Description - What to expect

Fagradalsfjall Volcano Tour Itinerary



Your Fagradalsfjall Volcano guided tour starts with a convenient pick-up from your accommodation or a designated meeting point. With everyone on board a comfortable minibus, you will depart from the capital, and begin an exciting road trip in the company of an experienced, and knowledgeable tour guide.



◾ Lake Kleifarvatn

(Depending on the duration of the volcano hike, we may skip this stop)

Your first stop of the day is at Lake Kleifarvatn, the biggest lake in the volcanic Reykjanes Peninsula. The lake is surrounded by fascinating geological features such as palagonite and sandstone mountains, formed in ancient subglacial volcanic eruptions. The lake is rimmed with black basalt beaches and beautiful rock formations sculpted by the weather elements throughout the centuries.



◾ Seltún Geothermal Area

(Depending on the duration of the volcano hike, we may skip this stop)

Next stop is at Seltún, where you can view the effect that geothermal waters can have on an environment. Here one can walk along wooden paths winding between boiling and hissing mud pools and streams of natural hot water flowing over the colorful ground and rock.



◾ Meradalir Volcano

Visit the highlight of this tour! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get up close to a volcano eruption site. Normally volcanic eruptions in Iceland occur in very remote and difficult-to-reach locations. In the same area as the 2021 Fagradalsfjall eruption, the hike to Meradalir is longer with 3-4 hours of hiking and 14km covered in the round trip. Much effort has been made to improve the hiking trails and make the volcano more accessible for all.



Your guide will take you to the nearest viewing point for the best view of the newly made lava field. At times lava has shot many hundreds of meters in the air and has been visible over the mountains in Reykjavík, 50 km to the north. Once it is expelled from the crater the lava flows down the valley adding to the immense mass of the newly formed lava fields. Even if you happen to visit the site on a less active day, you cannot fail to be impressed by the sheer scale and landscape-changing power of this eruption.



◾ Gunnuhver Hot-springs

Next continue to Gunnuhver hot-springs, the centerpiece of the UNESCO Global Geopark. This protected geothermal area is highly active, with steam vents and mud pools dotting the landscape. Iceland's largest mud pool is located here and measures 20m in diameter.



◾ Reykjanesviti Lighthouse and Coastal Features

Continue to the majestic Reykjanesviti lighthouse. Dating from the early 20th century, this popular lighthouse has guided ships for over a century with its light a shining beacon at a height of 63m above sea level. Situated on Bæjarfell hill, the lighthouse is popular with amateur photographers and is also a good place to take in the breathtaking coastal features.



Here you can also admire Valhnúkamöl boulder ridge, sea cliffs, sea stacks, and skerries which are a haven and nesting ground for sea birds of all descriptions. Eldey Island in the distance is home to the world´s largest Northern Gannet colony, with over 16,000 breeding pairs. These coastal features are under constant attack by the furious waves of the North Atlantic Ocean.



◾ The Bridge between Continents

Your last stop of the day is the Bridge between Continents. After witnessing the effects of seismic activity over the course of this day, here is an opportunity to visualize the root cause of all the wonders you have seen. Reykjanes peninsula lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where two major tectonic plates are moving apart from one another, the gap increasing by a few centimeters each year.