I had the tremendous privilege of seeing the Piton de la Fournaise erupt in the mid-1980s. It was possible to hike right up to the caldera and enjoy the stunnin

I had the tremendous privilege of seeing the Piton de la Fournaise erupt in the mid-1980s. It was possible to hike right up to the caldera and enjoy the stunning sites of fountains of lava. We stayed through the night to absorb the full spectacle. I also remember the thunderous noise of the eruption. The Piton de la Fournaise is a shield volcano similar to active Hawaiian volcanoes so it is not as dangerous as stratovolcanoes like those in the Philippines or in other parts of the world.