Although dormant for more than 4,000 years, Thrihnukagigur offers a unique experience for travelers wanting to see a volcano from the inside. Open for the first time in 2012, descent is made into the dried out magma chamber via cable car.
Thrihnukagigur is a dormant volcano near Reykjavik, 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 Arni B Stefansson, and opened for tourism in 2012. It is the only volcano in the world where visitors can take an elevator into the magma chamber. The magma, that would normally fill the chamber and become sealed, is believed to have drained away. It revealed the rift beneath the surface.
The beauty of the crater mostly consists in the various colors found inside it 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 and the height is such that it would easily fit full sized Statue of Liberty into the chamber. So make no mistake – it’s huge!
Spelunking in Thrihnukagigur cave
Caving in Thrihnukagigur is not for those who are in no physical shape. First of all, you will need to hike for 3km 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 Thrihnukagigur will be an experience of a lifetime.
How to get to Thrihnukagigur ?
There is no other way to witness Thrihnukagigur than by an 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
