Sleeping Giants
From Costa Rica to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde to the Galápagos, these are the volcanoes to climb, explore and watch.
SHANEY HUDSON
Dominating landscapes, influencing global weather patterns, fertilising crops and occasionally destroying everything in their path, volcanoes are as beautiful as they are deadly. There were 57 volcanic eruptions during 2020, from small pyroclastic flows to spectacular explosions, and today volcanic activity continues all around the world. Here are five volcanoes that have made quite an impact – in more ways than one!
Arenal, Costa Rica
10.4626° N, 84.7032° W
A relatively young stratovolcano, Arenal in Costa Rica had been quiet for centuries until sections of its crater exploded in 1968 sending boulders flying and destroying nearby settlements. The initial explosion was the start of a decades-long volcanic event, with eruptions, pyroclastic flows and gas emissions observed from its crater, but in 2010 Arenal finally slumbered. Today, the volcano's power has been harnessed, with its geothermal energy used to bolster part of Costa Rica’s hydro-electric network. Arenal has also become a major tourist attraction, with its geothermal hot springs turned into elaborate resorts and waterparks.
Sierra Negra, Galápagos
0.8300° S, 91.1700° W
Lying within the Pacific Ring of Fire, the kilometres-wide Sierra Negra volcano on Isabela Island is one of the largest volcanic craters in the world. The shield volcano, which last erupted in 2018, is a popular hiking spot for visitors to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Galápagos Islands thanks to its rich biodiversity and varying geographic features. Clouds often spill into the caldera, moistening the fertile slopes and creating an emerald-green habitat that’s home to Darwin’s finches and the Galápagos giant tortoise. Abruptly, the terrain switches to a black, lava-covered landscape consumed by recent flows.
Caldera de Taburiente and the volcano Volcán Cumbre Vieja, Canary Islands
28.7295° N, 17.8702° W
La Palma is best known as a subtropical paradise but two volcanoes, Cumbre Vieja and its extinct counterpart Caldera de Taburiente, characterise the landscape in this UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Located in the northwest of the Canary Islands, Cumbre Vieja erupted in 1949, causing a portion of the Caldera de Taburiente to collapse and slide into the sea. It erupted again in 1971. The Caldera de Taburiente is famous for its hiking trails and is home to a number of endemic species not found anywhere else on Earth. Of the trails the most popular is the Barranco de las Angustias, where you can find the famous Cascada de Colores, a small waterfall with green, yellow, orange and red colourations on the rock face that change according to the time of year and water flow.
Mount Teide, Canary Islands
28.2723° N, 16.6425° W
The indigenous people of Tenerife, the Guanches, believed Mount Teide was the home of a malevolent deity called Guayota. According to legend Guayota captured Magec, the god of sun and light, and hid him in the mountain. He escaped, and Guayota was caught inside instead. Today, there are more than 1,000 archaeological sites across the slopes of Tiede, and unlike other volcanoes, accessing the slopes is relatively easy. An aerial tramway takes visitors 3,555 metres above sea level, from where many continue to hike to the summit. The highest point in Spain, Mount Teide last erupted in 1909, and more than three million people visit it and the surrounding national park each year.
Pico do Fogo, Cape Verde
14.9494° N, 24.3404° W
Pico do Fogo – known locally as the peak of fire – may be the only active volcano in the Cape Verde Islands, but it’s distinguished as being one of the most active in the Atlantic Ocean. More than thirty eruptions have been recorded since it was settled in the 15th Century, with the last eruption beginning in 2014. During this time, one of the villages located within the nine-kilometre-wide caldera – Cha das Caldeiras – was safely evacuated before being consumed by the lava flows. Locals have since returned and rebuilt the village, replanting their wine, fruit and coffee crops on its slopes.
