Volcanoes · Iceland
Iceland Volcanoes
119 mapped · 7 regions · 16 listed active · Check safetravel.is first
Axel Kristinsson from Reykjavík, Iceland · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Wolfgangbeyer · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Icemuon, cropped by Seattle Skier · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Iceland sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and has around 30 active volcanic systems. A few define the map: Hekla and Katla on the South Coast (both closely monitored), Eyjafjallajökull (the 2010 eruption that grounded European air travel), the Reykjanes eruption sites near Keflavík (repeated activity since 2021), and Askja in the Highlands. Most are safe to visit near on marked trails when dormant — but during an eruption, only go where the official viewing area is open.
Alert levels right now
No Icelandic volcano is currently above alert level 0 in the Met Office feed. That is the normal state and it is worth saying plainly rather than leaving blank.
Planning around weather or roads? Live conditions across Iceland →
Notable volcanoes
Iceland’s best-known volcanoes and eruption sites, with activity status and access info.
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When & how to visit Iceland's volcanoes
The easiest volcanoes to reach sit near the Ring Road and the Golden Circle: Kerið crater lake, Grábrók in the west, and the South Coast systems around Eyjafjallajökull and Hekla. The Reykjanes Peninsula, 25 minutes from Keflavík airport, has been the site of repeated eruptions since 2021 — when a fissure is active and the viewing area is open, it is Iceland's most accessible eruption to witness. Highland volcanoes like Askja need an F-road and a 4×4 and are summer-only. Wherever you go, check safetravel.is and the Met Office (vedur.is) first: activity, gas levels and access all change day to day, and closures exist for good reasons.
The volcanoes of Iceland, compared
All 110 mapped volcanoes, ranked — our best-documented picks first. Tap any name for the full guide. Elevation, status and type come from OpenStreetMap and Wikidata where they exist.
| Volcano | Region | Status | Known for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Bárðarbunga | Highlands | Active | Iceland's raw power |
 | Snæfell | East Iceland | Volcanic system | Iceland's raw power |
 | Grímsvötn | Highlands | Active | Walk on volcanic ground |
 | Herðubreið | North Iceland | Volcanic system | North Iceland's fiery heart |
 | Eyjafjallajökull | South Coast | Active | The volcano that stopped the world |
 | Askja | North Iceland | Active | Swim in a volcano crater |
 | Hekla | South Coast | Active | Walk on volcanic ground |
 | Katla | South Coast | Active | Walk on volcanic ground |
 | Snæfellsjökull | West Iceland | Dormant | West Iceland's fiery heart |
 | Krafla | North Iceland | Active | North Iceland's fiery heart |
 | Laki | South Coast | Dormant | Fire and ice collide |
 | Þríhnúkagígur | Reykjavík Area | Dormant | Walk on volcanic ground |
 | Fagradalsfjall | Reykjanes Peninsula | Volcanic system | Iceland's newest volcanic landscape |
 | Keilir | Reykjanes Peninsula | Volcanic system | the Capital Area's fiery heart |
 | Eldfell | South Coast | Volcanic system | Iceland's raw power |
 | Surtsey | South Coast | Active | Iceland's raw power |
| Gígur | North Iceland | Volcanic system | Walk on volcanic ground | |
| Kerið | South Coast | Extinct | Walk on volcanic ground | |
 | Öræfajökull | South Coast | Active | Iceland's raw power |
 | Kverkfjöll | Highlands | Active | the Highlands's fiery heart |
 | Esjufjöll | Highlands | Dormant | Walk on volcanic ground |
 | Eiríksjökull | Highlands | Extinct | Fire and ice collide |
 | Thordarhyrna | Highlands | Dormant | Fire and ice collide |
 | Kerlingarfjöll | Highlands | Dormant | the Highlands's fiery heart |
 | Trölladyngja | Highlands | Dormant | Fire and ice collide |
 | Tindfjallajökull | South Coast | Dormant | Fire and ice collide |
 | Prestahnúkur | West Iceland | Dormant | Fire and ice collide |
 | Ok | West Iceland | Dormant | West Iceland's fiery heart |
 | Torfajökull | South Coast | Dormant | Iceland's raw power |
 | Mælifellshnjúkur | North Iceland | Dormant | Fire and ice collide |
 | Ljósufjöll | West Iceland | Dormant | West Iceland's fiery heart |
 | Skjaldbreiður | West Iceland | Dormant | Walk on volcanic ground |
 | Helgrindur | West Iceland | Dormant | West Iceland's fiery heart |
 | Brennisteinsalda | South Coast | Active | Fire and ice collide |
 | Búrfell | South Coast | Dormant | Iceland's raw power |
 | Brennisteinsfjöll | Reykjavík Area | Dormant | Walk on volcanic ground |
 | Þórólfsfell | South Coast | Dormant | Iceland's raw power |
 | Heidarspordar | North Iceland | Dormant | Walk on volcanic ground |
 | Gossprunga við Litla-Hrút 2023 | Reykjanes Peninsula | Active | the Capital Area's fiery heart |
 | Svartsengi | Reykjanes Peninsula | Dormant | reykjanes's fiery heart |
 | Þorbjörn | Reykjanes Peninsula | Dormant | Fire and ice collide |
 | Helgafell | South Coast | Active | Walk on volcanic ground |
 | Eldgjá | South Coast | Dormant | South Coast's fiery heart |
 | Geldingadalsgos 2021 | Reykjanes Peninsula | Dormant | Fire and ice collide |
 | Grensdalur | Reykjavík Area | Dormant | the Capital Area's fiery heart |
 | Grímsnes | South Coast | Dormant | Fire and ice collide |
 | Reykjanes (volcanic system) | Reykjanes Peninsula | Dormant | Iceland's raw power |
| Kollóttadyngja | North Iceland | Dormant | North Iceland's fiery heart | |
| Hrómundartindur | Reykjavík Area | Extinct | Iceland's raw power | |
| Sauðhóll | West Iceland | Volcanic system | Fire and ice collide | |
| Hamarinn | Highlands | Active | Fire and ice collide | |
| Vatnsborg | West Iceland | Volcanic system | Walk on volcanic ground | |
 | Grábrók | West Iceland | Dormant | Volcano in West Iceland |
 | Eldborg | West Iceland | Volcanic system | Volcano in West Iceland |
 | Víti | North Iceland | Volcanic system | Volcano in North Iceland |
| Grábrókarfell | West Iceland | Volcanic system | Volcano in West Iceland | |
| Litla Grábrók | West Iceland | Volcanic system | Volcano in West Iceland | |
| Stóra Grábrók | West Iceland | Volcanic system | Volcano in West Iceland | |
 | Hofsjökull | Highlands | Dormant | Volcano in Highlands |
 | Hveravellir | Highlands | Dormant | Volcano in Highlands |
 | Móði | South Coast | Volcanic system | Volcano in South Coast |
 | Búrfell á Mývatnsöræfum | North Iceland | Dormant | Volcano in North Iceland |
 | Bláhnjúkur | South Coast | Dormant | Volcano in South Coast |
 | Strýtur | Highlands | Volcanic system | Volcano in Highlands |
 | Urðarháls | Highlands | Dormant | Volcano in Highlands |
 | Maelifell | South Coast | Dormant | Volcano in South Coast |
 | Ármannsfell | West Iceland | Dormant | Volcano in West Iceland |
 | Hrafnabjörg | West Iceland | Dormant | Volcano in West Iceland |
 | Stútur | South Coast | Volcanic system | Volcano in South Coast |
 | Leirhnjúkur | North Iceland | Volcanic system | Volcano in North Iceland |
 | Krýsuvík | Reykjavík Area | Dormant | Volcano in Reykjavík Area |
 | Þráinsskjöldur | Reykjavík Area | Dormant | Volcano in Reykjavík Area |
 | Ytri-Rauðamelskúlur | West Iceland | Volcanic system | Volcano in West Iceland |
 | Gráakúla | West Iceland | Volcanic system | Volcano in West Iceland |
 | Syðri-Rauðamelskúlur | West Iceland | Volcanic system | Volcano in West Iceland |
 | Saxhólar | West Iceland | Volcanic system | Volcano in West Iceland |
 | Lágafell | Reykjanes Peninsula | Volcanic system | Volcano in Reykjanes Peninsula |
 | Sandfell | Reykjanes Peninsula | Volcanic system | Volcano in Reykjanes Peninsula |
 | Sandfellshæð | Reykjanes Peninsula | Volcanic system | Volcano in Reykjanes Peninsula |
 | Litla-Skógfell | Reykjavík Area | Dormant | Volcano in Reykjavík Area |
 | Hreppar | South Coast | Extinct | Volcano in South Coast |
 | Kothraunskúla | West Iceland | Volcanic system | Volcano in West Iceland |
 | Leitin | Reykjavík Area | Dormant | Volcano in Reykjavík Area |
 | Oddnýjarhnjúkur-Langjökull | Highlands | Dormant | Volcano in Highlands |
 | Rauðakúla | West Iceland | Volcanic system | Volcano in West Iceland |
 | Reykjanes/Svartsengi volcanic system | West Iceland | Volcanic system | Volcano in West Iceland |
 | Saxhóll | West Iceland | Volcanic system | Volcano in West Iceland |
 | Skerhóll | South Coast | Volcanic system | Volcano in South Coast |
 | Stampar Crater | Reykjanes Peninsula | Extinct | Volcano in Reykjanes Peninsula |
 | Tjornes Fracture Zone | North Iceland | Dormant | Volcano in North Iceland |
 | Tungnafellsjökull | Highlands | Dormant | Volcano in Highlands |
 | Vaðalda | Highlands | Dormant | Volcano in Highlands |
 | Vestmannaeyjar | South Coast | Dormant | Volcano in South Coast |
 | Vikraborgir | North Iceland | Volcanic system | Volcano in North Iceland |
| Fremrinámar | North Iceland | Dormant | Volcano in North Iceland | |
| Magni | South Coast | Volcanic system | Volcano in South Coast | |
| Laufafell | South Coast | Dormant | Volcano in South Coast | |
| Hengill | Reykjavík Area | Dormant | Volcano in Reykjavík Area | |
| Rauðaskál | South Coast | Volcanic system | Volcano in South Coast | |
| Þeistareykjarbunga | North Iceland | Dormant | Volcano in North Iceland | |
| Rauðháls | West Iceland | Volcanic system | Volcano in West Iceland | |
| Innri-Sandhóll | Reykjavík Area | Dormant | Volcano in Reykjavík Area | |
| Rauðhóll | Reykjanes Peninsula | Volcanic system | Volcano in Reykjanes Peninsula | |
| Gos í Sundhnúksgígum 2023 | Reykjanes Peninsula | Active | Volcano in Reykjanes Peninsula | |
| Gos við Grindavík | Reykjanes Peninsula | Active | Volcano in Reykjanes Peninsula | |
| Grashóll | West Iceland | Volcanic system | Volcano in West Iceland | |
| Holuhraun | Highlands | Volcanic system | Volcano in Highlands | |
| Miðahóll | Reykjanes Peninsula | Volcanic system | Volcano in Reykjanes Peninsula | |
| Sjónarhóll | West Iceland | Volcanic system | Volcano in West Iceland | |
| Öldungahóll | West Iceland | Volcanic system | Volcano in West Iceland |
Volcano
questions
Is it safe to visit a volcano in Iceland?
Most Icelandic volcanoes are dormant and safe to hike near on marked trails. When an eruption is active, authorities close the area and set an exclusion zone — never cross a closure line. Always check safetravel.is and vedur.is (the Met Office) before you go, and follow ranger and police instructions on site.
Can I see an active eruption?
Sometimes. Iceland has had repeated eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula since 2021. Access depends entirely on current conditions — sites open and close at short notice for gas, lava flow and rockfall. Only go if the official viewing area is open, and treat any online map, including this one, as a starting point, not a live safety source.
What is the most dangerous volcano in Iceland?
Katla, under the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap, is one of the most closely watched — a large eruption there can trigger a glacial flood (jökulhlaup). Bárðarbunga and Grímsvötn under Vatnajökull are also highly active. Hekla has a short warning time before eruptions. None of these can be visited during activity.
Which volcanoes can I actually hike?
Dormant cones like Grábrók, Saxhóll and Eldfell (Vestmannaeyjar) have short, marked trails to the rim. Kerið is a crater lake on the Golden Circle with an easy loop. Þríhnúkagígur, near Reykjavík, is the only volcano in the world where you can descend into the magma chamber by lift, with a guided tour in summer.
What was the Eyjafjallajökull eruption?
The 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, under a glacier on the South Coast, sent an ash cloud across Europe and grounded air travel for days. You can hike near it and see the aftermath at the Þorvaldseyri visitor centre, but you cannot climb onto the glacier-capped summit without a guide and gear.
What gases should I be aware of near volcanoes?
Volcanic and geothermal areas can release sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, which are toxic in high concentrations and pool in low-lying spots. Stay on marked paths, never enter a valley when gas is reported, and leave immediately if you smell strong sulphur or feel unwell. During eruptions the Met Office issues gas-dispersion forecasts.
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from 1 Sep 06:10