Volcano Tourism Is Hot. Literally.

Think outside the box they said, it'll be fun they said. Well, some did and climbed an active volcano and lived to tell us tales of adventure and fun. Or someone got bored of the usual sandboarding and took it up a notch (literally) and boarded down a volcano slope. Isn't that how we know of volcano boarding Move aside swimming with sharks and sipping wine under the Tuscan sun, hello volcano Here is a list of some of the popular volcanoes on our planet and let's see what you can do with them.

Cerro Negro in Nicaragua and Mt. Yasur in Vanuatu

Also known as volcanog, volcano boarding is an extreme sibling of sandboarding, snowboarding and surfing. What else can one say about a sport that brings you to a volcano and you slide down the slope on a thin wooden or metal board Let's not forget getting scraped by rough volcanic ash, toxic gases or getting in the way of a wayward flying molten lava. If this excites you then maybe you should plan for Nicaragua and Vanuata in Oceania. Cerro Negro in Nicaragua is an active volcano which is the most popular volcano for this extreme sport, followed very closely by Mt. Yasur in Vanuatu.

Mount Fuji and Mount Aso in Japan

Mount Fuji, the well-known symbol of Japan is hard to avoid. It's beauty has inspired art and is probably one of the most photographed mountains on earth. The same inspiration has not escaped climbers because Mount Fuji, a dormant volcano, is one of the most climbed volcanoes on earth. The mountain is one of Japan's Three Holy Mountains because of which there are hordes of visitors climbing the mountain daily. It gets crowded. Also in Japan, Mount Aso lives in the shadow of Mount Fuji but is quite a gem in itself. It is Japan's most active volcano,has one of the largest calderas in the world, and the crater's geography is rich with amazing twists and turns and can be reached by both cable car and by road. Sounds just about right for great photo-ops.

Klauea in Hawaii

Hawaii has a national park devoted to volcanoes and it's called Volcanoes National Park. The national park has 240km of trails perfect for hiking. But wait, for things get better with Klauea Caldera and the popular lava flow of the East &nbspRift Zone. The slow moving lava that the volcano's 1983 eruption spewed out is still happening, to this day. If you think volcano is the only thing to see out here, wait till you see the starlit sky. Here the sky lacks cloud which means great news for star-gazers.

Mount Etna and Mount Vesuvius in Italy

Yes, we are suggesting you go to Italy to look at volcanoes. Mount Etna in Sicily is an active volcano and the last eruption was in 2003. Visitors are not allowed to climb to the top of the mountain but you can definitely hang around formations made by lava flows. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 has left a sad story for the city of Pompeii and a status for Vesuvius. The entire city of Pompeii is burried under volcanic ash, the eruption that left no survivors. Located near Naples, it is about 90 minutes trek from the bottom to the crater of Mount Vesuvius. Once on top, you can get a perfect bird's eye view of Naples and Pompeii.

Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania

Picture this--African savannah rich with wildlife, migrating and resident animals and then there is the grand backdrop of the snow covered Mount Kilimanjaro. A photographer's delight, isn't it Even though there hasn't been any volcanic activity for thousands of years, Mount Kilimanjaro is still a climber's favourite and the highest mountain in whole of Africa.