Covering an area of 103,000 square kilometers, Iceland is the second-largest island in Europe. The entire island was formed from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where, ages ago, the rift between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates triggered intense and prolonged volcanic activity. The solidified magma gave rise to a new landmass that emerged above sea level. Iceland is one of the younger land formations on Earth and, aside from New Zealand, the last major island to be settled by humans. Thus, whether viewed from a geological or human history perspective, this country represents a relatively new chapter on the planet.
Iceland boasts the highest density of volcanoes in the world, with approximately 200 to 300, many of which remain active. Among these, the Thrihnukagigur Volcano stands out as the only volcano on Earth where you can descend directly from the crater to the magma chamber. Its uniqueness lies in a volcanic eruption that occurred 4,000 years ago—instead of lava flowing out of the crater, it remained inside the magma chamber. The solidified lava not only failed to block the opening but also created stunningly colorful walls. Now dormant, who knows when it will erupt again?
A local tour operator, Inside the Volcano, caters to adventurous travelers eager to explore the depths of a volcano, offering a tour priced at ISK 42,000 (approximately HKD 2,800) that unveils the secrets of the Earth’s core, 120 meters below the surface.
The tour operates only from June to October each year, with five departures daily. It includes hotel pickup from Reykjavik, though self-drive travelers like us could go directly to the meeting point. The volcano is located within Thingvellir National Park on the famed Golden Circle route, with the exact location available on the official website.
The meeting point was a small wooden cabin, where we donned windproof suits before following the staff on our grand march toward the mountain peak.
By the way, the staff didn’t ask any personal details from the self-drive travelers, which just goes to show how much trust and integrity is part of Icelandic culture, lol.
Coincidentally, a National Geographic team was there covering the tour too. We signed consent forms (mostly capturing our backs, haha) agreeing to appear on camera XD.
Gazing across the vast volcanic landscape, with snow-capped peaks visible in the distance, the scenery was so breathtaking that I felt the expensive tour fee was already worth it even before reaching the volcano. (If only the wind weren’t so strong and the temperature a bit warmer!)
After a half-hour hike, we reached a small hut at the mountaintop, where we geared up with more comprehensive expedition equipment.
There was even a makeshift metal toilet for emergencies.
Probably distracted by the sights, I tripped on the uneven volcanic rock path, and the jagged stones scraped my knees painfully.
A staff member gave me a first aid kit, though he didn’t seem to know how to use it either—so I just fumbled with it myself, lol.
Since the lift into the magma chamber can only accommodate six people at a time, the staff divided us into smaller groups. That’s the lift right there. It takes about six minutes to descend 120 meters to the bottom of the volcano—big enough to fit the entire Statue of Liberty inside. Doesn’t it look super nerve-wracking?
At first, I gripped the railing tightly, feeling nervous, but soon realized the lift was quite stable—I could even take selfies XD.
It was surprising to see how colorful the walls became after the magma solidified.
Volcanic rocks contain various minerals—the red hues indicate higher iron content, brighter colors mean more silica, while duller tones signify basalt rich in iron and magnesium.
The busy National Geographic film crew.
The guide explained that while there are other magma chambers in Iceland accessible through narrow fissures, this is the only volcano in the world where you can enter directly from the crater—truly one of a kind.
The magma chamber isn’t very large, and the guide allotted around 30–40 minutes for chatting, taking photos, listening to the explanations, and slowly walking around—just enough time to take it all in.
Normally, you’d head back down the same mountain path to conclude the tour.
But that day, we encountered strong winds. In fact, even when we were about to board the lift at the crater’s edge, it felt like one wrong move could send you tumbling down the mountainside. After spending two hours underground in total, the weather turned even worse—we were hit with rain.
This was the wind strength halfway down the mountain—the peak conditions were too extreme to capture on camera.
The staff said all later tours had been canceled due to the weather, leaving only our group still at the cabin near the volcano’s rim. They had to figure out a way to get us down... “So, just hang tight for a moment—we need to have a meeting,” the staff said.
There was also a 7-year-old Swedish girl in our group. Remembering the fierce winds when exiting the crater (and the fact that the descent path had no railings), she was absolutely terrified, crying uncontrollably—it was truly heartbreaking.
The winds during the descent had escalated from potentially rolling down the mountainside to actually tumbling down uncontrollably. To be honest, this experience ranks as the second-closest call to death for her, lol. Her first was at age 18, riding a horse in Mongolia. She thought it would be cool, but the horse had been trained to gallop at high speed along a certain route in the grassland—no matter what she did, she couldn’t control its pace, just holding onto the reins.
In the end, the staff decided to lead us downwind along an undeveloped, unpaved path. Clutching hands for stability and bracing against the gusts, we trudged carefully across the soft volcanic mud, step by step, toward the mountainside.
When we neared the safer mountainside, we paused to take a commemorative photo XD.
Whew, we made it!!!!
The travel agency must have misjudged the weather conditions to leave us in this situation... But if they had canceled the activity for safety reasons, I might have missed the chance to step inside a volcano for the rest of my life. All in all, I’m still pretty grateful, hehe.
Once you're at the land of fire and ice, how can you not pay homage to a volcano? "There's no other volcano in the world worth visiting more than Thrihnukagigur Volcano—no need to waste money on any others, how thrifty." (irischung, 2016)
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Inside the Volcano official site: www.insidethevolcano.com