Hverfjall Volcanic Crater — Iceland

About this spectacle

Hverfjall is a near-perfect tephra ring crater rising dramatically from the lava fields of northeastern Iceland near Lake Mývatn. Visitors who hike the marked trail to the rim are rewarded with sweeping views of the surrounding volcanic landscape — the dark lava fields of Dimmuborgir, the Mývatn lake basin, and distant highlands stretching in every direction. The crater's interior is a stark, otherworldly bowl of grey ash and scoria, almost entirely devoid of vegetation, giving it a raw, elemental character. The wind on the rim can be fierce, and the silence inside the crater is striking. The scale only becomes apparent as you walk the full circuit of the rim, the ashen walls dropping sharply inward. It is a place of profound geological drama, visually arresting at any time of day, especially in the long golden light of an Icelandic summer evening or under the spectral colours of a winter aurora.

When to go

May — Sep, peak Jun — Aug

Getting there

Nearest airport: AEY. Nearest city: Akureyri.

Booking options

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