Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
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Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Lakagígar (the Laki craters) is a long row of more than 130 volcanic craters formed in the 1783–1784 Skaftáreldar eruption, one of the most devastating in recorded history. It lies within Vatnajökull National Park in the southern Highlands, reached only by the F206 highland road, open in summer and requiring a large 4x4. Allow a full day for the drive and a walk among the craters.
What are the Laki craters? In June 1783 a volcanic fissure opened here and erupted for eight months, sending out huge amounts of lava and toxic gas. Sources give the length of the crater row as anything from 25 to over 29 km, depending on how it is measured, and the national park counts more than 130 craters. The eruption is known in Icelandic as Skaftáreldar (the Skaftá Fires).
The effects were severe. Ash and gas poisoned the grazing land, more than half of Iceland's livestock died, and the famine that followed killed between a fifth and a quarter of the population. The sulphur haze spread across Europe, where it damaged crops and health and is linked to thousands of deaths. Some historians suggest the food shortages that followed added to the unrest that led to the French Revolution.
Today Lakagígar is a chain of craters covered in thick grey-green moss, with Mount Laki itself in the middle offering a wide view over the crater row. A marked visitor trail lets you walk among the craters and see the scale of the fissure, while the wider landscape of lava fields, rivers and highland desert gives a sense of how remote and empty this part of Iceland is.
Where is Laki located? The craters lie in the southern Highlands, inland from Kirkjubæjarklaustur and south-west of the Vatnajökull ice cap, in the same volcanic belt as Eldgjá and Landmannalaugar further west. The area is only reachable in summer, and the mountain tracks include several unbridged rivers.
It is a place for people who like geology, photography, walking and history in equal measure. You come for a full day, you see few other people, and you leave with a clear picture of what one eruption did to a whole country.
The Laki eruption is considered one of the deadliest in history. Poisonous gas and ash, known as the 'haze famine', killed most of Iceland's livestock and between a fifth and a quarter of the population through starvation and disease in the years that followed. The ash cloud spread over Europe and is thought to have affected weather and harvests as far away as North Africa and Asia.
The local pastor Jón Steingrímsson, known as the 'Fire Priest', is remembered for a sermon he gave as lava approached the village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur; the flow is said to have stopped before reaching the church.
The road is only open in summer, roughly late June to September depending on conditions, and can close again quickly if the weather turns. Check road status on umferdin.is or with the national park before setting out, and never attempt the river crossings alone or in a small car.
There are two ways in: drive yourself, or go with a guide in a super jeep. Both take a full day.
Tours usually set off in the morning, around 9:00, and return in the early evening.
The stops below are in the order most visitors meet them on the way in and out.
The national park marks several trails. Times are for the walk only.
Ask the ranger at Laki about conditions before a longer walk. Fog comes in quickly and the terrain looks alike in every direction.
There is nowhere to buy anything once you leave the Ring Road.
Bring warm layers and a waterproof jacket and trousers, even on a sunny morning. Wear hiking boots, as the trails are loose volcanic gravel. Pack lunch, snacks and plenty of water for a full day. A camera is worth its weight here. Sunglasses and sunscreen are useful too: the highland sun is strong in summer and there is no shade. Self-drivers should start with a full tank and carry a paper map.
Outside summer, Lakagígar is completely cut off by snow and closed rivers. Even in July, expect weather that changes quickly: bring layers, waterproofs and sturdy boots.
For such a remote place there is more than you might expect. There is a ranger station at Laki in summer, with toilets and picnic tables there and at Tjarnargígur. Blágil has a campsite and hut. There is no food, fuel or shop anywhere on the route. The Skaftárstofa visitor centre in Kirkjubæjarklaustur has information on the area, and that town has fuel, food and accommodation.
Kirkjubæjarklaustur is the practical base, with guesthouses, hotels and fuel, and the starting point for the drive up the F206.
A row of more than 130 craters along a volcanic fissure that erupted for eight months in 1783–1784. The eruption, Skaftáreldar, caused a famine in Iceland and a haze that affected weather and harvests across Europe.
In the southern Highlands of Iceland, inside Vatnajökull National Park, about 45–50 km inland from Kirkjubæjarklaustur on the F206.
Yes, a large 4x4 is required. The F206 has several river crossings that a standard car or small SUV cannot safely manage.
Only in summer, typically from mid or late June until sometime in September, depending on snow and river conditions that year.
Yes, super jeep tours run from Kirkjubæjarklaustur and elsewhere for visitors who do not want to drive the highland road themselves.
About 2 km and 1 to 1.5 hours there and back, with a climb of roughly 200 m.
Yes. The national park has toilets and picnic tables at Laki and at Tjarnargígur.
No, entry is free, though this is a remote area with few services, so come prepared.
Tours and trips that include Lakagígar, booked directly with a local travel agency in Iceland.
