Iceland’s volcanoes

This volcano erupted dramatically in 2021 and 2022, and released large magma fountains and lava flows. The main flows have now slowed, but you can still see the leftover lava fields. There is a large car park near the site, from where it’s a hike of about 2.5km to the viewpoint.

This notorious volcano brought Iceland’s air traffic to an abrupt halt when it blew its top in 2010, sending huge age clouds up into the atmosphere. The volcano is concealed beneath a huge ice cap that’s clearly visible as you drive along the south coast towards Skaftafell. If you want to get closer, you’ll need to arrange a guided snowmobile tour.

One of Iceland’s most active volcanoes, this snow-topped, photogenic monster is Iceland’s answer to Mount Fuji. A 4×4 can get you to the base, then you follow a trail that leads right up onto the crater’s rim. It’s currently considered dangerous due to the probability of an imminent eruption, so only go with a local guide. A 90-minute drive from Reykjavik.

A hiking trail leads along the rim of this 300m-wide volcanic crater (whose name means ‘hell’ in Icelandic), created in 1724 by a powerful eruption, and now filled by a china-blue pool.

Way off the beaten track in the central Highlands, Askja makes for an adventurous trip via 4×4, and is only accessible between May and September due to snowfall. It’s a long, bumpy detour of more than 80km from the Ring Road, followed by a strenuous hike. Guided tours can be arranged from Arnarnes.

A once-in-a-lifetime experience: the chance to travel down inside a dormant volcano, the only place in the world that it’s possible to do so.

It combines a 3km hike (around 45 mins each way) and a cave tour: the volcano is accessed via an elevator that descends into the volcano’s underground chambers. If you’re feeling flush, you can skip the hiking part with a helicopter trip.

The volcano hasn’t erupted in the last 4,000 years, but it’s still an unnerving experience as you descend on the elevator into its inky depths, like descending into the Icelandic underworld. The main chamber is just over 120m deep: the molten magma that once filled it is thought to have drained away, leaving behind a cavernous, cathedral-like space.