Top 10 Volcanoes in the Andes
The Andes are the world's longest continental volcanic arc, the above-water expression of the Nazca and Antarctic plates being subducted beneath South America. The arc breaks into segments, each with its own personality, but across all of them the volcanoes share high altitude, glaciers and the constant possibility of unrest.
1. Cotopaxi (Ecuador)
A 5,897-m glacier-clad stratovolcano in the Northern Andes, one of the most beautiful volcanoes in the world. Last major eruption 2015. Climbed in alpine ascents from the high refuge.
2. Chimborazo (Ecuador)
Ecuador's highest mountain at 6,263 m, and the point on Earth's surface farthest from the centre because of the equatorial bulge. A long-dormant stratovolcano with extensive glaciers.
3. Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia)
The volcano whose 1985 eruption melted enough glacier to send lahars into the town of Armero, killing more than 23,000 people. A monitoring priority since then, with frequent ash emissions in recent decades.
4. Sangay (Ecuador)
One of the world's most active volcanoes, in eruption near-continuously since the 1930s. Remote, in the eastern Andes; reached only by long expeditions.
5. El Misti (Peru)
The classic conical 5,822-m stratovolcano above Arequipa. Sleeping but not extinct. Climbed in two-day trips from the city as one of the easier 5,800-m peaks.
6. Ubinas (Peru)
Peru's most active volcano, in the Western Cordillera. Erupted in 2019 and 2023, with ash falling on Arequipa region towns. Monitored by IGP.
7. Sabancaya (Peru)
A 5,976-m stratovolcano in the Colca canyon area, in semi-continuous eruption since 2016. Visible from Colca canyon tourist viewpoints when conditions are right.
8. Lascar (Chile)
A 5,592-m active stratovolcano in the Atacama, the most active in the northern Chilean Andes. The 1993 eruption sent ash to Argentina. Visited from San Pedro de Atacama on day trips.
9. Villarrica (Chile)
A 2,847-m stratovolcano in the Chilean lake district with an intermittent summit lava lake. Climbed in a one-day guided trip from Pucón. Last major eruption 2015.
10. Aconcagua-area Andean centres (Argentina)
While Aconcagua itself (6,961 m, the Americas' highest) is not volcanic, the surrounding Andes carry centres such as Tupungato and Maipo — large active and dormant volcanoes in the Mendoza region.
How the Andes work
The Nazca Plate is being subducted east beneath the South American Plate at roughly 7 cm/year. Where the slab descends at a steep angle, arc volcanism is dense (Northern and Southern Andes); where it flattens (Central Andes "flat slab"), there is little active volcanism. The variation explains why Ecuador has active centres while parts of central Peru do not.
Safety and access
Each country has its own observatory: SGC (Colombia), IG-EPN (Ecuador), IGP (Peru), SERNAGEOMIN (Chile), SEGEMAR (Argentina). Always consult before approaching. Most peaks above 5,000 m require mountaineering experience.
On the map
Open the map and filter to the Andes to see the segments unspool — Northern, Central and Southern, each with its own rhythm of activity, all on the same long subduction line.