Iceland is the only country in Europe where the ground is, in a very literal sense, still being made. The island sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which means the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates are pulling apart underneath it at roughly two centimetres per year. The result: 32 active volcanic systems, about one eruption every five years on average, and entire landscapes that were lava fields within living memory. The Reykjanes Peninsula alone has erupted multiple times between 2021 and 2024. Close enough to Reykjavík and Keflavík airport that you could see the glow from the runway.
I was deeply impressed by how alive this unique geological landscape feels, and it convinced me that Iceland genuinely belongs on everyone’s bucket list. If you’re planning a trip to Iceland and want to see actual volcanoes (not just photos of them in the Blue Lagoon gift shop), here are ten worth building your route around, plus the practical bit about how to actually reach them.
How to See Iceland’s Volcanoes (the Practical Bit)
Almost none of Iceland’s interesting volcanoes are reachable by public transport. Some, like Fagradalsfjall or Hekla, are within an hour or two of Reykjavík and can technically be done as day trips. Others — Askja, Laki, Krafla — are deep in the Highlands or in the north, and require either a long drive or a F-road-only vehicle. Day tours exist for the famous ones, but they show you what they want to show you when they want to show it, which is not the way to spend a week in a country this geological.
The practical answer is to drive yourself. A self-drive setup gives you the range and flexibility to reach the remote sites at your own pace, and lets you actually stop at the smaller geothermal areas, lava fields, and craters that are scattered between the big-name volcanoes. An Iceland camper van rental works particularly well here because it solves two problems at once: accommodation in remote areas is thin on the ground, and the sites worth seeing are often a long way from anywhere to sleep.
For trips that include Askja or Laki, a 4×4 camper van with a roof tent is the standard setup, since both involve unbridged river crossings and F-road driving that a regular 2WD can’t legally cross. During my own trip, I traveled in a 2WD camper van. So I chose to skip these beautiful yet challenging Highland areas entirely, which still left me with plenty of incredible, accessible sights to explore along the main roads.
→ Explore our Iceland camping guide with a map, tips and the best campsites
10 Volcanoes You Shouldn’t Miss
#1 Fagradalsfjall
The most famous Icelandic volcano of the past few decades, and the easiest to reach from the airport. Fagradalsfjall sits on the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 40 minutes by car from Keflavík. After seeing the incredible footage of the glowing lava all over the news and my Instagram feed, I was deeply impressed. It erupted in March 2021 after 800 years of silence, then again in 2022 and 2023, drawing tens of thousands of visitors who hiked in to watch the lava up close. The crater field is no longer actively erupting at the moment of writing, but the lava fields are fresh, walkable, and still warm in places. Park at the official lot and follow trail A or B. Both are well-marked and take 1.5 to 2 hours round trip.
#2 Eyjafjallajökull
The volcano whose eruption in April 2010 grounded around 10 million air passengers across Europe. I remember this volcano being all over the news back in April 2010, though nobody outside Iceland, including myself, could ever pronounce its name correctly. It sits under a glacier in the south, about two hours east of Reykjavík along Route 1. You can’t climb it casually (the ice cap covers the crater), but the Eyjafjallajökull Erupts visitor centre at Þorvaldseyri farm tells the story of the 2010 eruption from the perspective of the family whose land was buried in ash. Worth an hour on your way to Vík.
#3 Hekla
For most of the Middle Ages, European monks believed Hekla was the gateway to Hell. It’s one of Iceland’s most active volcanoes with over 20 eruptions since the year 874, the last one in 2000, so Icelanders tend to keep an eye on it. It’s about 90 minutes east of Reykjavík, just off the road to Landmannalaugar. You can hike to the summit when it’s not erupting, though “not erupting” is a status that has been known to change with very little warning.
#4 Snæfellsjökull
The glacier-capped stratovolcano at the western tip of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, two and a half hours from Reykjavík. Jules Verne used it as the entrance to the underworld in Journey to the Center of the Earth in 1864. It hasn’t erupted in around 1,800 years, but the surrounding national park is one of the most photogenic stretches of coastline in Iceland. Think black beaches, lava fields, and the Kirkjufell mountain just down the road.
#5 Katla
Katla sits under Mýrdalsjökull glacier, just behind the village of Vík. It’s one of Iceland’s largest volcanoes and last erupted in 1918, which makes it overdue by historical standards. You can’t visit the crater itself (it’s under 700 metres of ice), but the Katla Ice Cave tours from Vík take you into the glacier above it. The contrast between blue ice and black volcanic ash makes it one of the more photogenic stops on the south coast.
Tip: If you want a preview of the moody atmosphere, I highly recommend watching the Netflix series Katla before your trip. I loved watching it! Not only is it highly entertaining, but it also captures the raw, cinematic beauty of the Icelandic landscape perfectly.
#6 Krafla
In the north, near Lake Mývatn, Krafla last erupted in 1984 and left behind a geothermal landscape that looks like Mars. The Víti crater here is a small explosion crater filled with turquoise water, and the Leirhnjúkur lava field next to it is still warm in places. There’s a working geothermal power station at the foot of the volcano, which is the most Icelandic thing imaginable; they generate electricity from the lava field. Easy to reach by paved road.
#7 Askja
Deep in the Highlands, north of Vatnajökull, Askja is one of Iceland’s most remote and rewarding volcanic sites. It has its own Víti crater (different from Krafla’s), where you used to be allowed to swim in the warm sulphur water. This is currently restricted due to landslide risk, but check the rules in season. The 1875 eruption was catastrophic enough to trigger mass emigration from Iceland to North America. Reaching Askja requires F-roads and a 4×4, so budget a full day from the nearest paved road.
#8 Þríhnúkagígur
The only volcano on Earth where you can be lowered, in an open lift, directly into the magma chamber. Þríhnúkagígur erupted around 4,000 years ago and then drained itself empty, leaving a hollow chamber the size of a cathedral inside the mountain. The “Inside the Volcano” tour runs from May to October and is not cheap, but there is genuinely nothing else like it in the world. It’s about 30 minutes from Reykjavík.
#9 Laki
Not a single volcano but a 27-kilometre fissure of around 130 craters, southwest of Vatnajökull. The 1783–84 Laki eruption was one of the largest in human history. It killed roughly a quarter of Iceland’s population through fluorine poisoning and famine, caused a “year without summer” across Europe, and some historians link the resulting crop failures to social unrest in France in the years that followed. Today the fissure is accessible by F-road only, between July and September. Bleak, beautiful, and historically heavy in a way that’s hard to describe until you’re standing there.
#10 Hverfjall
A near-perfect circular tephra crater near Lake Mývatn, one kilometre across and 140 metres deep. It was formed in a single explosive eruption around 2,500 years ago, and it looks like someone drew it with a compass. The hike to the rim takes about 30 minutes, and the view down into the crater (and across to Lake Mývatn) makes it one of the easiest big-impact stops in the north.
Practical Tips for Volcano Tourism in Iceland
When should you go? June through early September gives you full access to the Highlands volcanoes (Askja, Laki) and the long daylight that makes the lava fields photographable. May and late September are fine for the lowland volcanoes — Fagradalsfjall, Eyjafjallajökull, Snæfellsjökull — but the Highland F-roads are closed. During my own trip at the end of April and early May, I noticed that many campsites are still closed for the winter season and only start opening throughout May, so keep that in mind if you plan an early spring road trip.
Is it safe? Active eruption sites are managed by Icelandic civil protection (Almannavarnir) and access is restricted when they consider it unsafe. The Reykjanes eruption sites have been opened and closed multiple times since 2021. Check SafeTravel.is and Vedur.is before you set out, and don’t walk on lava fields unless they’ve been officially declared cool, as fresh lava can stay hot for years under a thin crust.
Tours or self-drive? Tours work well for Þríhnúkagígur (you can’t enter the magma chamber any other way) and the Katla Ice Cave (you need crampons and a guide). For everything else on this list, self-drive is faster, cheaper, and gets you there at times of day when the tour buses aren’t.
What about F-road driving? F-roads are unpaved, often involve unbridged river crossings, and are legally restricted to four-wheel drive. Rental insurance on a 2WD vehicle is void the moment you turn onto one. If your itinerary includes Askja or Laki, you need a proper 4×4. And if you’re going up there anyway, you may as well sleep up there too.
Iceland is one of the few places where geology is still happening in real time, and where you can stand within metres of a process that built the country. Pick the volcanoes that fit your route, build the trip around the ones you actually want to see rather than the ones nearest to Reykjavík, and don’t try to do them all in one visit. There will, almost certainly, be a new one to see next time you come back.
This article was created in collaboration with the travel experts at Campervan Iceland.
