Kverkfjoll

Kverkfjoll is a volcanic system on the northern edge of Vatnajokull where geothermal heat meets the ice directly, and the result is one of the largest hot-spring areas in the country sitting under and inside a glacier. Hot water flowing beneath the ice has melted caves at the glacier snout, which steam in cold air; they have been visited for decades but they collapse and reform, and entering them has become far more restricted as the risk has been better understood. Above the snout is Hveradalur, a valley of steaming ground surrounded by ice. The hut at Sigurdarskali is the base, and the area is well inside Vatnajokull National Park.

The landscape

• Hot springs under a glacier - one of the largest such areas in Iceland.
• Caves melted from inside - steaming at the snout, and unstable.
• Hveradalur above - steaming ground ringed by ice.
• A hut and nothing else - Sigurdarskali is the only base.

When to go

July to August, the narrow window when the tracks are passable. Two days.

Before you go

The rivers on the approach are among the more difficult in the highlands and should not be attempted without experience. Cave entry is restricted or prohibited depending on conditions - roofs collapse. Glacier travel needs a guide. There is no signal and no quick rescue.

Nearby

Askja and Holuhraun are north-west; Myvatn is the nearest town base.

Key facts