August 2026: Puracé on Orange Alert
The reason people are searching for Colombian volcanoes right now is Puracé, a 4,650-meter stratovolcano about 25–30 km east of Popayán. After activity climbed from July 20, 2026, the SGC raised its alert from Yellow to Orange — the second-highest level — on August 1, citing sustained volcanic tremor and changes in sulfur dioxide output. Since then Puracé has produced intermittent ash emissions, with gas-and-ash columns reaching up to 3,400 m above the summit. SGC has flagged the municipalities of Puracé, Popayán, and Sotará, and several Indigenous reserves, as being at risk in a major eruption. As of late August, no evacuation had been ordered.
Puracé is only one of three Colombian volcanoes that stayed restless into 2025–2026. Nevado del Ruiz kept emitting ash and gas, and Nevado del Huila showed elevated signals. None is in a large eruption — but in Colombia, "small" is not the same as "safe." To understand why, you have to look at what these volcanoes are made of, and what sits below them.
The Northern Andean Volcanic Arc
Every active volcano in Colombia belongs to the same feature: the northern end of the Andean Volcanic Belt, built where the Nazca Plate slides beneath South America along the Pacific coast. As the descending slab heats up, it releases water that melts the rock above, and that melt rises through the Cordillera Central to build a chain of tall, explosive cones. It is the same subduction engine that powers the wider Pacific Ring of Fire, and it continues south into Ecuador and Peru.
Two things make Colombia's volcanoes especially hazardous. First, most are andesitic to dacitic stratovolcanoes — sticky, gas-rich magma that erupts explosively rather than in gentle lava flows. Second, the highest of them are capped with glaciers. Ruiz, Huila, Tolima, and Santa Isabel all carry ice. When even a modest eruption melts part of that ice, the meltwater mixes with ash and debris to form lahars that can travel tens of kilometers down river valleys — far beyond the volcano itself, and straight toward the towns built along those rivers.
Colombia's Major Volcanoes, With Eruption Data
These are the highest and most active volcanoes in our Colombian dataset. "Recorded eruptions" counts confirmed eruptive events in the Smithsonian catalog — a good proxy for how restless each volcano has been.
| Volcano | Elevation | Type | Last Eruption | Eruptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevado del HuilaHighest volcano in Colombia. Its 2007–08 eruptions triggered large lahars down the Páez River. | 5,364 m | Stratovolcano | 2012 CE | 4 |
| Nevado del RuizColombia's deadliest. Its 1985 lahars buried Armero, killing ~23,000. Active again through 2025. | 5,279 m | Stratovolcano | 2025 CE | 24 |
| Nevado del TolimaSteep, symmetric cone in Los Nevados park; capable of large explosive eruptions (VEI 5 in the record). | 5,215 m | Stratovolcano | 1943 CE | 12 |
| Santa IsabelGlaciated shield between Ruiz and Tolima; its ice cap is vanishing to climate change. | 4,944 m | Shield | 850 BCE | 4 |
| CumbalSouthernmost historically active volcano in Colombia, near the Ecuador border. | 4,764 m | Stratovolcano | 1926 CE | 2 |
| PuracéOrange alert since Aug 1, 2026. NW anchor of the Los Coconucos chain, near Popayán. | 4,650 m | Stratovolcano | 2025 CE | 29 |
| GalerasColombia's most-erupted volcano in our data. A 1993 eruption killed 9, including 6 scientists in the crater. | 4,276 m | Complex | 2014 CE | 42 |
| Doña JuanaDome complex in Nariño; its 1897–1906 eruption was one of Colombia's largest of the era. | 4,137 m | Stratovolcano | 1906 CE | 2 |
| AzufralHolds a striking green-blue crater lake, Laguna Verde. No historical eruptions. | 4,070 m | Stratovolcano | 930 BCE | 4 |
| Cerro BravoDome complex north of Ruiz with a history of explosive VEI-4 eruptions. | 3,985 m | Stratovolcano | 1720 CE | 8 |
| Cerro MachínSmall but dangerous — capable of large explosive eruptions; heavily monitored above the Cauca valley. | 2,749 m | Complex | 1180 CE | 7 |
Elevations and eruption-event counts computed from our Smithsonian GVP records. "Max VEI" in the record reaches 5 at Nevado del Tolima and 4 at Ruiz, Doña Juana, Azufral, and Cerro Bravo.
Nevado del Ruiz and the Armero Tragedy
No volcano explains Colombia's hazard better than Nevado del Ruiz. On November 13, 1985, it produced a modest eruption — only VEI 3 — that melted part of its summit glacier. The meltwater swept up loose ash and rock and formed lahars that raced more than 70 km down the Lagunilla and other river valleys. Hours later, in the dark, those mudflows reached the town of Armero and buried it. About 23,000 people died. It was the deadliest volcanic disaster of the 20th century after the 1902 eruption of Mont Pelée, and it ranks among the worst in our deadliest eruptions guide.
The tragedy of Armero was that it was foreseeable. Scientists had warned about the lahar risk for weeks, hazard maps existed, and the eruption itself was small. What failed was the last mile — getting those warnings to people in time to move. That failure reshaped Colombian volcanology: it led directly to the creation of the country's volcano observatories under the SGC, which is exactly why a volcano like Puracé now gets an Orange alert and a shelter plan over a few hundred meters of ash plume. The same lesson drives caution at Fuego in Guatemala and the world's most dangerous volcanoes: the hazard follows the valleys, and people live in the valleys.
Galeras: Colombia's Most Active — and a 1993 Warning
With 42 recorded eruptions in our data, Galeras is the most frequently active volcano in Colombia. It looms directly over Pasto, a city of more than 450,000, which makes its restlessness a permanent concern. On January 14, 1993, Galeras erupted suddenly while a scientific team was working inside the crater during a monitoring workshop. Nine people were killed — six volcanologists and three tourists. The disaster became a landmark case in how volcanologists weigh the risk of fieldwork on an active volcano, and it is the reason summit access is closed the instant a volcano like Puracé escalates.
Visiting Colombia's Volcanoes
Colombia's volcanoes sit inside some of its finest national parks, and in normal times several are rewarding to visit:
- Los Nevados National Park — home to Ruiz, Santa Isabel, and Tolima, with glaciated peaks and páramo above the coffee region near Manizales and Salento. Access depends on the current Ruiz alert level.
- Puracé National Natural Park — a high-Andean páramo of hot springs, waterfalls, and Andean condors east of Popayán, co-managed with the Kokonuko Indigenous community. Summit access is currently closed under the Orange alert.
- Azufral — the turquoise crater lake of Laguna Verde in Nariño is one of the most striking day hikes in southern Colombia.
- Galeras — visible from Pasto, but the summit is a restricted, actively monitored hazard zone, not a casual hike.
Planning a volcano trip to Colombia?
Guided hikes in Los Nevados and Puracé run through operators in Manizales, Salento, and Popayán, and páramo day trips are widely bookable. But volcano status changes fast here: always check the current SGC volcano bulletins before booking — an Orange alert can close a summit and its access roads overnight. Compare neighboring regions in our Costa Rica and Guatemala guides, and read our volcano hiking safety guide first.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many volcanoes does Colombia have?
Our database holds 14 Colombian volcanoes with 140 recorded eruptions between them, all along the Northern Andean Volcanic Arc in the Cordillera Central. The Servicio Geológico Colombiano (SGC) actively monitors about a dozen of them. The most active in our record is Galeras (42 eruptions), followed by Puracé (29) and Nevado del Ruiz (24). Three of Colombia's volcanoes have been showing eruptive activity or elevated alerts into 2025–2026: Puracé, Nevado del Ruiz, and Nevado del Huila.
Is any Colombian volcano erupting right now in 2026?
Puracé, near Popayán, is at Orange alert (level 3 of 4) as of August 2026, meaning a probable eruption within days to weeks. The SGC raised it from Yellow on August 1, 2026 after activity surged from July 20, and it has produced intermittent ash emissions with gas-and-ash columns to about 3,400 m. Nevado del Ruiz has also remained restless with ash emissions through 2025. Neither is in a large paroxysmal eruption, but both are closely monitored.
What was the Armero tragedy?
On November 13, 1985, a relatively small eruption of Nevado del Ruiz melted part of its summit glacier and sent lahars — volcanic mudflows — racing more than 70 km down river valleys. They buried the town of Armero and killed roughly 23,000 people. It remains the deadliest volcanic disaster of the 20th century after Mont Pelée in 1902, and it is the reason Colombia built the SGC's volcano-monitoring network. Lahars, not lava, are the primary killer at Colombia's ice-capped volcanoes.
What is the highest volcano in Colombia?
Nevado del Huila, at 5,364 m in our database, is the highest volcano in Colombia. It is a glaciated stratovolcano in the Cordillera Central whose 2007–2008 eruptions produced large lahars down the Páez River, forcing thousands to evacuate. Nevado del Ruiz (5,279 m) and Nevado del Tolima (5,215 m) are close behind — all three are ice-capped, which is what makes their lahar hazard so serious.
Which Colombian volcano is the most dangerous?
By death toll, Nevado del Ruiz — its 1985 lahars killed about 23,000 people. By explosive potential, Cerro Machín is often flagged: though small and long dormant (last erupting around 1180 CE), it is capable of large, highly explosive eruptions and sits near populated parts of the Cauca valley. Galeras, above the city of Pasto, is the most frequently active and killed nine people, including six scientists, in a sudden 1993 eruption.