Hiking at the Fagradalsfjall Volcano

Words: Evelyn Edward

Images: Odysseas Chloridis

The earth shakes and rumbles under the Reykjanes peninsula with many indications pointing that another volcanic eruption is imminent. Whether that happens or not, the Fagradalsfjall volcano is one the best places for a daily adventure/hike, and it can be done easily from Reykjavik. 

The volcano itself is about an hour's drive away from the city, but with lots to see along the way it won't feel like a long drive at all. Four of us from the HI Iceland team set off on a sunny Sunday evening to make the most of the long summer days and make our way up the volcano. 

Getting to Fagradalsfjall is a relatively smooth journey along paved road- on our way, we stopped at Lake Kleifarvatn to watch swimmers brave the cold water, as well as Seltún geothermal pools, where water boils from the ground and sulphur stains the ground orange yellow and blue. With the drive taking you through diverse landscapes from snowy mountaintops to grassy plains and moss-covered, rocky landscapes, it feels like you have touched down on another planet. 

While the flow of the volcano has slowed down now following its eruption in March 2021- there is no hot rushing magma or crater explosions- it is perhaps even more impressive to see the smoldering lava and let your imagination run wild with what lies under the tall dark rock. 

In preparation for the summer high season the infrastructure surrounding the area has had to adapt rapidly- please note there is now a car parking charge- and several routes to viewpoints have been signposted. These vary in length and difficulty- we opted to head up a large hill with a zig-zag path marked out. While fairly easy underfoot, there is a lot of loose gravel that can slip you up- make sure to bring shoes with a good tread. 

We trekked our way up to the viewpoint (following Path C towards Langihryggur), slowly but surely while the sun slid behind the mountains. As we got higher we could see more of the valley than before- the lava rock went on for miles, a black, sprawling mass upon the rocky landscape. When we arrived at the top (comfortable but slightly out of breath) we had the best view of the lava steam rising through the cracks in the rocks, creating a contrasting soft white layer over the land. We stood there for a while, taking in the scenery. 

On the way down we faced amazing views of the ocean and all the way over to Grindavik- the small fishing town that faced three weeks of earthquakes before the eruption. The sea was so calm and the area so quiet that it was almost hard to believe that hundreds of meters below us, the earth was violent with energy, shifting and reforming itself. 

Iceland is a country with a constantly shifting landscape- whether it's the extreme seasons, weather or geographical changes- and we saw that on a mass scale on our trip to Fagradalsfjall. And who knows- with more and more volcanic activity being recorded in the Reykjanes peninsula, the next Fagradalsfjall could happen sooner than we think.