve never done is drive into a volcano, but that’s exactly what you can do if you visit the Sulfur Springs of St. Lucia.

It is expected that this volcano will erupt sometime within the next 100 years which in terms of volcanoes is literally any second now. In the meantime you’re welcome to drive on in and once you’re finished there are some hot-springs to rinse your body in and then some mud pits as well. Clearly there is a lot more to holidays in St Lucia than just the beach. I have to laugh at this picture though, as if smoking will somehow ruin the wonderful ‘rotten egg’ smell of all that sulfur.

IF YOU GO: Don’t be afraid to take your time and enjoy this island as well as others. You’ll mostly like find flights to the islands from South Florida (FLL and MIA) but don’t be afraid to head to the docks and find a windjammer to island hop with.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Flickr user Mary-Lynn via a creative commons license.

New Land in Hawaii

Danny — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:19:55 +0000

One of the highlights of our trip to Hawaii was visiting Volcanos National Park. The Hawaiian islands were formed by volcanos in the middle of the pacific and those volcanos continue to add land to the islands as we speak. Usually, they are quite tame but sometimes their lava flows can and do change direction. Rarely is this an emergency as visitors usually have several hours to move away from the slow moving lava, but nonetheless it can impact the scenery a good bit.

When we visited the volcanos we were impressed by the trail over the lava rock. We took this photo at the start of the trail just beyond the end of the road. It should be clear why the road has come to an end! We were able to hike out on the lava rock for several kilometers and could actually see it running several feet below where we were standing. We have pictures of molten lava as well but this photo is pretty compelling to us. Later we sat and watched as the lava created new Hawaiian land, it was memorizing!

IF YOU GO: The Hawaiian Islands are a great place to get away from it all. Almost all flights to the islands land in Honolulu so check out some Oahu Hotels and then feel free to island hop to your heart’s content. No trip to Honolulu is complete without a visit to Waikiki and Pearl Harbor!

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know some of your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo series.

Photo: Dawn on a Volcano

Jillian — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:15:40 +0000

Dawn from the top of a volcano is a unique experience. We hiked to the top of Santa Maria, a volcano in Guatemala during a full moon, staying at the blustery top long enough for the sun to rise. For us the hike in the dark was the amazing part, at least until the sun crept across the sky. Although Santa Maria is semi-dormant, nearby cones were blowing plenty of ash and steam into the air, making it feel as though we were on the top of the world.

Volcanoes are responsible for some of the most interesting landscapes around the world – alien like landscapes created by dried lava flows, colorful beaches, islands and mountain ranges. It’s interesting to see where the world’s most active volcanic regions are or have been. Certainly Central America ranks up there, but so do places you may not expect, like the Canary Islands or Yellowstone.

IF YOU GO: Guatemala City is a short flight from the U.S. and you can take a bus to Xela- the city closest to Santa Maria in about four hours. If you’re going for volcanoes, check out Pacaya near Antigua, which has active flows most of the year. Some of the best volcanic landscapes can be found across the Atlantic in the Canary Islands though, so if you’re thinking about doing a volcanic RTW tour, look for flights to Lanzarote, where a volcanic explosion in the 18th century covered much of the land.