Volcano

The Volcano is the eighth world of Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. It can be accessed after defeating Colonel Pluck and his Stompybot 3000. It is an active volcano located on Donkey Kong Island. During the events of the game, it is infested by members of the Tiki Tak Tribe, who have stolen Donkey Kong's and Diddy Kong's banana hoard. This world is also home to the Tiki Tak Tribe's leader and the game's final boss, Tiki Tong.

The Volcano is a very dangerous world, and as its name implies, it takes place in a volcanic area. It features many new elements not seen in the game's previous worlds, such as lava that will instantly take out the Kongs and fireballs that move in a set pattern. There are structures that sink into the lava when stepped on and platforms that appear for a set period, then sink back into the lava. This area also brings back many elements from the past worlds, such as turf, minecarts, Rocket Barrels, vines, and even Rambi. The levels in this world are all diverse and use different mechanics.

The enemies in this world are mainly flammable enemies like Tiki Torches, Tiki Bombers, Char-Chars, and Flaming Tiki Buzzes.

The Volcano appears to be the mountainous counterpart to Gorilla Glacier from Donkey Kong Country. When asked if they were the same region, senior designer Kynan Pearson approved of the idea.

In Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its Nintendo Switch port, the penultimate level Meltdown Mayhem takes place inside the volcano. This time, the place appears to be frozen, while lava is still intact.

Extras
The following is extra content that can be unlocked in the Volcano area. The unlockables can be seen in their respective galleries after selecting the "EXTRAS" option in a file's menu. For a full list of extras in the game, see here.

Images
Images are unlocked by collecting all Puzzle Pieces in certain levels. All images that can be unlocked in the Volcano area are listed below, along with their titles and the levels wherein they can be unlocked (mentioned in parentheses).

Music
A soundtrack selection for this world can be unlocked after beating Tiki Tong.
 * "Burnin' Bop" – plays in Furious Fire, Bobbing Basalt, Moving Melters, and Red Red Rising. Also plays in Lavawheel Volcano, a level in the Cloud world.
 * "Red Rockin' " – plays in Tiki Tong Terror.
 * "Lava Blitz" – plays in Roasting Rails.
 * "Tiki Tong Song" – plays in Tiki Tong Terror.