Iceland

Let yourself be impressed by the island of ice and fire.

Krafla

Krafla

The impressive Krafla caldera, some 10 km in diameter, is located along a 90 km long fissure zone not far from Mývatn. It erupted nine times between 1974 and...
The impressive Krafla caldera, some 10 km in diameter, is located along a 90 km long fissure zone not far from Mývatn. It erupted nine times between 1974 and 1984, with 29 eruptions in total in its recorded history. Krafla has a height of 818 m and its caldera is 2 km deep. The western side of Krafla is an active geothermal area, rich in fumaroles and solfataras (boiling mud springs). Here you will also find the colourful Leirhnjúkur Peak, a 525-metre high active volcano surrounded by mud pots and fumaroles, hence its name, which translates as "mud peak", and the lava field of Leirhnjúkur is a real sight to behold. The black, rugged and ruinous-looking terrain is a testimony to the pure volcanic energy of the Earth.on the northwest side of the Krafla caldera is Víti, an explosion crater, 300 metres in diameter with a green lake inside. The name Víti, which means Hell, comes from the ancient belief that hell was located beneath the volcanoes.from the Krafla car park it is approximately a 20 minute walk to the rim of the caldera. There is a marked path that guides visitors through sulphur vents and rocks that are still hot to the touch from the so-called "Krafla Fires", a long-lasting fissure eruption between 1977 and 1984.