ADVENTURE: A Million Steps on Lava with Ricardo Kaljouw

About this episode

Ricardo Kaljouw shares his extraordinary journey of climbing the highest volcanoes on each continent, highlighting his adventures and challenges faced along the way.

Today we are going to travel across all seven continents, through steaming craters and frozen summits, into the heart of the world's most active volcanoes. This is a story about chasing fire. Ricardo Kaljouw is one of only a handful of people on Earth to have completed the Volcanic Seven Summits — climbing the highest volcano on every continent. From his first glimpse of Kilimanjaro rising above the Tanzanian savannah, to standing alone on the roof of Antarctica in minus 49 degree cold, Ricardo's story is one of extraordinary resilience, raw adventure, and the kind of fire that, once lit, simply cannot be put out. Highlights of The Volcanic Seven Summits: Standing on the roof of Africa — and the sunrise that greeted Ricardo on the way down from Kilimanjaro that changed everything. Watching the largest lava lake in the world come alive at night on the slopes of Nyiragongo in Rwanda. Surviving a lightning storm at altitude on Iran's Mount Damavand. Getting lost in the jungle of Papua New Guinea with no food, a missing porter, and a village of locals who may have been hunting him. Being stranded alone on the highest volcano on earth, Ojos del Salado in Chile. That final…

People in this episode

Guest: Ricardo Kaljouw

Topics covered

• volcanoes
• adventure
• resilience
• travel
• exploration

Keywords

• volcanic summits
• adventure travel
• climbing
• resilience
• extreme weather

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: A Million Steps on Lava: Climbing the Highest Volcano on Each Continent

Places: Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Antarctica, Rwanda, Iran, Mount Damavand, Papua New Guinea, Ojos del Salado, Chile, Mount Sidley

More episodes of Armchair Explorer

• LONELY PLANET: Beneath an Auroral Sky - Sailing Norway's Arctic Coast · June 12, 2026 · 41 min
• Life in the Deep Blue: Diving the World’s Oceans with Author and Photographer Pier Nirandara · June 8, 2026 · 27 min
• ADVENTURE: Kayak the Kwanza: the World-Record Paddle Down Angola’s Longest River · May 22, 2026 · 45 min
• IMMERSION: Hog Heaven - On Location at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally · May 14, 2026 · 30 min
• DISCOVER: Into the Wild - A Road Trip Through Australia's Northern Territory · May 8, 2026 · 45 min
• BUCKET LIST: The River Nevis Race - Scotland’s Extreme White-water Pool Floatie Race · May 2, 2026 · 18 min