JUST 30 MINUTES by car from Reykjavík and then around 45 minutes on foot lies one of Iceland’s most inspiring places. In the summer of 2012 CNN put it on its list of 27 ‘must-sees on this incredible planet.’ Incidentally, until 2012 this place was completely out of reach for all but the most seasoned mountain climbers and daredevils.
The place in question is the volcanic crater Þríhnjúkagígur, a 4,000-year-old volcano with a magnificent bottle-shaped dome where the Statue of Liberty could stand in all its grandeur.
The Þríhnjúkagígur crater is close to the mountain range Bláfjöll, where the capital region’s ski resort lies. It was first explored in 1972, when cave expeditioner Árni B. Stefánsson was roped down with a single lamp mounted to his helmet. Many years later this unique work of nature became a legend among Iceland’s mountaineers and cave explorers who were up to the task of lowering themselves down the small black opening, through the bottle neck and all the 120 meters to the bottom of the dome.
In June 2012, tourists were given the opportunity to partake in such an expedition for the first time, with the Inside the Volcano tour, run by the tour operator 3H Travel. A specialized lift was installed and travelers were lowered into the crater. The company’s managing director Björn Ólafsson calls the crater a ‘diamond in the rough’ and believes it has the potential to become as big an attraction as the Blue Lagoon, Iceland’s top tourist destination along with the erupting hot spring Geysir and Gullfoss waterfall.
A Very Special Place
After an eruption the magma chamber of a volcano usually fills up and is sealed with hard cold lava. However, Þríhnjúkagígur’s magma chamber is empty, which is what makes it so spectacular. This is one of few places on planet earth where you can explore the heart of a volcano.
In the words of world-renowned volcanologist Haraldur Sigurðsson: “It’s like somebody came and pulled the plug and all the magma ran down out of it.”
What makes Þríhnjúkagífgur crater unique is how accessible it is. Currently, only a limited number of people can enter the crater at the same time. However, there are ideas of drilling a 400-meter long tunnel into the crater for tourism purposes. This has been the vision of Árni for many years and the company behind Inside the Volcano is striving to make it happen.
Magnificent colours The small bright spot at the top of the photo is the surface entrance. The lift carrying the explorers is descending into the dome after travelling through the narrow bottle neck of the crater. Photo/Vilhelm Gunnarsson
The company is planning to construct a road to the roots of the volcano where a parking lot will be made, along with a tourist reception built into a lava wall so that it won’t stand out in the landscape. The tunnel into the crater would lead through the reception.
Balcony with a View
Cave expeditioner Árni, Þríhhnjúkagígur's first explorer, has fought a long battle for the preservation of caves in the Bláfjöll area.
He maintains that opening Þríhhnjúkagígur to travelers would help protect it and has been quoted as saying: “Preservation isn’t about not doing anything. Preservation lies in doing something strategically.”
The project is estimated to cost ISK 1.5-2.0 billion (USD 13-17 million, EUR 9-13 million). Further developments are pending on planning permissions.
This could be the future There are ideas of drilling 400-meter long tunnel into the crater to allow visitors to experience the volcano from within. The picture is from the proposal of companies Gagarin, Batteriid Architects and Landslag which formed a design group which shared the first prize in a design competition for the project.The hole into the crater would only be one thousandth of its wall space. Inside there are plans to build a small balcony which would serve as the main viewing area. The tunnel would lead to the balcony and, for those who can handle the climb, a long, steep staircase from the balcony to the bottom of the crater.
Operation dates May 15 – September 30 (ongoing tours all days within that period).
Tour departures 8, 10, 12 & 14. From June 1 – August 31 there is also a tour at 16.
Duration 5–6 hours (about 35-40 minutes inside the volcano).
Fitness level Moderate (the difficulty is 2 out of a possible 5)
See more and book your trip on insidethevolcano.com
Þríhnjúkagígur is a 4,000-year-old volcano by the mountain range Bláfjöll close to Reykjav’k. Its highly unusual empty magma chamber makes it possible to explore the heart of the volcano from the inside.
JUST 30 MINUTES by car from Reykjavík and then around 45 minutes on foot lies one of Iceland’s most inspiring places. In the summer of 2012 CNN put it on its list of 27 ‘must-sees on this incredible planet.’ Incidentally, until 2012 this place was completely out of reach for all but the most seasoned mountain climbers and daredevils.
The place in question is the volcanic crater Þríhnjúkagígur, a 4,000-year-old volcano with a magnificent bottle-shaped dome where the Statue of Liberty could stand in all its grandeur.
The Þríhnjúkagígur crater is close to the mountain range Bláfjöll, where the capital region’s ski resort lies. It was first explored in 1972, when cave expeditioner Árni B. Stefánsson was roped down with a single lamp mounted to his helmet. Many years later this unique work of nature became a legend among Iceland’s mountaineers and cave explorers who were up to the task of lowering themselves down the small black opening, through the bottle neck and all the 120 meters to the bottom of the dome.
In June 2012, tourists were given the opportunity to partake in such an expedition for the first time, with the Inside the Volcano tour, run by the tour operator 3H Travel. A specialized lift was installed and travelers were lowered into the crater. The company’s managing director Björn Ólafsson calls the crater a ‘diamond in the rough’ and believes it has the potential to become as big an attraction as the Blue Lagoon, Iceland’s top tourist destination along with the erupting hot spring Geysir and Gullfoss waterfall.
A Very Special Place
After an eruption the magma chamber of a volcano usually fills up and is sealed with hard cold lava. However, Þríhnjúkagígur’s magma chamber is empty, which is what makes it so spectacular. This is one of few places on planet earth where you can explore the heart of a volcano.
In the words of world-renowned volcanologist Haraldur Sigurðsson: “It’s like somebody came and pulled the plug and all the magma ran down out of it.”
What makes Þríhnjúkagífgur crater unique is how accessible it is. Currently, only a limited number of people can enter the crater at the same time. However, there are ideas of drilling a 400-meter long tunnel into the crater for tourism purposes. This has been the vision of Árni for many years and the company behind Inside the Volcano is striving to make it happen.
Magnificent colours The small bright spot at the top of the photo is the surface entrance. The lift carrying the explorers is descending into the dome after travelling through the narrow bottle neck of the crater. Photo/Vilhelm Gunnarsson
The company is planning to construct a road to the roots of the volcano where a parking lot will be made, along with a tourist reception built into a lava wall so that it won’t stand out in the landscape. The tunnel into the crater would lead through the reception.
Balcony with a View
Cave expeditioner Árni, Þríhhnjúkagígur's first explorer, has fought a long battle for the preservation of caves in the Bláfjöll area.
He maintains that opening Þríhhnjúkagígur to travelers would help protect it and has been quoted as saying: “Preservation isn’t about not doing anything. Preservation lies in doing something strategically.”
The project is estimated to cost ISK 1.5-2.0 billion (USD 13-17 million, EUR 9-13 million). Further developments are pending on planning permissions.
This could be the future There are ideas of drilling 400-meter long tunnel into the crater to allow visitors to experience the volcano from within. The picture is from the proposal of companies Gagarin, Batteriid Architects and Landslag which formed a design group which shared the first prize in a design competition for the project.The hole into the crater would only be one thousandth of its wall space. Inside there are plans to build a small balcony which would serve as the main viewing area. The tunnel would lead to the balcony and, for those who can handle the climb, a long, steep staircase from the balcony to the bottom of the crater.
Operation dates May 15 – September 30 (ongoing tours all days within that period).
Tour departures 8, 10, 12 & 14. From June 1 – August 31 there is also a tour at 16.
Duration 5–6 hours (about 35-40 minutes inside the volcano).
Fitness level Moderate (the difficulty is 2 out of a possible 5)
See more and book your trip on insidethevolcano.com
