While planning for the activities to do in Reykjavik, I stumbled upon a tour where I could go inside a volcano called Thrihnukagigur. ‘How cool is that!’ I thought and I immediately booked the tour, without thinking for a second. And it is one of the most beautiful adventures I have ever done.
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About the Thrihnukagigur volcano
Thrihnukagigur, literally translates to “Three peaks crater”. The volcano was discovered in the year 1974 and is the only volcano in the World where visitors are allowed to take an elevator into a magma chamber.
Tour details
The name of the tour that organises the tour is called “Inside the volcano”. I booked the tour with the help of my hostel accommodation staff at the reception but one can also book the tour on the website. The booking process was quite easy and it costed 42000 ISK which is approximately 400 USD.
My experience of the tour
On the day of the tour, I was picked up from my accommodation (hostel) in Reykjavik and was driven to a meeting point, where the actual tour would start. The drive was about an hour from the city centre.
The duration of the tour was about 5 – 6 hours and it was divided into two parts:
Part 1: The hike
The hike is from the meeting point to the base camp of the volcano. It is through the beautiful lava fields and the distance is about 3 kilometers each way (40-50 minutes each way). The hike requires a moderate level of fitness as the last 10 minutes of the hike is very challenging with an elevation of around 350 ft.
On the day of my tour, the weather was very bad. The weather was freezing cold and it was constantly raining with the wind gushing at 35 kms/hour.
Part 2: The tour of the volcano
At the base camp of the volcano, we were provided with the harness and the helmet. From the base camp, we were escorted to the top of the crater. There was an open cable lift waiting for us to be taken down inside the magma chamber. The descend was about 120 meters. This was the most exciting part of the entire tour. The colours of the chamber were amazingly beautiful.
Inside the volcano, we spent half an hour, which was a good amount of time to take pictures. The highlight of the chamber was the discoloured rock that looked like an evil eye.
The staff and the tour guides were extremely knowledgeable and patient. They answered and explained each and every aspect of the volcano. Many thanks to the staff for working during extreme bad weather, with smiling faces.
Safety for solo female travelers
This tour is extremely safe for solo female travelers. I traveled solo and felt very safe. The tour agency was very organised and the safety was the number one priority for the staff. I did not have any issues and in fact loved it. The only thing that I would say is be a bit cautious of the weather and be prepared for heavy rains and strong winds. When I visited the volcano, it was raining constantly and it was extremely cold.
Closing Notes
It was indeed a memorable experience and was totally worth every penny I spent. I would definitely recommend this tour as one of the must-do bucket list items for every traveller and adventure seeker. It is a unique and one of it kinds activity that can be done only in Iceland. And everyone visiting Iceland must have this on their list of things to do.
Iceland never seizes to amaze me! I went for the first time this year, but only had a few days to explore. There is so much more to see and thanks to your post, going inside a volcano is now on my list of things to do for my next visit 🙂
Yes Iceland is truly a beautiful country. You should definitely do the volcano, it’s just so amazing.
Wow~ What a fun experience! Looks like a fun way to spend 5-6 hours.
Yes Sara it was an amazing experience!
What an amazing experience! to go inside a volcano and see all these incredible colors! I want to do it! thanks for sharing.
I am glad you liked it. Thanks a lot. And yes you should try to do it if you can.
Wow, I’d love to experience something like this! My list of things to do in Iceland is constantly growing, hopefully I’ll get to visit very soon! Thanks for sharing 🙂
You should definitely do this. It’s one of the amazing experiences I have had.
This is gorgeous!! I’m going to Iceland next year and this has made the list of must-dos!!
Lovely! I will look forward to hearing your experience.
How cool! I bet this was so interesting!
Yes it was an amazing experience.
Oh, I wasnt aware that there is a volcano in Iceland. I have seen one in Japan from upclose and man it was one experience to remember
I had great fun reading about your experience, the closest i have come to a volcano is watching a small live volcano after a long trek in Andamans ; but this is something else & it fascinates me. Would note in to visit list
Thanks for sharing your experience with us. I never heard about this island. I personally would love to visit this place and $400 is not so much expensive
It is so beautiful, till now it was not even on my to be visisted place. Great explore.
Hiking is not at all my forte neither interest coz I get quickly exhausted. I wish to work on this. No more excuse.
But bravo to u for completing the hike esp as u mentioned the last challenging part requires fitness.
I’ve been to am active volcano point in Andaman island. It was small n we could see the it bubbling as if water is boiling. But now you have shared such a wonderful experience of yours that i have to do it when the time is right.
Stepping inside a volcano is a once in a lifetime experience. Thanks for detailed post about it.
Wow, this is such a breathtaking place to be in Iceland. You are so lucky to experience rhis mesmerising natural beauty.
I have done something very similar in Korea. Going inside a volcano is so much fun. I remember initially being freaked out at the idea of going inside one and then later realizing what I had been missing. I’m glad you also got a chance to do that, in a different country though!