In a landscape of sterile lava flows and small islands of vegetation, craters and forests of aborescent ferns, Volcanoes National Park encompasses two champions of volcanic activity: Mauna Loa, the largest volcano in the world4,170 m at its highest point, and Kilauea, which was born on its slopes as the island drifted west with the Pacific plate. Kilauea is the most active volcano in the world.

The park became a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1980. Hundreds of thousands of people now came every year to see Kilauea, which has been almost continuously erupting since 1983. No one can predict when it will stop but  in the meantime, this is a unique opportunity to watch its activity form up close.