Inside the Volcano
Minimum age
8 years old
Duration
5 hours
Difficulty
Moderate
Location
Reykjavík
Included
Pick-up and drop-off, Professional travel guide, All safety gear.
What to bring
Hiking boots, Dress according to the weather, Gloves
Ever wondered what a volcano looks like on the inside? This unique volcano tour takes you literally inside a dormant volcano, through the top crater and to the bottom of its magma chamber, once filled with steaming hot lava.
The dormant Þríhnúkagígur volcano is a unique natural phenomenon. By setting up the necessary gear and equipment, we’ve created a tour that opens the door to a new world.
To be able to experience this wonder, all you need is the willingness to do a moderate 45–50 minute hike (to get to the crater) and the guts to descend 120 meters/400 feet to the bottom of the crater in an open cable lift. The hike to the volcano is an integral part of the tour, not only because of the breathtaking scenery, but also because it’s one of only two ways of getting to the base of the volcano. The other option is to use a helicopter.
Tour Facts
- Operation dates: From May 10 – October 20
- Tour departures: Several departures every day. The first tour is at 8:00 and the last tour is in the afternoon.
- Duration: 5–6 hours including pickup and drop-off (about 40 minutes are spent inside the crater). It takes about 4 hours when people drive themselves to the meeting point.
- Fitness level needed: Moderate (the level of difficulty is 2 out of 5). No knowledge of hiking or climbing is required. It’s not a steep uphill walk, but the surface is uneven in places. The last 10 minutes of the hike are the more challenging, with an elevation of around 50 m/150 ft. This is NOT a tour for those in limited physical shape.
- Distance walked: Approximately 3.5 km (2 miles) each way. The walk usually takes around 45–50 minutes (depending on the condition of people in the group). A guide will be with you at all times during the walk.
- Minimum age limit: 8 years old. Children (8-years-old and older) that are able to hike 2 times 3.5 kilometers, even in bad weather, are welcome to join the tour. It is essential that they are dressed appropriately for the tour. The price for children that are 8-12 is 23,500 ISK. Note that we cannot make a refund if it turns out that your child is not able to finish the hike.
- Price: ISK 47,000 for adults and 23,500 ISK for children (8-12 years od).
Itinerary
This is the perfect family day in Reykjavík! In this combo tour you’ll get to go whale watching and visit the Whales of Iceland exhibition. Allowing you to see these beautiful animals in the wild and then see full-scale models of them to get an idea of just how big they actually are. You can choose to start with whale watching, or with a a trip to the Whales of Iceland Exhibition.
Set sail on board a Classic or Express Whale Watching tour to see the whales in their natural habitat. We head out to the feeding grounds in Faxaflói Bay where we search for commonly spotted whales like humpback whales, minke whales, white-beaked dolphins and harbour porpoises. It is sometimes difficult to realize how huge these animals are when you see them in the water, which is why we recommend stopping by Whales of Iceland Exhibition on the other side of the harbour. Here you can get a good idea of how small we humans are compared to the ocean wildlife. At the largest whale exhibition in Europe all 23 species that can be found in the surroundings of Iceland in real size are shown and you learn lot of interesting facts about the whales and their history.
Please note: You only need to select a departure time for the whale watching tour, and not for the exhibition. The ticket for the exhibition is an open ticket, meaning you can simply choose when you want to go. This does not have to be the same day as your whale watching tour. Both Whale Watching Classic and Whale Watching Express apply for this tour.
There are daily guided tours in English at Whales of Iceland at 11:00 and 15:00, open to anyone with a ticket to the exhibition at no extra cost. The film Sonic Sea (60 minutes) is shown daily at 10:30, 12:15, 14:00, and 15:45.
NEW
Special Tours Iceland app with 5 languages (English, German, French, Spanish and simplified Chinese) available for Android and Apple. It is available for all clients to download during their tour, with both text and audio information. The app will is as close to an audio guided wildlife adventure as possible
Included / What to bring
Included
- Pick-up at your hotel in Reykjavík.
- All safety gear, helmets, harnesses, etc.
- Small groups, plenty of guides = personal experience.
- Volcano tour of a lifetime.
- Traditional Icelandic meat soup, coffee/tea and perhaps some sweets as well. We also serve vegetarian soup.
- Free Cancelations (min 24-hour notice). See terms & conditions.
- Transfer back to your hotel in Reykjavík.
What to bring
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Good shoes – We recommend wearing hiking boots on the tour since the trail is rocky and can get wet and muddy on a rainy day.
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Outdoor clothing. The weather in the mountains can be very different from the conditions in the city. It’s important for guests to realize that the weather is very unpredictable, and you should definitely bring warm, rainproof clothes with you, even if the weather in Reykjavík is nice and the forecast looks good. Not least because it’s always the same temperature inside the crater – about 3°C (37°F). That’s cold!
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A camera. You will want to remember this trip. Yes, you can take as many pictures as you want!
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A good spirit. This tour is all about having fun.
Meeting Point
Using the complimentary pickup
Recognizing the bus:
Gray Line Iceland operates the pickup, so please look out for one of their buses. Usually, it will not say ‘Inside the Volcano’ on the bus.
Pickup locations:
We have a large collection of pickup locations within the capital area. This includes most hotels in Reykjavík. You can see all of our pickup locations on the booking site.
IMPORTANT for downtown Reykjavík:
Note that the pickup locations in downtown Reykjavík are at special bus stops, NOT at the hotels. You can see the closest bus stop to your location on this website, run by the government.
Pickup time:
The pickup starts 30 minutes before the set time of the tour. Please make sure to be ready at that time at your pickup location. If you’re being picked up from your hotel, it’s important that you’re located somewhere where you can see the bus arriving. The driver is not required to look for guests in the lobby.
Self-driving
Where is the meeting point?
The meeting point is at a ski cabin, located in Bláfjöll (the Blue Mountains). It takes about 30 minutes to drive there from Reykjavík. The name of the cabin is Breiðabliksskáli. Please do not take the route that goes via Hafnarfjörður (road nr. 417) as it’s permanently closed. Instead take road nr. 1 (the ring road) that then turns onto road number nr. 417. Please find more instructions further below.
When to be there?
Those who drive themselves to the meeting point have to be there 30 minutes past the set departure time. That’s because 30 minutes past is when the bus will arrive from Reykjavík. For example, if you booked the 08:00 tour, you have to be at the meeting point at 08:30.
How can I find it on the map?
We recommend using Google Maps. You simply type in ‘Inside the Volcano – Meeting Point’. Please make sure that you go to the meeting point, instead of attempting to drive directly to the volcano itself.
The GPS coordinates for the meeting point are: N 63.982815, W -21.652749.
Please note
Minimum age: 8 years old
The tour includes hiking across an uneven ground. The distance each way is approximately 3.5 km, and takes around 45 minutes. Hiking boots are required. The weather can be severe, so dress appropriately.
Cancellation policy
- We will charge a cancellation fee of 100% if booking is cancelled 1 day or less before the event
BOOK NOW
Operation dates: From May 10 – October 20
Price:
- Adults 47,000 ISK
- Children (8-12 y/o) 23,500 ISK
Tour departures:
- 8:00
- 10:00
- 12:00
- 14:00
This tour can be added to our Family Itinerary!
Check out our Family itineraries and let us help you create the perfect family holiday in Iceland! Please contact me if you have any questions or need help with the planning!

Have any questions?
If you have any questions or a special request we are here to help!