A unique opportunity for adventurous travelers to descent into an Icelandic volcano magma chamber opens up this summer
Inside the Volcano
Here is a trip of a lifetime: For the first time in history, travelers coming to Iceland this summer will have the opportunity to see what a volcano looks like on the inside. The dormant Thrihnukagigur volcano near Reykjavik, Iceland is the only place on earth where a huge volcanic magma chamber is accessible and currently safe to explore. The size and scope of the chamber participants can descent into is enormous; it is bottle shaped and its ground space is equivalent to almost three full-sized basketball courts. The distance from top to bottom is about 150 meters (450 ft.) a little short of three NYC’s Statues of Liberty planted on top of each other.
The operation of this unique and exclusive tour, only available for a period of 6-8 weeks in the summer of 2012, is a part of an ongoing environmental-, geological,- and marketing research on the volcano.
Future plans are to make the phenomenon accessible to the public and to create one of the most unique tourist attractions in the world. Visitors would then walk from the slopes of the Thrihnukagigur volcano through a ground tunnel to a viewing platform inside the crater from where the enormous size and amazing colors of the chamber could be enjoyed. An environmental impact assessment is currently being conducted and license applications are in process. Hence, all participants in this year’s tour will be asked to complete a short questionnaire about their experience.
The tour being offered this coming summer will be unique in the way that participants will descent 120m/380ft through the top crater and down to the ground bottom of the magma chamber, accompanied by experienced and specially trained guides. An open elevator system is used in the operation, transporting participants up and down the chamber in a cable lift. All equipment and processes have been tested extensively and approved by the administration of Occupational Safety and Health in Iceland.
The tour will be operated from June 15th – Jule 31st with several confirmed departures each day during that period. The tour is operated in small groups and takes approximately 5-6 hours to complete, including up to one hour inside the volcano. Prices start from USD 270,- / EUR 200,- per person.
For more information, visit the website:
Inside The Volcano | Journey towards the Center of the Earth
Thrihnukagigur volcano last erupted over 4000 years ago. It’s located approximately 30km/20miles from Reykjavik. The magma chamber, in which participants in the tour will be descending into, is often referred to as the heart of a volcano. It’s there where the liquid rock awaits to find a way through the surface, causing a volcanic eruption. In most cases, the crater usually closes after the eruption with hard cold lava. Thrihnukagigur volcano is a rare exception of this, being a case where the magma in the chamber has disappeared. It’s believed that the magma solidified on the walls or quite simply went back to the depths of the earth.
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