Located to the southeast of Hawaii, the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is the youngest island in the archipelago and the only one that contains active volcanoes. Its abundant vegetation and beautiful volcanic landscape attracts tourists, explorers and scientists from all over the world. To experience this paradise born of lava is to glimpse into the early beginnings of Planet Earth.
The dry, dark-colored side of the volcanoes, the Kay Desert, is almost lifeless. Lava stifles any form of plant life and the magnificent expanse of strange, dark scenery and huge, billowing clouds is a truly awe-inspiring spectacle that is like nowhere else on Earth.
The park contains the world’s most active volcano, Kilauea and also its largest, Mauna Loa. For the Hawaiians, the environs of Halema`Uma`U, the House of Fire, and the crater itself, were once the most holy place in the entire archipelago and the tremendous dimensions of the crater and the clearly visible strata that have accumulated during many thousands of years, are particularly impressive.
In spite of the lava, the humid northeast of the island has created a jungle, while the southwest is rich in savannah, a visual symphony of mighty eucalyptus trees and plants up to 8 metres tall that are framed by dark lava. Where once scorching volcanic streams flowed, today the sun beams down onto the benign, cooled down surface of the lava.
When visiting the world’s most active volcano, Kilauea, it’s like witnessing Earth’s creation. When the blazing red lava sizzles into the sea and the water boils and the clouds glow, the might of the Earth is at its most extreme.
Those who experience the raw beauty of this island will never forget the many unforgettable moments surrounded by a natural environment that has learned to constantly renew itself in dramatic style.