Inside a volcano called ‘Thrihnukagigur’
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.