![Santa Claus standing on a black volcanic slope overlooking a glacier in Iceland, surrounded by snowy mountains and reflecting icy waters, capturing the unique blend of Christmas spirit and Icelandic nature.](https://campeasy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Santa-Claus-at-glacier-in-Iceland.jpg?w=1024)
![Santa Claus standing on a black volcanic slope overlooking a glacier in Iceland, surrounded by snowy mountains and reflecting icy waters, capturing the unique blend of Christmas spirit and Icelandic nature.](https://campeasy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Santa-Claus-at-glacier-in-Iceland.jpg?w=1024)
Get to know Iceland
The new volcano eruption in Iceland began at 13:17 local time on August 3 2022 and is merely a reflection of what is about to become in next decades. Eruption stoped for now. Hot magma was flowing, gushing and blasting into the air from the depths of the earth only 40 minutes’ drive from the CampEasy base. A new lava field has once again formed on the island, created by flowing molten rock.
By Icelandic standards it could be called a Touristic Eruption, which means a safe and somewhat predictable eruption. Believe it or not, it is very uncommon in Iceland to have such a nice and safe volcano eruption. Usually, we get eruptions deep in the highlands full of poisonous gases and ash clouds, or below glaciers, impossible to approach by an ordinary human being. However, the Meradalir Volcano is a very slow, basaltic based eruption.
Photo by Filip Polach (West Side of the crater)
Thousands of people visit the eruption site almost every day, depending on the weather and winds. The wind direction impacts whether gas pollution from the volcano blows over the best hiking trails or is blown safely away. The yellow dots on the map below are hiking trails. We strongly recommend TRAIL A.
There is no infrastructure on the hiking trail – no toilets!
Pages we recommend to check:
Photo by Filip Polach (North-West side of the crater)
Although the area had been volcanically dormant for centuries, this second eruption might be the beginning of decades of volcanic activity in the Reykjanes Peninsula. We recommend visiting the eruption site as soon as possible because in geological time, you never know when the next volcanic activity will be.
The parking fee is 1000 ISK ( 8 USD) and can be paid electronically at Parka.is. The payment is valid for 24 hours. There are signs at the parking lots with all the instructions. Do not park illegally or by the side of the road, this can cause dangerous driving conditions!
There are currently two parking lots that you can choose from, Parking P1 (CampEasy Recommends) or Parking P2. You will need to pick the correct payment site accordingly:
There are two camping sites close to the volcano eruption. You can park your van close by in a town called Grindavik (15 minutes drive from P1) or another one in 20 minutes drive from P1 – Strandakirkja Camping.
We wish you all a safe journey to the volcano eruption in Meladalir and a fun experience of an absolutely magnificent show.
CampEasy Opening hours 08:00-16:30
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