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Thrihnukagigur Volcano Tour

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Must Visit City
Reykjavík
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Descend into the vast and vibrant magma chamber of a dormant volcano. Iceland is the only place in the world where a tour like this exists, so do not miss your opportunity. This trip will begin . .
Country: Iceland
City: Reykjavík
Duration: 6 Hour(s) - 0 Minute(s)
Tour Category: Caving
Package Itinerary

Descend into the vast and vibrant magma chamber of a dormant volcano. Iceland is the only place in the world where a tour like this exists, so do not miss your opportunity.

This trip will begin when you are picked up from Reykjavík and taken to the Blue Mountains Country Park, Bláfjöll, which sits just on the outskirts of the capital area. From here, it is just a 3.2 kilometre (two mile) hike to Þríhnúkagígur volcano, where you will descend into the volcano itself.

Once you reach the crater, you will find an opening and an elevator crane. After being equipped with a helmet and harness, you will enter the lift's basket and begin your descent. Nowhere else in the world can you enter a magma chamber this way, which is part of what makes this tour so unique and worthwhile. This lift journey toward the centre of the earth covers 198 metres and takes about six minutes.

During your slow descent, the beauty of the magma chamber will become instantly apparent. Intense heat and pressure from Þríhnúkagígur’s most recent eruption, over four thousand years ago, gave the rocks an incredible colouration and texture. Expect to see smooth walls and bizarre formations in yellows, blues, reds, violets and oranges, so vibrant that it’s difficult to believe that they could be natural.

It is not just the beauty of the space that will awe you; it is also the sheer scale of it. To give some perspective on the size of the chamber, enormous monuments such as the Statue of Liberty and Reykjavík’s iconic Hallgrímskirkja church could easily fit inside it. The ground within the chamber is large enough to fit three basketball fields. 

Once your descent down the chamber is complete, your guide will let you out of the elevator, and you can explore for half an hour on the ground of the volcano. You will want your camera on hand, as everything, from the blades of light falling from overhead to the most minute details of the lava rock, is worthy of a photograph. 

Remember as you explore that it is only by a strange, unexpected geological process that this tour is even possible; when a volcano becomes dormant, the magma chamber usually cools and solidifies, yet for some reason in Þríhnúkagígur, it drained away, leaving behind this unimaginably beautiful space.

After your exploration, you will return to the elevator for a gentle ascent, back into the bright, open world. Once you reach the surface, you will have a meal of Icelandic meat soup waiting for you, along with hot beverages and snacks, which you can enjoy before hiking back to the van.

This experience is truly once-in-a-lifetime; descend into a dormant volcano to explore its stunning magma chamber. Do not let this opportunity pass you by.

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