Years ago, I flew to Iceland for a springtime ski-touring trip. The plan was to ski some volcanoes around the southern end of the island. But the day I landed in Reykjavík, an ice cap atop a volcano called Eyjafjallajökull blew its lid dramatically. The eruption, which lasted weeks, was global news back in 2010 as heavy plumes of smoke and ash from the volcano shuttered airports throughout western Europe, essentially grounding everyone who tried to travel by air. The eruption was so big it ended up forming two additional mountains in Iceland’s topography.

Our ski plan was impacted by the eruption, too, but not in a bad way. Instead of heading south, we hit the road north, away from the eruption, and ended up skiing peaks along the rugged northern coast of Iceland that dropped down into the Greenland Sea. The lesson I learned from that trip? Iceland’s stunningly beautiful landscape is dotted with and dominated by volcanoes—and they’re always in charge.

Bucket-List Adventure: Up Close with Iceland’s Volcanoes

Getting up close and personal with a volcano in Iceland (maybe not while it’s erupting) should be a bucket-list adventure for anyone who appreciates the natural world. A guest at Eleven Deplar Farm, located on the remote Troll Peninsula in northern Iceland, should know that volcanoes will be an integral part of your experience. 

Iceland’s landscape is studded with volcanoes—the tiny island country is home to over 100 volcanoes and remains one of the world’s most active volcanic regions. (Fortunately, many of the eruptions happen underneath glaciers or in unpopulated areas.) Volcanic cones in Iceland generate a third of the earth’s total lava flow. There’s a reason this country is called the Land of Fire and Ice. The unique landscape makes for an adventure playground: In Iceland, you can scuba dive between two continental plates, visit geysers, hot springs, waterfalls, and glaciers, and hike up a volcanic peak.

Photography by Vilhelm Gunnarsson

Photography by Vilhelm Gunnarsson

Outdoor Adventures at Deplar Farm

At Deplar Farm, once a 15th century sheep farm and now an award-winning adventure lodge run by Eleven, you can heli-ski from a helipad right on the property to nearby snow-covered volcanic peaks, ride Icelandic horses across endless fields, or catch salmon and spot whales from a boat in a neighboring fjord. At night, enjoy farm-to-table meals and see the Northern Lights from a geothermally-heated pool. (Iceland generates some 30 percent of its electricity from geothermal sources, so those volcanoes help make clean energy, too.)

Deplar Farm, once a 15th century sheep farm

Heli-ski with views of the Atlantic

View the Northern Lights from a geothermally-heated pool

Aerial Tours: The Best Way to See Iceland’s Volcanoes

If volcanoes are what you’re after, there’s no better way to see them than from above. Many visitors come to Iceland to get a glimpse of the volcanic landscape. But as a guest at Deplar Farm, you can get even closer. Deplar Farm’s Experience Managers can arrange for a scenic helicopter tour of volcanoes in southern Iceland, where you’ll get an aerial view of Iceland’s otherworldly geology. Tours can take place around Reykjavík before or after your stay at Deplar Farm, or we can fly south during your stay (approximately 90-120 minutes each way) for a tour. 

Volcanic Impact on Travel to Deplar Farm

In the case of a volcanic eruption, we will be monitoring the latest information closely and will convey the most up-to-date guidance for travelers with any necessary information or impacts to travel that visitors should know. Currently, there are no volcanic eruptions happening in Iceland.

Get in touch with our team to learn more.