Eldborg is a perfectly symmetrical, oblong crater about 200 metres (656 feet) long. This crater created the surrounding lava fields in an eruption about 5.000 to 6.000 years ago.
The crater is 50 metres (164 feet) deep, 200 metres (656) long and 180 metres (591 feet) wide. The crater’s name means “Fortress of Fire,” a very fitting name indeed. Interestingly, one of the performance halls in Reykjavik’s Harpa concert hall is named after Eldborg crater.
Visitors find it easiest to approach Eldborg from Snorrastaðir farm on the crater’s southern side. A marked hiking path leads 2,5 km (1,6 miles) through a shrub-covered lava field. Actually, you can walk all the way around the crater, as well as to the top of the crater. The hike takes an hour or so.
Eldborg is a magnificent site, and not just for those interested in geography or volcanoes. It definitely makes for a great photograph, especially with the great Snæfellsjökull glacier in the background. Eldborg has been a protected area in Iceland since 1974.
How to get to Eldborg
The crater is a perfect stop on a visit to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. The crater is about a two-hour drive from Reykjavik. The Ring Road 1 and then Road 54 lead to the crater.
