We took the āVolcano Adventure from Reykjavikā day tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and helpful on the drive over, however, the hike itself was entirely self-led. The site was not completely ready for visitors (there was a tractor actively digging pathways as we were walking) and the trail is on private property so there arenāt any park rangers to help if you get stuck.
On our particular day visiting there was no magma visible, but our guide told us that we could either walk down around the lava field or hike up the mountain ridge to get a view of the volcanic crater. The winds that day were very high, and although we were told that it would be quite windy on the ridge, we were not adequately prepared for how dangerous the wind would be. The wind speed on the hike was so high that many people had to crouch in place to avoid being blown over, and the majority of the hikers we spoke with had to give up and turn back, which we also did after feeling that we could not safely complete the hike despite being in good physical shape. Of our own group, only 2 of the 16 people completed the hike.
While we enjoyed being able to see the lava field up close, it was definitely unfortunate to feel like we were not in a safe situation for the hike. We understand that the Icelandic weather is unpredictable and out of anyone's control, however, the description of the tour did not appropriately explain how challenging the hike might be. We appreciate that interest in the volcano is new and developing, and that there is not much infrastructure in place to support tourism there right now, but wanted to provide this honest feedback so that other travelers can enjoy the sight with realistic expectations.