Tambora, Active stratovolcano in Sumbawa Island, Indonesia

Tambora is a stratovolcano on Sumbawa in Indonesia that reaches 2850 meters (9350 feet) elevation and features a caldera about 7 kilometers (4 miles) wide at its rim. Steep walls descend into this bowl, where ash fields and scattered fumaroles mark the crater floor.

The eruption in 1815 launched enormous volumes of volcanic material into the atmosphere and lowered global temperatures noticeably. The following year brought crop failures across multiple continents and is remembered as one of the coldest since weather records began.

The 2004 excavation led by volcanologist Haraldur Sigurdsson uncovered a village buried by the 1815 deposits near the caldera, with bones and artefacts recovered; the press called it a "Pompeii of the East". Archaeologists hoped to find the palace of a kingdom destroyed by the eruption, but no further remains of this "Tambora culture" have been found under the thick ejected layers.

Reaching the summit requires a guided two day trek with camping gear, enough drinking water and warm clothing for cool nights at elevation. The route climbs through dense jungle in the lower sections before the terrain opens into rockier ground.

In 2004 a team led by volcanologist Haraldur Sigurdsson found a village buried by the 1815 deposits near the caldera, with bones and artefacts recovered. The press called it a "Pompeii of the East", and archaeologists hoped to find the palace of a kingdom destroyed by the eruption.