Top Volcano Hikes in Beautiful Places Around the World

Italy’s volcano-pocked island of Sicily is iconic for many reasons – its dramatic landscape, unique cuisine and baroque architecture among them. This eight-day tour covers all of its best bases, starting with sundown cocktails in the glamorous capital Palermo. The city’s fascinating history – and sizzling street food – is on the menu for the following day, after which you’ll be sailing off to the Aeolian Islands. Vulcano is one aptly named island, and you’ll get to discover its natural hot springs and black sand beaches, before visiting Mount Etna. Not only will you get the chance to hike on one of the world’s most famous volcanoes, you’ll also head go for lunch at a local farm at the foot of Etna, which puts the fertile volcanic land to delicious use.

This unique Central American trip begins on the beaches of Belize, before heading inland to the volcanic landscapes of Guatemala. Here you’ll marvel at the gorgeous barroco antigueño architecture of vibrant Antigua – baroque buildings designed specifically to counter the threat of Pacaya Volcano. After exploring the city you’ll head on a hike of Pacaya’s forested trails, reaching the summit at sunset, where you’ll enjoy panoramic views with your pizza and marshmallows, singed over molten lava. After that you’ll head to Lake Atitlan. Its serenity feels a world away from the dramatic rumblings of a volcano, but it’s actually a flooded volcanic crater, a product of Pacaya that you can now kayak on and zipline over.

Lush, rainforest-blanketed Costa Rica is a wildlife lover’s paradise – home to sloths, birds of paradise and jaguars. It’s also one of the world’s main coffee-producing capitals, thanks to its fertile volcanic soil – and this nine-day tour gives you the best of both worlds, as well as a splash of surfing on the Pacific coast. You’ll start with a locally guided tour of its vibrant capital, San José, before heading off to the Arenal volcano for a locally-harvested, freshly-roasted cup of joe. You’ll be staying at a gorgeous lodge near Arenal, which takes advantage of the area’s bountiful natural hot springs, so you can soak off in between jungle safaris, waterfall hikes and white-water rafting excursions.