Iceland’s volcano eruptions are ushering in a new era of tourism

Winter had arrived early at Highland Base, a new hotel perched amid Iceland’s remote central Highlands near Kerlingarfjöll – a ring of mountains between two of the country’s biggest glaciers, Hofsjökull and Langjökull. A blizzard of snow raced through the valley, mounting against the sides of houses and turning the landscape white. I watched it from one of the hotel’s many cushion-strewn reading windows, transfixed.

Highland Base stands on the site of a 1960s seasonal ski school, which many Icelanders have fond childhood memories of. This was taken into consideration during the upgrade by continuing to offer accommodation to suit a range of budgets. On the lower level, the old ski school rooms were refurbished and renamed Aldan, while the upper levels form the boutique-level Hamar hotel, whose suites have outdoor hot tubs overlooking the mountains. The campsite and traditional hiking huts have also been retained.

Old photos on the wall show the Sixties Jeeps getting stuck in snow drifts, but Highland Base is accessible all year round thanks to a mammoth-tyred Super Jeep truck that transports guests on the two-hour journey from Skjól.

In summer, you can hike and mountain bike. In winter, activities switch to snowmobiling and searching for the Northern Lights, but these are weather dependent and, like me, you could find yourself snuggled inside during a snowstorm.

“Remember, you’re going to an extreme place, like Greenland or Antarctica – don’t be frustrated by a lack of activities,” said Sigurður Thorsteinsson of Blue Lagoon Iceland, which owns the property. “It’s the quiet moments that usually end up staying with you for the next 20 years.”

The snowy serenity seemed somewhat ironic to me, because in recent months it has been the fiery lava eruptions and earthquakes on the southwest Reykjanes Peninsula that have dominated the headlines.

Iceland sits on a fixed hotspot (a magma corridor that leads straight from the Earth’s centre to the surface) and astride the Eurasian and North Atlantic tectonic plates, which are slowly stretching it apart at a rate of two centimetres per year. Over centuries, these plates collect stresses and then erupt. And after being dormant for 800 years, Reykjanes has come alive. Since 2021, there have been nine eruptions in the region, first around Fagradalsfjall and then at Sundhnúkar. It marks a new geological era.

Among those affected was Highland Base’s sister property, the Retreat at Blue Lagoon. Lava flowing from the Sundhnúkar fissure came within 760 metres of the lagoon and engulfed its access road. Hotel staff have had to evacuate guests seven times so far, but the mood is stoic and calm. “We’re only open if it’s safe. The local police, Met Office and Civil Protection office all must sign off. It’s not just us deciding,” said Porsteinsson. The access road was quickly rerouted, and high earth walls were built to redirect any new lava spills. Inside, the hotel’s tranquil atmosphere is undisturbed.

The situation is always evolving, but to date there have been no confirmed deaths as a result of the eruptions and Grindavik – the nearby town with a population of 3,800 evacuated in November 2023 – reopened on Oct 21. I boarded a flightseeing experience over the town and recent eruption sites to get an overview of the rearranged geography of the peninsula. Helicopter pilot Gudjón Sigurjónsson was inundated with requests during peak periods of activity. “Other people run away from volcanoes, but we Icelanders run toward them,” he said jovially. “You come to Iceland because it’s volcanic,” added Porsteinsson.

There have been instances where tourists have seemed to be ignorant of the dangers and not appreciate the risks of exploring active volcanic landscapes, but tour operator Discover the World is offering a safe way to do it. It has launched the Volcanic Way, a 745-mile driving route taking in eight volcanoes, as well as black-sand beaches with basalt columns, hot springs and calderas. Volcanoes range from the well-known but unpronounceable Eyjafjallajökull – nicknamed E15 for ease – that erupted in 2010 and grounded European flights for a week with its ash cloud, to Eldfell on Heimaey in the Westman Islands that necessitated the largest evacuation in Icelandic history when it erupted in 1973.

I drove an abbreviated version of the route and started by descending through the slitted eye of the only accessible lava chamber on Earth. Inside the Volcano takes guests to Þríhnúkar, a dormant volcano that last erupted 4,500 years ago and left behind a magma chamber that could fit America’s Statue of Liberty into it one and a half times. Sardined aboard a pulley-rope lift, we inched away from the high winds on the surface and into its quiet bowels. The walls gleamed yellow, orange, purple and even pink in places. We cranked back to the surface, where the wind pushed us sideways on the walk back. “In Iceland, we don’t have rollercoasters – just bad weather,” joked our bearded guide, Jónas Alfred Birkisson.

I drove east to meet Anita Jónsdottir, who runs family-owned farm Hekluhestar (“Horses of Hekla”) and offers two-hour to eight-day horse treks across Iceland’s volcanic landscapes with her herd. We saddled two and set off toward a trout-filled river. She explained that the business started as the result of an eruption.

“It was 1980. My parents had a traditional farm, but my mother was French and found the weather impossible. My father suggested they go into the Highlands with the horses to forget their troubles. As they were riding towards Hekla, something spooked the horses, so they returned home and that day Hekla erupted – [they felt] the horses had been trying to tell them of the danger. My parents were so impressed they wanted to share the experience with others and started Hekluhestar.”

Early the next morning, I boarded the ferry to Heimaey, the only inhabited part of the 15 Westman Islands. On Jan 23, 1973, a crevice tore open the eastern side of the island and by the time the eruption subsided five months later, a third of all homes had been burned or buried by up to 60 metres of ash and tephra. One of those homes, 10 Gerðisbraut, belonged to Gudri, a fishing captain, and his wife, Gerður. The Eldheimer Museum, which honours the tragedy, is built around it. It’s sobering to see the silver bowl the couple received as a wedding present, or Gudri’s cigar box, among the rubble.

Museum director Kristin Jóhannsdóttir was 13 years old when the eruption shook the island and was among the 5,000 evacuated. “It was the middle of the Cold War and, at first, I thought it was the Russians invading, but then my father said it was a volcano and I was calm. We can handle a volcanic eruption, we know volcanoes.”

Locals named the new crater Eldfell (“Mountain of Fire”) and it rises behind the museum in a sweeping mound of metallic red. It’s an easy walk and from the top you can see how close the lava came to blocking the island’s lifeline of a harbour.

Back on the mainland, I visited the Lava Centre – a state-of-the-art volcano museum with an interactive map showing seismic activity updated using live data from the Met Office every 10 minutes.

My final stop was Vik, to see the black lava-sand beach of Reynisfjara and visit the Lava Show, the only live lava demonstration in the world. Vik sits inside Katla Geopark and of its four active volcanoes, the most feared is Katla. “It’s covered by a 700-metre-thick ice cap and the last time it erupted in 1918, the flash flood contained as much water as the world’s four biggest rivers combined,” said Lava Show presenter Trym Sannes nonchalantly, before a rivulet of glowing lava was released in front of the goggle-wearing crowd.

Before leaving Iceland, I met with Asta Rut Hjartardóttir from the Icelandic Meteorological Office to get a better idea of what the near future holds. “We’re in a lull period at the moment. There may be some activity in late November and December, but it won’t affect your holiday. I’d remind travellers there have been no problems getting to and from the airport during this entire volcanic crisis. And if we locals are unaffected, then you, the travellers, are safe.” It’s a new era and travellers should be a part of it.

Emma Thomson travelled as a guest of Discover the World (01737 214 250), which offers a seven-day Essential Iceland trip from £917 pp staying at The Greenhouse, Hotel Rangá, Stracta Hotel and Hotel Kria. Her trip included additional excursions to the Westman Islands (from £30 pp for the ferry), Inside the Volcano (from £294 pp), volcano flightseeing (from £300 pp) and horseriding with Hekluhestar (from £125 pp). 

Highland Base (00 354 571 1200) offers doubles from £374, including baths access, breakfast and some activities. The Blue Lagoon Retreat offers doubles from £1,233, including spa and lagoon access, breakfast, minibar, yoga, group hikes and afternoon tea. Some rooms require a two-night minimum stay.

Visit safetravel.is for up-to-date information on eruptions.