Street View transports us a thousand miles off its shores Australias, in the remote country of Vanuatu, an archipelago of 80 small islands, filled with lush jungle-like vegetation, pristine black sand beaches, and nine volcanoes.
From today on Google Maps, you can "travel" to the edge of one of larger lava lakes in the world, on the island of Vanuatuan of Ambrym. This Street View has collaborated with explorers Geoff Mackley and Chris Horsly, who entered 400 meters into the active volcano's Marum crater with Street View Trekker, collecting 360 degree photos from the melted lava lake, which is about as big as two soccer fields.
Ambrym consists of 39 square miles of desert volcanic caldera that is home to two active volcanic cones called Benbow and Marum. But the tropical island is also home to more than 7.000 people who live in the rainforest below the mountain. While the volcano has played an important role in defining their history, due to unpredictable eruptions and influencing agriculture and the environment, its inhabitants have learned to live in harmony with this beautiful but deadly natural phenomenon.
Moses, a leader in the local village of Endu, explains, “We believe the Marum and Benbow volcanoes are devils. If you go to a volcano you have to be very careful because the two volcanoes could get angry at any time. We believe that Benbow is the husband and Marum is the wife. "Sometimes, when they do not agree, there is an explosion which means that their spirit is angry and that is why we sacrifice a pig to the volcano."
As part of the route to Google Maps, Captain Moses invites you to take a stroll through his village and hopes to inspire you to visit this holy place he calls home. After cyclone Pam a few years ago, the country has rebuilt its infrastructure. Now Moses and his village are ready to welcome visitors back to Vanuatu, to taste its stunning beauty and learn about its cultural traditions of.