Volcano Galeras

Volcan Galeras is Colombia’s most active and largest stratovolcano, located in the Andes and rising to an altitude of 4,276 meters. The cone-shaped peak rises near the city of Pasto, which is home to nearly 400,000 people. The volcano is almost always active. According to scientists, it has been erupting for 1 million years. Over the past 7 thousand years, no less than 6 major eruptions have occurred on Galeras. Before the Spaniards colonized these places, the inhabitants called the volcano Urkunina, which means “fire mountain.”

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Highlights

In 1991, due to its high activity and proximity to a densely populated city, Galeras was named the Volcano of the Decade. Its size is impressive: the volcano has a diameter at the base of 20 km and two ancient calderas. The rounded crater with a diameter of 320 m deepens by 80 m.

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In the 16th century, when observations became regular, the Galeras volcano was “awakened” more than 20 times, and in 1993 a sudden eruption caused a tragedy. Unaware of the impending danger, six volcanologists were doing field research on the volcano, and three tourists were climbing to the crater. During the eruption, they were all killed.

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The Galeras volcano poses ongoing problems for the local population. In 2006, scientists predicted the possibility of a strong eruption, so the Colombian authorities were forced to evacuate more than 8 thousand people from settlements and villages around the volcano. Another eruption occurred in February 2009 and January 2010.

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In the late summer of 2010, the situation repeated itself. The region declared an alert of the highest “red” degree. More than 9,000 people were evicted from their homes, and several shelters in the city of Pasto were prepared to accommodate the evacuees. In addition, the Colombian government has sent 900 police officers to the Galeras volcano to provide as much help as possible to locals in distress.

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Climbing Opportunities

These days, the activity of the Galeras volcano is not very high. However, from time to time the stratovolcano is shaken by small explosions, after which the nearby villages are covered with a thin layer of volcanic ash.

Despite this, traveling to the volcano is very popular with tourists. The summit is reached from the town of Pasto and from the opposite side, from the village of Pasto-Consaca. Many travelers visit the Galeras Nature Reserve located at the foot of the volcano, which covers an area of 8,600 hectares.

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How to get there

The Galeras volcano is located in the Colombian department of Nariño, near the border with Ecuador. The city of Pasto, where the routes to the volcano start, can be reached by shuttle buses or cabs. The airport, which receives flights from local airlines, is located 35 km from Pasto, in the town of Chachagüí.

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