Thrihnukagigur Volcano HikeHafnarfjordur, Iceland

Some countries have a couple of beautiful natural attractions and then you have Iceland, which seems to have one around every corner. The best thing is that the extraordinary Nordic country last week threw open its doors to travellers, meaning we can all take in these unbelievable experiences once again.

Iceland experiences frequent volcanic activity, due to its location both on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. One of these is Thrihnukagigur, which last erupted around 4,000 years ago. Phewph! Wipe the sweat from your brow - that was a close one.

The underground volcano was only discovered in 1974, and has only more recently been open for travellers to walk/scale down its depths.

Harnessed in though you are, travelling  120 metres down a colourful magma chamber is as much epic as it is disconcerting. It is not the height or the crazily coloured rock formations that are lit up from a man-made lighting system that is most striking, but the sheer depth of the cavern that exists on the inside - big enough easily fit the Statue of Liberty inside. If you've ever felt slightly insignificant when looking at the size of the Indian Ocean, Thrihnukagigur will give you the same feeling.

Perhaps most unnerving is when guides turn the lights - all of them - off, to leave you a hundred or so metres deep inside a volcano without any shred of light.

*Editor's note: Although get lost have been to this site, we are still none the wiser on how to pronounce Thrihnukagigur. Best to consult an Icelander here. 

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