Eyjafjallajökull Volcano and Þórsmörk in a Super Jeep - an Adventure in Iceland

I joined an awesome tour to Eyjafjallajökull volcano and Þórsmörk and got to ride in a super jeep for the first time in my life. This was the first guided tour I joined when I was starting to write for Guide to Iceland back in 2013.

What had attracted me to writing for Guide to Iceland was that I could join guided tours in Iceland and write a travel-blog about my experience. Since then I have written 280 travel-blogs about Iceland :)

We started early in the morning and our first stop was at the beautiful waterfall Seljalandsfoss.

Top photo: in a super jeep on the Þórsmörk tour

Seljalandsfoss waterfall 

Horses by Seljalandsfoss waterfall

Seljalandsfoss is one of the best-known waterfalls in Iceland, around 60 meters high. One can walk behind Seljalandfoss which is a fun experience, standing so close to and behind this majestic waterfall is fantastic.

Bring a raincoat as you will get wet from the drizzle.

Eyjafjallajökull volcano

Eyjafjallajökull volcano 

From Seljalandsfoss we drove up to Eyjafjallajökull glacier and volcano.

Remember Eyjafjallajökull volcano which erupted in 2010 and spewed so much ash in the air that air traffic was affected, along with thousands of travellers being stranded at airports around the world?

Eyjafjallajökull peaks at 1,651 metres above sea level, but we didn't drive all the way to the top. The name of the glacier, which foreigners found difficult to pronounce means Island Mountain Glacier.

The driver deflated the tires so the super jeep could float on the snow

We drove up on a gravel road which then turned into a path. Before we drove up on the glacier the driver of the truck let out some air from the tires so that the journey would go smoother.

That is a well-known method here in Iceland before driving on glaciers, it will make the tires float on the snow.

It was so much fun being in such a big truck being able to drive in such rough terrain. The truck just plowed through it. I thought the trip was worth it if only to be able to drive through this terrain so smoothly. But there was so much more in store for us on this trip.

Eyjafjallajökull glacier

We were let out of the truck and hiked up on the glacier. What a fantastic view we had from there! We had encountered some fog on the way and were afraid that it would ruin the trip for us, but once up on the glacier, there was sunshine and warmth!

Well, at least we Icelanders in the group felt warm ;)

We spent some time on the glacier enjoying the view and the fact that we were actually standing on the notorious Eyjafjallajökull volcano - and then returned back down to the truck. There is some hiking required, but it is an easy hike and so worth it.

Þórsmörk Valley

Þórsmörk valley

Þórsmörk is a beautiful nature reserve named after the Norse god, Þór, the God of Thunder.

The valley is a popular camping area, but also well known for its hiking, both short and long, as from Þórsmörk it is possible to go trekking up to Landmannalaugar, the pearl of the central highland, and up to Fimmvörðuháls pass where the Eyjafjallajökull eruption started in 2010.

Crossing the dangerous Krossá river

To reach Þórsmörk we had to cross several small rivers and one of the most notorious rivers in Iceland, Krossá river. 

Krossá river is an ice-cold glacial river, which changes its course frequently, which makes crossing it very difficult. Crossing it on the Procar truck was not that difficult though.

These glacial rivers are never to be crossed in a 2WD. Only full-size 4x4 jeeps can cross these rivers. 

Crossing Krossá river

I must say, being an Icelander and having listened to the news all my life on accidents at Krossá river, some of them fatal, that I crossed the river with trepidation.

Þórsmörk valley

We had lunch in Þórsmörk and wandered around this beautiful valley surrounded by rugged mountains, Þórsmörk is for sure one of the gems of Iceland. After the volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull in 2010, Þórsmörk was covered in thick layers of ash, but now it is as beautiful as ever.

Gígjökull glacier

Gígjökull glacier back in 2013 - it has shrunk a lot as you can see in my other travel-blog about Þórsmörk

On the way back from Þórsmörk we visited Eyjafjallajökull glacier again, this time Gígjökull glacier which is one of the outlets from Eyjafjallajökull. The volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull took place very close to Gígjökull. 

Water that flows from Gígjökull runs into Markarfljót river and before the eruption, there was a glacial lagoon in front of the glacier.

The sheer force of the eruption caused a massive glacier burst with incredible forceful flooding, which tore down the wall of the lagoon and filled it with eruption material, leaving the landscape there very different from what it was before the eruption.

By Gígjökull glacier

This is a very rugged area. Being there is just out of this world and one feels very small against such extreme forces of nature, thinking about what actually happened here during the Eyjafjallajökull eruption. I almost felt insecure about being in this area.

We crossed a small ice-cold river and had to jump on some rocks to be able to cross it. Two of the people in the group opted out (one of which was to become my husband a year later).

This way we were able to walk straight up to the glacier and visit an ice cave at the foot of the glacier. Even though it was not secure enough to enter the ice cave just standing in front of it peeking in was so worth the trip up there.

By the ice cave

It was now time to head back home. This had been a fantastic 5-hour tour and I left uplifted albeit a bit tired after an awesome day in Iceland's beautiful and rugged nature.

This was the first guided tour I joined back in 2013 and it is no longer operating. But there are several other similar guided tours, f.ex.:

Þórsmörk Valley - Super Jeep Day Tour about which I wrote another travel-blog when I joined their fab tour:

A wonderful Tour to Þórsmörk Valley in South-Iceland with Midgard Adventure

Then we have:

Eyjafjallajökull Super Jeep Tour 

Eyjafjallajökull & South Coast Tour 

Have a lovely time in Iceland :)