Iceland trips- see volcano?

[EJLobster]

I haven't looked into the geography yet-  would it be possible to see the volocano- ? certainly not an included option- close enough to port/airport to see either before or after??

[Dukefan]

6 minutes ago, EJLobster said:

I haven't looked into the geography yet-  would it be possible to see the volocano- ? certainly not an included option- close enough to port/airport to see either before or after??

You can see the volocano live stream here - https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/news/2021/04/08/webcam_destroyed_by_stream_of_lava/

 

I have been watching it for a couple of weeks.

[LindaS272]

17 minutes ago, EJLobster said:

I haven't looked into the geography yet-  would it be possible to see the volocano- ? certainly not an included option- close enough to port/airport to see either before or after??

Currently, the covid.is website says that while waiting for your PCR test result, you can’t go to see the volcano. If you’re coming in a day or two early, you apparently could after getting a negative test.

[EJLobster]

Yes, I have been watching the live stream too- I was thinking of seeing it in person- up close and personal.

[Peregrina651]

There is this article and a couple others on The Iceland Monitor website:

Could End of Eruption Be Near?

[TayanaLorna]

Well people who live in Grindivik can see it while sitting in their hot tub at night.  The optional tour from Reykjavik to the Reykanes Peninsula drives right by the location where people begin their hike to see the eruption. Blue Lagoon is really close too.  Being that it will be almost constant daylight in July, it certainly won't look as fiery from a distance as it did in winter months.  If it is still active you could do a private tour on your way to the airport if you have a later flight.

[DaveSJ711]

As the puffin flies, the eruption site is about 8 miles from Keflavik airport and about 5 miles from the closest point on the main road to Reykjavik.  I'm curious whether the eruption will be visible on the landing approach and/or while driving to town (assuming it's still going of course).

[Heartgrove]

4 hours ago, DaveSJ711 said:

As the puffin flies, the eruption site is about 8 miles from Keflavik airport and about 5 miles from the closest point on the main road to Reykjavik.  I'm curious whether the eruption will be visible on the landing approach and/or while driving to town (assuming it's still going of course).

 

If the flight uses Runway 01, it should be visible while sitting on the right side in the distance. If it uses Runway 28, it should be visible on the left side.

[GonzoWCS]

7 hours ago, EJLobster said:

Yes, I have been watching the live stream too- I was thinking of seeing it in person- up close and personal.

Ohh YES!

[EJLobster]

On 5/8/2021 at 3:56 PM, Peregrina651 said:

There is this article and a couple others on The Iceland Monitor website:

Could End of Eruption Be Near?

Thanks!

[Oma to 11]

Can we book an excurson with a private tour guide?

 

[Peregrina651]

On 7/11/2021 at 7:41 PM, Oma to 11 said:

Can we book an excursion with a private tour guide?

 

 

Considering the confirmed positive test on the Viking Sky, it is hard to answer this question at this point because we don't know at this moment if Viking is going to have to re-establish the Viking bubble.

 

You can follow the situation on Covid Positive aboard Viking Sky 7/14/22

[Oma to 11]

Thank you!

[minka34]

We are on our last day in Reykjavik and decided to drive out to Grindavik today.  It was overcast.  Large and low cloud cover.  We hiked for about 45 minutes about 30 minutes mostly up, and at the 45 min point we were in the white clouds, and had been for 25 min and were probably going to be in them for another hour.  We decided to turn back and just go down to view the cooled lava flow.  For the red hot lava and possible crater viewing, the trail goes up and down and apparently up and down again before you see the red hot lava flow (about 2 hours of pretty strenuous hiking), but from fairly near the parking lot, maybe 15 minute much easier hike, you can get to the lava flow that has cooled (mostly).  There are still smoking spots but it is really quite a neat sight. Note, the 4 portable outhouses at the parking lot were all full and pretty icky - I recommend finding a bathroom in the town if possible before driving to the volcano parking.  

I will see if I can post a photo from my phone.  No photos on my computer.  

 

On a side note, we also had the famous lamb hot dogs to seal our last day here in Reykjavik.  It was the cheapest meal we had here and they were most excellent after the volcano hiking.  I had over 20,000 steps on the fitbit today! 

[StuLaurie]

Where exactly is the parking lot?  We just want to hike out to see the lava. Not planning on doing the big hike to see the active volcano. We will be there in a few days. Thanks

 

[minka34]

We used this artcle for info.

https://classiciceland.com/how-to-see-fagradalsfjall-active-volcano-in-iceland-preperation-direction-and-tips/

 

Note that as with some other attractions, you use an app to pay for parking.

[minka34]

A glimpse... does not give you the same feel as being there though.  You can get many different angles, and the lava is awesome up close. This is from our walk back to parking.

[les37b]

 

This video probably won't give the same Goosebumps seeing the volcano live, but its probably the best footage I've seen from the 100s of footage I've watched since March.

 

It was my intention to fly over to Iceland and make similar (but nowhere near as proffessional as this guy) films.... but never made it unfortunately.

 

Enjoy

 

 

 

 

 

[StuLaurie]

14 hours ago, minka34 said:

We used this artcle for info.

https://classiciceland.com/how-to-see-fagradalsfjall-active-volcano-in-iceland-preperation-direction-and-tips/

 

Note that as with some other attractions, you use an app to pay for parking.

Very helpful, thank you!

 

[jtwind]

15 hours ago, minka34 said:

We used this artcle for info.

https://classiciceland.com/how-to-see-fagradalsfjall-active-volcano-in-iceland-preperation-direction-and-tips/

 

Note that as with some other attractions, you use an app to pay for parking.

Too bad they don't update it.

[jan_az]

I just booked a helicopter tour. That is an option

 

[pgannon1335]

On 5/8/2021 at 4:17 PM, TayanaLorna said:

Well people who live in Grindivik can see it while sitting in their hot tub at night.  The optional tour from Reykjavik to the Reykanes Peninsula drives right by the location where people begin their hike to see the eruption. Blue Lagoon is really close too.  Being that it will be almost constant daylight in July, it certainly won't look as fiery from a distance as it did in winter months.  If it is still active you could do a private tour on your way to the airport if you have a later flight.

Would you know how to book a private tour? Would it be a car service or cab? That may work for us on The day we fly out as we have 7-8 hour to kill before going to the airport.

[minka34]

We used articadventures.com for a couple of tours, one group (which turned out to be only 4 of us) and one private (for 6 of us).   I see that they have a volcano tour but it is a group tour, not a private tour and it says 8 hours.    In my experience they were very accommodating.  They also do business as Wild Westfjords.

Here's the link to the volcano tour.  You'll have to check for your date.

https://adventures.is/iceland/day-tours/hiking/active-volcano-hike/

[TayanaLorna]

6 hours ago, pgannon1335 said:

Would you know how to book a private tour? Would it be a car service or cab? That may work for us on The day we fly out as we have 7-8 hour to kill before going to the airport.

We used Gateway to Iceland for a tour of the Reyjkanes Peninsula with a drop off at the airport at or before 2:30 pm.  www.gtice.is their website and questions can be asked by emailing info@gtice.is.  They are very prompt with responses.  We found them on Trip Advisor and they got very good reviews for that tour.  Although we could have reserved them there through Viator on Trip Advisor, we prefer to be able to communicate directly with the company that actually does the tours rather then a booking agent.  And the cost per person when reserving directly was less then through Viator.

 

  After reading some reviews of the Viking optional excursion to Reyjkanes, i think we definitely got a better excursion.  Gateway picked us and another Viking couple up right at the dock with a 10 person Mercedes Benz mini van.  There were supposed to be 10 people but 2 were no shows at their designated pick up, so we had 8.  Ten people would still be comfortable in the vehicle.  They pick you up between 8:30 and 9:00 am.  Although Viking wants us out of the staterooms at 8 am, they allow you to linger in the Living Room area for a bit longer.  At 8:30 we were about the last to pick up our Black tagged luggage.  However we were able to wait in a sheltered building right in front of the disembarkation area to wait for our ride.  Taxis and private tour vehicles all pick up people there.

 

The weather was pretty awful with about 52 degrees and light rain on and off but we had a great time.  Our driver/guide took us to many more places then listed on their itinerary.  Some were short look, see, take pictures stops and others were longer with walks on trails to geothermal sites, seaside cliffs near a lighthouse and to the bridge between 2 continents.  For lunch we stopped in Grindavik at a very local cafe across from the working harbor where we purchased our own lunch of soups and sandwiches, coffee, desserts.  Choices were a hardy chunky vegetable soup or a lobster chowder accompanied by a dense homemade bread and open faced shrimp, lobster or herring sandwiches.  You could even take a soup refill!  We dined on the 3rd floor of the cafe right adjacent to the fishermans net making facility.  We did drive by the different parking areas giving access for hiking to see the erupting volcano but could not see anything.  He did say it is still a 2 hour hike one way.  For those needing "comfort" stops, there were facillities at one geothermal area and the cafe.  Other then that you had to find privacy behind a rock.  The area is rather undeveloped for mass tourism which is nice.