Have you ever wondered how the volcano looks like from the inside? Look no further! Here is the answer to all your questions.
Inside the Volcano? How is it even possible?
I am glad you asked. Thrihnukagigur in Iceland is the only active (ok, dormant…) volcano on Earth that you can visit from inside. It is a geological phenomenon of a volcano with an empty magma chamber. The magma of the volcano seems to disappear, just as if someoneΒ had pulled out the plug, letting all the magma run down out of the chamber.
Usually, after the eruption, the volcano crater is closed by cooling and hardening lava. But not in this case! Thinkunagivur erupted 4000 years ago leaving the 4×4 m entrance to the crater open. And guess what? That is just enough to build a lift and go venture inside! Where no humans been before!
Ok but is it safe?
If you are stillΒ quite skeptic of an idea of going inside the volcano in the one of the most volcanic active region on Earth, I can assure you that Thrihnukagigur has last erupted 4000 years ago and there are no indication that it will erupt again soon. Also, there are hundreds of professionals in Iceland monitoring the earth’s crust. Believe me, the risk is minimal.
The Experience
Let’s keep the safety issues aside and talk pleasure. The trip is organized during the summer months (mid-May until mid-October) by 3H Travel and even though the tour is quite pricey, it gets filled quickly. So book your spot in advance – you won’t regret!
As we didn’t know where we will sleep the night before, we have chosen “no pick-up service” while booking the tour. After checking Google maps, we assumed it will be relativelyΒ easy to find the meeting point. Unfortunately, our GPS played some tricks on us and we were wandering round for a while.
The trip starts with a 3km (approx. 45 minutes) walk towards the Volcano crater. I call it “a walk” rather than a hike as mostly there is no elevation, just a straight path, and beautiful views. Note: You still need hiking shoes as the path is uneven.
The first stop is the camp base. Here you will receive your helmet, rope and security instructions. As we were waiting for the previous group to finish the tour, we had a bit of time to play with the cute little baby artic fox that is a part of the team!
Prepare for cuteness overload!
Going deep underground
Ah, yes, we were talking about the volcano… Trinkunagigur might not look that impressive from the outside but the moment you get into the tiny elevator and start your journey towards the center of the Earth, you realize how massive it is. With a total depth of 215 meters, you could easily fit the whole Statue of Liberty there. It is also freaking COLORFUL!Β Β Ocean Blue, Green, Magenta, Vivid yellow, you can find all the colors of the rainbow on the chamber walls. The words can hardly describe how beautiful it is, I think pictures will give it more justice:
Convinced?
Did you like this post? Leave a comment!
PIN IT
Yay!! Iceland is in my buckket, so jealous you’ve had a chance to be inside the volcanoooo!!