Jaunted - Tag: Volcano Travel http://www.jaunted.com/ The Pop Culture Travel Guide en-us Copyright 2006 - SFO MEDIA 2008-11-22T19:08:40Z Jaunted Jaunted Jaunted http://www.jaunted.com/images/jauntedw.jpg http://www.jaunted.com/tag/Volcano%20Travel Umnak Island: Alaskan Volcano Blows, Delays Regional Flights with Ash Cloud http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/7/14/14727/2047

Umnak Island, in the Aleutians of Southwest Alaska, experienced a rocking volcano explosion Saturday morning. Because of Mount Okmok's location in the isolated island chain, the only people immediately affected were on a cattle ranch located just six miles from the base of the 3,500-foot volcano.

Ranch owner and Arizona native Lonnie Kennedy fired up his helicopter when he heard the thunderous boom and began moving his family and ranch hands off the property towards the "Deadliest Catch" territory of Dutch Harbor.

The explosion tossed smoke and ash 45,000 feet in the air, leading PenAir to cancel two regional flights. Regular service returned by Sunday morning.

The last time this volcano exploded was 1997; that time it remained active for eight months. We're more amazed by how a cattle rancher goes from Arizona to Alaska. A-state pride, baby!

Related Stories:
· 10 Rescued after Eruption [AP, via ADN]
· Volcanoes coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of Mt. Okmok in quieter times: Wikimedia]]]> DanielR 2008-07-14T16:15:16-05:00 HI: Volcano Travel: Beware the Vog http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/5/22/18750/0980

Visitors have been enjoying the show at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park since March, when a new vent exploded open in Halemaumau Crater at the summit of Kilauea. The volcano has sent a continuous flow of fluffy white gas into the sky, adding some excitement to the park's already impressive lava flows.

But Kilauea has also covered the Big Island in a haze of "vog"--volcanic fog--which is heavy in sulfur dioxide and has some island residents wheezing and worrying for their health. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park has been among the voggiest areas, leading rangers to close parts of the park nearest the summit, and even temporarily shutter the entire park in April.

The Big Island Visitors Bureau launched a press push this week to bring visitors back to the park, noting that the trade winds returned last Friday, pushing the vog out to sea and creating clearer viewing opportunities.

If you'd rather check the vog from a distance, the NPS has set up a webcam on the volcano.

Related Stories:
· Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park [Official Site]
· Losing Your Cool in Hawaii [Jaunted]
· National Parks coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: bobster1985]]]> BS 2008-05-23T11:45:01-05:00 Even Volcanos Aim to Please on Vanuatu http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/3/5/63326/40333

We've been pretty keen on a trip to the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu ever since we heard the people there are the happiest in the world. But apart from walking around and smiling a lot, we weren't really sure what there was to do there--until now.

A Sydney Morning Herald review this week has got us captivated by Vanuatu, because it is home to the world's most accessible volcano. By which we mean, you can basically sit on the edge of the caldera and watch a few explosions of lava, performing like clockwork every evening.

The tourist-friendly volcano is called Mount Yasur, which means "old man," and it is located on Tanna Island, a 45-minute flight from the capital of Port Vila. Don't feel you have to hurry--Mount Yasur has been continually erupting since 1774, and there's no reason to imagine it's suddenly going to stop now.

Related Stories:
· Fiery Beauty As Old Man Rumbles [SMH]
· Shiny Happy People [Jaunted]
· Volcano Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: phnk]]]> amandak 2008-03-05T09:20:02-05:00 Jeju Island: South Korean Island Offers Volcanoes AND Sex http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/7/6/6444/08623

While the Korea north of the 38th parallel tends to make the headlines, the area below got a mention last week when it became the first natural site in South Korea to be added to the World Heritage List. After meeting in New Zealand, the UNESCO Committee placed Jeju Island on the list.

Best known to Koreans as a honeymoon paradise (no self-respecting Korean man would dare suggest any other destination) and home to the erotic Love Land, Jeju Island also has a volcano and lava tube caves. Spectacularly beautiful AND sexy, who wouldn't want to holiday here? Tourism officials are hoping the World Heritage listing will boost tourist numbers in winter and summer, the seasons when Koreans rarely marry.

Sex Travel Map

Related Stories:
· UNESCO Lists Jeju Volcanic Island [Chosun]
· Fellatio Monument in South Korea [Jaunted]
· Hotels in South Korea [HotelChatter]

[Photo Credit: Paul Lawley-Jones] ]]> amandak 2007-07-06T09:58:54-05:00 Kamchatka: Volcano Tourism: Spewing in Russia http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/7/3/53544/96219

Superlatives like "world's tallest" are cheap but effective ways to lure tourists to your attraction. The far east Russian peninsula of Kamchatka, east of Vladivostok, is trying to grab you with the "world's most active" volcanic regions along the Pacific Ring of Fire. A reason to visit or a reason to stay far, far away? Your call.

At first we weren't sure what makes a lava-spewing mountain appealing, but apparently it's the perfection of its conical shape, and a nice upper layer of snow adds some aesthetic beauty. And while exploring Kamchatka and its many volcanoes is still for the relatively rich adventure tourist, there were 14,000 foreign visitors last year and this is expected to increase. That is, until the beautiful volcanoes decide to bury us all.

Related Stories:
· In Russia ... [Mail & Guardian]
· Russia's Big Bang [Jaunted]
· Russia Hotels [HotelChatter]

[Photo: robnunn]

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