New Google Street View tours take you inside a volcano

Fariha Khan
March 18, 2017
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In the past, Google’s Street View Trekker system has helped us discover some wonderful places. However, an abseil over 1,000 feet into the crater of an active volcano has to be the most stunning one yet.

We invite you to join us on a journey to the edge of one of the largest boiling lava lakes in the world on the Vanuatuan island of Ambrym. To get inside the active volcano, we partnered with explorers Geoff Mackley and Chris Horsley, who repelled 400 meters into the Marum crater with a Street View Trekker collecting 360-degree imagery of the journey down to the molten lava lake, which is roughly the size of two football fields.

If you like to experience your hot air in a more dignified form, you can check out Britain’s Houses of Parliament that has been added by Street View as well.

The virtual tour cover the House of Commons Chamber, where MPs discusses and vote on laws in addition to the House of Lords Chamber that is as a secondary review of proposed laws. Where the House of Lords feels that a bill requires added deliberation, they are free to recommend improvements that are returned to the House of Commons for voting and discussion.

According to reports, Speaker John Bercow was pleased with the tour added to the official Parliament website.

Parliament belongs to the people, so it is only right that everybody should get the chance to experience it. The virtual tour means that people from all over Britain and, indeed, all over the world can visit Parliament and learn about our democratic institutions.

UK voters can organize a free tour of the real thing through their MP. Overseas visitors, on the other hand, can book paid tours.