Eyjafjallajokull Tour: Every Way to Visit the 2010 Volcano

The Volcano Behind the 2010 Shutdown

Eyjafjallajokull is the volcano whose 2010 eruption sent an ash cloud over Europe and closed airspace across the continent. That event is why the name is famous and why people ask about it years later. The mountain has not erupted since.

There is no live lava here now, and no listing on this page promises a view of an eruption. What you get is the mountain itself: an ice cap covering the summit crater, glacier tongues spilling down its flanks, and the green Thorsmork valley on its north side.

Why You Cannot Walk Up It

This is the fact that changes most plans. The summit crater sits under a glacier, and no tour sold on this site includes a walking route to it. That is why every Eyjafjallajokull tour here is a vehicle trip: a snowmobile across the ice, or a super jeep on the mountain tracks. If you want to hike on volcanic terrain, the realistic alternatives are the cooled lava fields of the Reykjanes peninsula or the inside of a dormant volcano at Thrihnukagigur, where you descend into the magma chamber by crane.

One warning from the mountain's own backyard. ICE-SAR's Safetravel service warns that conditions on the Fimmvorduhals hiking trail are dangerous and advises people not to hike it while they stay that way. That trail runs between Eyjafjallajokull and Myrdalsjokull, so check safety during an eruption and current alerts before planning any self-guided walk in this area.

• No walking route to the summit crater is sold by any operator here
• Every listed option uses a snowmobile or a super jeep
• The Fimmvorduhals trail is currently flagged as dangerous by Safetravel

The Bru Base Camp

Three of the four tours start at the same place. Southcoast Adventure's base camp, Bru, sits about 7 km along road 249 past Seljalandsfoss. None of the three shared trips offers hotel pickup, so you drive there yourself or arrange your own transport.

The meeting point for the snowmobile trip is listed as Hvolsvollur, with the base camp near Seljalandsfoss as the on-site location. Only the private Arctic Trucks trip collects you from your hotel lobby.

What You Pay and What Is Included

Prices range widely because the products are different shapes. The snowmobile trip at $250 is the entry point, and the private full-day super jeep at $1,868 is priced for the vehicle, which only makes sense split between a group. Lunch is included on just one trip, the Thorsmork day from Vik. On the others you bring your own food. All four listings offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start.

The table gathers the inclusions so you can see what the money buys. For a wider view of glacier trips elsewhere on the south coast, the Katla ice cave tours under the neighbouring Myrdalsjokull glacier are the closest comparison.

Snowmobile on the Ice Cap

The snowmobile trip is the only way to stand on the ice cap that covers the crater. A super jeep takes you 35 minutes up the mountain, you ride the snowmobile for about an hour, then 35 minutes back down. It lasts 3 hours in total and costs $250.

No experience is needed, but you must dress for the glacier, and warm outdoor clothing and hiking boots are on you, not the operator. Passengers can ride from 6 years old, and a driving licence is required to ride your own snowmobile. This suits people who want the actual ice under them and are happy to drive a machine in cold wind.

Super Jeep Up the Slopes

The super jeep trip is the driving option on the mountain itself. It runs 5 hours from the Bru base camp and costs $404, with views over the south coast and the Westman Islands from the slopes. It is suitable for all fitness levels because you stay in the vehicle, and infant seats are available.

The honest caveats: the listing is not recommended during pregnancy or with spinal injuries because the track is rough, and it has only 8 reviews so far, so the sample is small. This suits people who want the mountain without a machine to control.

Thorsmork by Super Jeep

The Thorsmork day skips the upper mountain and goes behind it instead. Thorsmork sits behind river crossings that keep ordinary cars out, which is exactly what the super jeep is for. The trip lasts 6 hours, costs $322, is capped at 14 participants and includes a light lunch.

Children under 6 are not accepted, and river levels decide the route and can cancel the day entirely. You also pass a glacier tongue of Eyjafjallajokull. This suits travellers who care more about the valley landscape than the summit.

Private Full-Day Combination

The private trip with Arctic Trucks Experience is the deep version. It runs 10 hours, costs $1,868 for the vehicle, and covers both the Thorsmork valley and the Eyjafjallajokull massif with glacier river crossings on mountain roads. The jeep runs on 38-inch tyres or bigger.

Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, infants sit on an adult's lap, and the difficulty is listed as suitable for all fitness levels. You bring warm outdoor clothing, good shoes and snacks for the whole day, since no lunch is included. Split between four or five people it becomes competitive with the shared trips, and it is the only option from this list that starts at your hotel.

What You Will Not See

Set expectations now. You will not see lava, because the mountain has not erupted since 2010 and there is no active eruption flowing anywhere at the time of writing. You will not stand in the summit crater, because the glacier covers it and no operator sells a walking route.

Access to any live eruption site in Iceland is decided by the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, not by the tour operator, so no company can promise what will be open. If seeing fresh lava matters to you, the realistic options are the Reykjanes eruption sites, a helicopter flight over the new crater rows, or an indoor lava show.

Who Should Not Go

The super jeep track is rough, so the 5-hour mountain trip is not recommended during pregnancy or with spinal injuries. The Thorsmork day does not accept children under 6, while the snowmobile trip takes passengers from 6 but needs a driving licence for anyone riding their own machine. Glacier conditions cancel snowmobile rides at short notice, and river levels can cancel the Thorsmork day.

If any of those applies to your group, read the cancellation terms before booking and keep the 24-hour free cancellation window in mind. The emergency number in Iceland is 112, and ICE-SAR publishes 599-0112 as a backup line.

Season and Conditions

The facts pack does not publish fixed opening seasons for these tours, so availability follows the operators' calendars rather than a stated date range. What is stated is the weather logic. Snowmobile rides depend on glacier conditions and cancel at short notice.

The Thorsmork route depends on river levels, which change with rain and glacial melt. The private full day simply asks you to bring warm layers, good shoes and snacks for the whole day. Dress for wind and cold whatever the calendar says, and the guide to what to wear on a volcano hike covers the kit list.

For other highland volcano country with a stated season, see the Askja and Viti crater page or the Landmannalaugar highland routes.

The Ash Cloud That Closed Europe

In 2010 an eruption at Eyjafjallajokull sent an ash cloud over Europe and closed airspace across the continent. The explosion itself came from beneath an ice cap, and the meltwater and ash mix turned a local eruption into a global disruption. Millions of travellers learned a name many could not pronounce, and the mountain became one of the most recognisable volcanoes on earth.

The event also explains the shape of the tour market. The summit crater sits under a glacier and no listing on this site sells a walking route to it, so every option is a vehicle of some kind. You ride up in a super jeep or on a snowmobile rather than hiking to a rim. The 2010 eruption is the one that closed European airspace, and the mountain has not erupted since, so what you are visiting is a cooled, ice-covered volcano with a famous recent past. For context on how Iceland handles volcanic events now, see the guide to safety during an eruption.

What That History Means for Visitors

The fame is the reason an Iceland volcano tour on this mountain exists at all. Operators such as Southcoast Adventure run trips from the Bru base camp about 7 km along road 249 past Seljalandsfoss, and the 2010 story is part of the pitch on every listing. Guides talk through the eruption and its consequences as you climb the slopes.

Keep expectations honest. There is no lava, no fresh crater and no visible eruption, since the mountain has been quiet since 2010. What you get is the terrain itself, the glacier, the valley of Thorsmork behind the river crossings, and a guide who lived through the shutdown and can describe it first hand. That is a different product from the fresh lava fields on the Reykjanes peninsula. If cooled lava hikes interest you, compare them in our Fagradalsfjall coverage before choosing. The Eyjafjallajokull trips sell history, height and ice, not glowing rock, and the best listings say so plainly.

The Glacier Routes Above the Base Camp

The two mountain options start at the same place but deliver different days. The snowmobile trip is the fastest way onto the ice cap. A super jeep takes 35 minutes up the mountain road, you ride the snowmobile for about an hour, then 35 minutes back down. It costs $250, lasts 3 hours and needs no experience, though a driving licence is required to ride your own machine and passengers can be as young as 6. The surface is snow and ice, wind is normal, and glacier conditions can cancel rides at short notice.

The super jeep drive is slower and steadier. It runs 5 hours for $404, starts at the Bru base camp 7 km along road 249 past Seljalandsfoss and suits all fitness levels because you never leave the vehicle. The track up is rough, so the listing advises against it during pregnancy or with spinal injuries. Views stretch over the south coast and the Westman Islands. Choose the snowmobile if you want motion and speed on the ice, the jeep if you want the climb without holding handlebars in the wind. Both are vehicle trips with no walking to the crater.

The Thorsmork Valley Days

The third option never climbs the ice cap at all. Thorsmork sits behind river crossings that keep ordinary cars out, which is exactly what the super jeep days are for. The shared trip from Vik costs $322 for 6 hours, caps the group at 14 participants and includes a light lunch, but children under 6 are not accepted. The track is rough and the river levels decide the route, so water can reshape or cancel the day. Along the way you see a glacier tongue of Eyjafjallajokull from below rather than standing on the ice above.

The private alternative is the Eyjafjallajokull and Thorsmork Experience, a 10-hour day in a modified super jeep on 38-inch tyres or bigger, priced at $1,868 with hotel pickup and drop-off included. It is priced for the vehicle rather than the seat, so it only makes sense split between a group, and the river crossings are the point of the day. Compare the numbers in the side by side table, then pick your trip from the full tour list. Valley or ice cap is the real choice here.

Clothing That Works on Ice and Rough Track

Icelandic operators are blunt about clothing, and the listings here repeat one message: warm outdoor clothing and good shoes are on you, not on them. The snowmobile card says it directly, and the private full-day combination asks for warm outdoor clothing, good shoes and snacks for the whole day. Think in layers. A wool or synthetic base layer, an insulating mid layer and a windproof waterproof shell cope with the range of conditions on an exposed glacier track. Cotton jeans and fashion jackets get wet and stay wet when the wind drives rain sideways.

Footwear matters as much as coats. Hiking boots with ankle support handle the rough ground at the base camp and the short walks at photo stops. On the snowmobile, cold comes from wind speed rather than air temperature, so cover every inch of skin. If you want a fuller packing approach that also covers lava-field hikes, our separate guide on what to wear on a volcano hike goes into detail that applies here too.

What Operators Provide and What They Do Not

Do not assume gear is included. Across the four tours listed here, the pack shows no lunch on the snowmobile, super jeep or private day trips, and drinks are not stated on any of them. Only the shared Thorsmork day includes food, a light lunch, and even there drinks are not stated. Snacks and water are therefore your job, especially on the 10-hour private combination, where the listing tells you to bring enough for the whole day.

Nobody on these listings states that overalls, helmets or boots are provided, so ask the operator before you go and budget for rental if needed. Weather is the other provision question. Glacier conditions cancel snowmobile rides at short notice, and river levels can reshape or end a Thorsmork day, so keep the free 24-hour cancellation window in mind when you book. All four tours list free cancellation 24 hours before the start, which is the practical safety net when a south coast forecast turns. Book warm, book flexible, and the mountain will do the rest.