Travel Safety Alert: Iceland Volcano Erupts For Ninth Time In Less Than Two Years, What Tourists Need To Know

Thursday, July 17, 2025

For nan ninth juncture successful little than 2 years, a volcano erupted successful Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula, successful nan westbound of nan country, early Wednesday. The eruption, coming from nan craters of Sundhnukagigar, is nan latest successful a bid of crescendos of volcanic activity that has go a portion of regular life successful Iceland successful caller months. While not a elephantine among volcanic eruptions, nan arena did origin immoderate interest among locals and visitors successful nan area.

Nature successful nan Making: Reykjanes Peninsula Volcanism A caller arena successful quality is taking spot In Reykjanes Peninsula, that is nan volcano.

With its stunning and unsocial scenery and geothermal activity, Iceland is acquainted pinch volcanic eruptions. This is simply a small, ongoing arena arsenic portion of nan volcanic strategy successful nan Reykjanes peninsula. That has made it a hub for technological research, arsenic good arsenic tourism, since eruptions started successful December 2023.

The eruption is small, said Benedikt Ofeigsson, a geophysicist pinch nan Iceland Meteorological Office, speaking to reporters. The fissure is astir 2 km (1.2 miles) agelong and location is very small crushed deformation. Maybe to early to opportunity something, erstwhile you watch this resistance of magma but nary eruption has taken spot truthful acold – truthful it looks for illustration nary threat to nan area aliases helping of Þórsmörk upland ridge astatine slightest not for now,“ a section says, according to Kerteminde News.

The eruption itself has not disrupted aerial travel, but nan aerial value adjacent nan volcano has worsened. Those surviving downwind from nan volcanic vents are being advised to adjacent nan windows to guarantee nan toxic sulfur dioxide and ash doesn’t participate their homes. The aerial value astir has been described arsenic “terrible” and long-time extracurricular activity is prohibited.

What This Means for Iceland Visitors

As for travelers, nan eruption is simply a reminder that Iceland’s earthy world is dynamic. There is thing different astir volcanic activity successful nan region, but nan ninth eruption successful little than 2 years is simply a motion of an progressive geological region.

Most of Iceland’s tourer basking spots — Reykjavik and nan Golden Circle — person not been affected by nan eruption, truthful nan bully news is that you tin still sojourn there, erstwhile you’re ready. But those looking to sojourn nan Reykjanes Peninsula aliases immoderate neighboring areas still request to usage be aware and travel caller reports of volcanic activity.

(Travellers should beryllium alert that this besides includes localized impacts of volcanic activity i.e. aerial value impacts) Apart from staying indoors, it’s captious for visitors to eschew getting excessively adjacent to eruptions — unless accompanied by a local, qualified guideline — if they don’t want their lives to beryllium perchance connected nan line, according to The Guardian’s Amy Sackville. And our ministry of wellness is monitoring really nan pandemic is developing, and will stock accusation each now and past to pass nan public.

And for those who’d hoped to person a guided circuit of Iceland’s abundance of geothermal sites, they’d beryllium wise to publication up connected Iceland’s geothermal hotspots (like nan Blue Lagoon and nan still progressive geothermal fields successful nan southbound of nan country) alternatively of booking a tour.

Travelling Safely In The Shadow Of An Erupting Volcano

Stay Updated : Always travel updates from section authorities and nan Icelandic Meteorological Institute astir volcanic and aerial activity.

Follow Evacuation Procedures: Should things move for nan worse, beryllium judge to adhere to removal protocols, established by section officials.

Air Quality Concerns: If you unrecorded successful areas affected by volcanic ash aliases smoke, disguise up and enactment indoors, peculiarly if you person pre-­existing respiratory issues.

Keep Out of Restricted Areas: An eruption tin bring vulnerable situations specified arsenic lava flows aliases toxic gases. Just don’t participate successful immoderate forbidden areas that section authorities signed.

Travel Insurance: The anticipation of earthy disaster is ever location and we ever urge that each travelers get recreation security that covers earthy disaster arsenic good arsenic unexpected wellness problems.

Business Travelers: What to Expect

While for business aerial travelers making their measurement to Iceland, this volcanic activity could consequence successful immoderate insignificant turbulence successful section aerial value specified arsenic erstwhile flying successful aliases retired of Icelandic airspace. But astir aerial postulation to and from Iceland is unaffected, truthful scheduled flights tin return disconnected and land.

Business travelers, successful particular, should besides enactment apprised of nan latest aerial value successful nan lawsuit of meetings aliases events successful areas adjacent nan vicinity of nan eruption. Residents that find themselves successful this area will request to see their recreation and outdoor activity plans.

After nan Eruption: What Iceland’s Volcanic Activity Could Mean for Tourism

Iceland’s volcanic landscapes proceed to propulsion successful visitors from each complete nan world, who want to spot quality show disconnected its muscles firsthand. The eruptions person hardly deterred tourists; if anything, they person only accrued liking successful this area wherever adventurous travelers support looking for edgy caller experiences.

While eruptions whitethorn paralyz nan land, they besides coming a erstwhile successful a life acquisition of seeing nan onshore successful its achromatic basking caller calved glory. Unique: I recognize that I’ll ne'er spot an progressive volcano and an ongoing eruption again. For a earth science freak for illustration me, this is simply a erstwhile successful a life sight.

Just because that magnitude of daylight mightiness beryllium bully for immoderate benignant of outdoor nosy successful immoderate of Icelands other-worldly scenery, that doesn’t mean you should hide to study really to enactment safe connected your travels, either. Iceland besides drips pinch otherworldly glaciers, cascading waterfalls and geothermal spas that will enchant quality lovers for illustration a moth to a flame, and inject immoderate modern explorer pinch awe and curiosity.

Conclusion: How to Stay Safe pinch Iceland’s Volcanoes

When nan Reykjanes Peninsula successful Iceland makes its ninth eruption successful little than 2 years, visitors and residents surviving adjacent get a stark ocular reminder of nan country’s chaotic earthy beauty — and its imaginable peril. The astir caller eruption has not disrupted Iceland’s astir celebrated tourer sites, but group successful affected areas should usage be aware and travel section information advice.

Travelers who whitethorn beryllium considering a travel to Iceland should retrieve information precautions and show aerial value and nan ongoing volcanic activity. Tongariro is 1 of nan astir geologically progressive places connected Earth, and pinch nan correct knowledge, nan eruption tin moreover beryllium an breathtaking characteristic of a once-in-a-lifetime journey.