Essential Travel Experience #22 – Descend into a (hopefully!) Extinct Volcano

     There are many volcanoes around the world which are considered “extinct,” a term which implies that are unlikely to ever erupt again. Some of these volcanoes are fairly accessible and have been turned into tourist attractions. Many of them are on the “A-List” for travelers because of their history and their beauty.

     On the island of Maui, in the State of Hawai’i, Haleakala National Park is a perfect example. Here is a volcano close to populated areas that resembles a moonscape. Visitors can actually descend into the crater.

Haleakala Crater

     There are even craters within the main crater

Haleakala National Park

      There is no experience more breath-taking than entering the island of Santorini’s crater on a cruise ship and seeing the white-washed villages tumbling down the steep walls of the crater.

Santorini

      Another volcanic crater-turned national park can be found in the state of Oregon. Crater Lake National Park displays the remnants of Mount Mazama, filled with some of the bluest water on earth.

Crater Lake

 Once again, we can see a crater within a crater.

Wizard Island

   One of the world’s most famous craters is found near one of the world’s most famous beaches, Waikiki Beach on the island of Oahu, Hawai’i.

Diamond Head Crater, Honolulu

    On the island of St Lucia, in the Caribbean Sea, visitors can actually drive into the crater of Soufriere Volcano.

Drive-in Volcano on St Lucia

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