Mount Etna, Sicily LOHMANN CAPTURED THIS PHOTO – a poignant contrast of the bright crimson flow of lava and ice – on New Year’s Day 2023. Compared to the constantly erupting Stromboli, “Etna is a fickle mistress,” quips Lohmann of Europe’s tallest active volcano. “Every time I’m on Etna, it’s never erupting.” Lohmann says she spent almost an entire year here, waiting in vain for a paroxysmal eruption, a major volcanic event which may only last for a few hours. Exploring Etna’s fierce alpine terrain is not for the faint of heart. “You have to know what you’re doing,” warns Lohmann. In fact, to get to the spot her friend Gino stands in this photograph, the pair had to cross an active lava flow. Still, Lohmann remains unfazed. “If you listen closely,” she shrugs, “you can actually hear where it’s safe to put your feet.” STROMBOLI 86 DEPARTURES
Mount Tavurvur, Papua New Guinea MUNGANAU (“OF COURSE I KNOW the names of the people I photograph – they’re my friends”) seems completely unconcerned by the ominous plume of ashes emanating from Mount Tarvurvur, which was in a frequent state of eruption from 1994 to 2014. “What used to be like a Garden of Eden is now destroyed. Everything is grey, but the people still live there. They are bound to their ancestors,” says Lohmann. “Much like we have snowfall, they had ashfall every day,” says Lohmann, who captured this scene in 2008. “When the volcano erupts, they hardly even look up.” Across the generations, the locals have found ways to anticipate the volcano’s violent mood swings. When the native megapode, a bird whose beak can detect geothermal heat, lays its eggs closer to the surface rather than deep in the ground, they know they can soon expect an eruption. Travel with Ulla Ulla Lohmann invites intrepid travellers in groups of no larger than eight to join her on expeditions to volcanoes in Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Sicily, where they benefit from her scientific expertise and photographic guidance, and enjoy the opportunity to meet some of her volcano friends. She also spearheaded the Pacific People Aid Fund, whose proceeds benefit people affected by climate change and natural catastrophes, including volcanoes. ullalohmann.com 87 DEPARTURES
