Although dormant for more than 4.000 years, Þríhnjúkagígur offers a unique experience for travellers wanting to see a volcano from the inside. Open for the first time in 2012, visitors descend into the dried out magma chamber via cable car.
Þríhnjúkagígur is a dormant volcano near Reykjavík, Iceland. The volcano covers a 3.270 square meters (35,200 sq ft) area and a depth of 213 meters (699 ft). It has not erupted since the second century BC. The chamber was discovered in 1974 by cave explorer Árni B Stefánsson, and opened for tourism in 2012. It is the only volcano in the world where visitors can take an elevator into a magma chamber. Scientists believe that the magma that would normally fill the chamber and become sealed instead drained away. This revealed the rift beneath the surface.
The beauty of the crater mostly consists in its various colours found and its enormous – and to some extent intimidating – size. To put it in context, the ground space is equivalent to almost three full-sized basketball courts planted next to each other. It is so high that the Statue of Liberty could easily fit into the chamber. So, make no mistake – it’s huge!
Visiting Þríhnjúkagígur cave
Caving in Þríhnjúkagígur is not for those who are in bad physical shape. First of all, you will need to hike for 3km (1.86 miles)to get to the cave, and although it requires no hiking or climbing experience, the surface inside the cave is partly uneven. However, if these factors don’t bother you, no doubt going spelunking in Þríhnjúkagígur will be an experience of a lifetime.
How to get to Þríhnjúkagígur ?
There is no other way to witness Þríhnjúkagígur than by a guided tour, which will then also provide you with transportation to the area. However, if you opt to drive there yourself, you can use the following GPS coordinations to get to the parking lot.
GPS: 63.98502 N, -21.649949 W
