Iceland - Mount Doom

 June 26-27

Hello everyone!

A few days before I set off for Iceland, I had an email from my tour group to say that they were changing our itinerary. They were doing this so that we could go to see the erupting volcano.

An erupting Icelandic volcano

This was how close we got

This was a surprise to me. To my knowledge, it hadn’t made the news in Malawi. Added to that...go to see an erupting volcano? Don’t people normally evacuate when a volcano erupts?

Iceland averages a volcanic eruption every 4 years

A panorama of the cooled lava river

Not for this one, clearly. It has been going on for a while. Geldingadalir or Fagradalsfjall (whichever you pick, it’s slightly easier to say than the name of 2010’s eruptor of Eyjafjallajökull) started booming on March 19th of this year. We were told that it’s a relatively stable and benign eruption, therefore people can confidently get quite close to it. 

This volcano had been dormant for approximately 800 years

I think the word relatively is important here. It’s still spewing magma into the air and, as you’ll see from the pictures in this post, has changed the landscape with its lava flow. What it is not doing, however, is putting any nearby villages in immediate danger.

Lava exposed to cool air turns black as it slows

This person clearly wasn't worried

They are lucky that this eruption isn’t reminiscent of Eyjafjallajökull. That eruption in 2010 released huge plumes of ash into the sky which drifted across continental Europe, causing significant flight disruption for more than a week. This eruption, on the Reykjanes peninsula in the southwest, is occurring in quite close proximity to Iceland’s only major international airport. You can see the white smoke on the drive from Keflavik to the capital Reykjavik.

It was about an hour's trip from the capital

View of the eruption on the airport shuttle bus

This makes it a popular attraction, for locals as much as foreigners. Not every day there’s a ‘safe’ volcanic eruption happening an hour from your house, after all. The volume of cars seen as we approached the impromptu car park made me consider what travelling in all of Iceland must have been like during its tourism boom in the decade before Covid-19 hit. I’m much happier to be here now!

In 2019, Iceland received about 3 million tourists...

...which is close to 10 times the country's population!

To see the fire and fury, you hike up a nearby mountain. This was steep and quite challenging in the wind; there were multiple occasions where we had to pause and simply brace until the gale eased. 

Steep and slippery - at least it was a nice day!

Going up on horseback would be ambitious

All the while you are peering over to your left. Looking down gives you a terrific view of the still-smouldering lava river which has ended its journey from the crater. Looking in the distance shows you flickers of blood orange popping up and down in that very crater.

Scientists from the Iceland Met Office estimate that the volcano has
ejected 80 million cubic metres of lava. That sounds like a lot!

Lava flow from the crater or vents is about 13 cubic metres per second

Obviously the higher up you get, the better your view. The crater has caved in a bit on one side, allowing you to see a bit more activity in the crater. 

The gap you see allows better views inside the crater

The magma would occasionally seem to jump
up, though never particularly high

I wasn’t nearly as close as I got in Ethiopia, when I was pretty much able to lean over the edge of Erta Ale. With flecks of fire being flung into the air from Geldingadalir, and seeing lava flowing quickly out of the crater, I imagine this was a good thing.

Lava was flowing out of the crater

As close as I'll get!

On our way back we took a closer look at the solidified lava river that we had seen from above during our hike. Still smouldering in parts, I was taken aback by how tall it is. Generally it was at least one metre high, more than enough to cause serious damage.

The end of a lava river

This post shows the height of the river

This journey made me think a bit of Lord of the Rings. Didn’t have a ring to throw into the crater, admittedly, but the hike and surrounding scenery can easily transport you to Isengard or Mordor. 

Eye of Sauron probably lurking somewhere

Two hobbits on an adventure!

Other areas of the country have a Lord of the Rings effect as well, but evoking images more like those found on the Shire. Many examples can be found on the Snaefellsnes peninsula, to the north of Reykjavik. This got shifted in our itinerary so that we went after our volcano adventure.

Kirkjufell mountain and its nearby waterfall: photogenic 

Apparently the peninsula is the windiest inhabited
place on Earth between March and October!

Gatklettur Arch, possibly my favourite spot on this day

There isn’t too much to say about Snaefellsnes other than it is quite remote (we had to tactically plan toilet stops), windy and absolutely gorgeous if the Sun plays ball.

These stones used to be used to show what jobs men could do.
The 'lightest' is 23 kg and roughly translates as being for 'weaklings'.
The biggest is 154 kg. Some people still try today...

Legend says this waterfall had a sheep's carcass behind it.
Selvallafoss is therefore known as 'Sheep's Waterfall'.

Churches used to be open until a Dutch group of tourists
started boasting that they would sleep overnight in them to save money
when travelling around the country. They're now locked.

These two days showcased the beauty and volatility of this island. I’m very glad that my route was altered to take in the raw power of an erupting volcano, as well as the quiet beauty of Snaefellsnes.

Love you all,

Matt