Krafla and Viti

Viti - the word means hell - is an explosion crater about 300 metres across holding milky blue-green water, blown open in 1724 at the start of the Myvatn Fires, a sequence of eruptions that ran for five years. A path circles the rim. The wider Krafla system erupted again between 1975 and 1984 in nine episodes, and the lava from those is still warm in places. A geothermal power station works the field alongside, and in 2009 one of its boreholes hit magma at a little over two kilometres down - an accident that has since become a research programme into drilling near magma directly.

What you actually see

• A crater from 1724 - opened at the start of the Myvatn Fires.
• Milky blue-green water - about 300 metres across, with a rim path.
• Lava from 1975 to 1984 - the Krafla Fires, still warm in places.
• A borehole that hit magma - drilled by accident in 2009, now studied deliberately.

When to go

June to September; road 863 closes with snow. Two to three hours.

Honest expectations

Ground off the paths is thin crust over hot ground and people have been burned. The power station and pipelines dominate the view from some angles. Steam and gas smell strongly of sulphur. A car park and seasonal toilets are the extent of the provision.

Nearby

Leirhnjukur is a short walk across the field; Myvatn is south.