Kilauea is the youngest and most active Hawaiian shield volcano, located on the southern part of the Island of Hawai’i, known as Big Island. Hawai’i is the southernmost and largest of the island chain, which owes its existence to the very active Hawaiian hot spot. Kilauea volcano is near-constantly erupting from vents either on its summit or on the rift zones. At present, Kilauea volcano is still having one of the most long-lived eruptions known on earth, which started in 1983 on the eastern rift zone and has mainly been concentrated at the Pu’u ‘O’o vent. Source: volcanodiscovery

The highlight of Volcanoes National Park is the Kilauea Crater. Nothing beats seeing the glow from the active crater at night—well, maybe the prospect of seeing a new explosive eruption.There are a couple of other lava flow viewing areas in the area that are recommended depending on the activity. Helicopter rides are also available during the day to take visitors over the volcanic island.The park's visitor center is the best place to check in and find out where to go. And at $10 for a 7 day pass, you will not want to miss this national park!By Andrea Rip, AFAR Local Expert