Iceland Volcano TourHverfjall Crater: The Climb Above Lake Myvatn
The Hverfjall crater is the flat-topped black ring east of Lake Myvatn, one of the largest tephra craters on earth and the easiest big volcanic feature in the north to climb. There is no gate and no ticket: the path up the north side is public and takes most people under half an hour. One guided listing exists, a $143 sunrise hike over two and a half hours, and it carries no reviews yet. This page covers what the crater is, what the guided version adds, and what else in the Myvatn field is worth the same money. Everything else is on Iceland volcano tour.
Quick answer Free to climb, and what the guided version adds
Hverfjall is free to climb and the walk up takes about 20 to 30 minutes on a marked path from the car park on the north side. The only guided listing is a $143 sunrise hike lasting 2.5 hours, with crampons issued when the ground needs them, and it has no published reviews yet. For most visitors the crater is a stop on a Myvatn day rather than a tour of its own.
Key takeaways
- The guided option is the sunrise hike at $143 for 2.5 hours, new enough to carry no reviews.
- Most people see Hverfjall on a lake loop: the Myvatn craters tour is $182 for 6 hours from Akureyri.
- The cave under the same field is Lofthellir, $399, one group a day.
- How the whole area fits together is on the Krafla and Myvatn page.
Hverfjall Crater Tours and the Myvatn Loops
One listing climbs the crater with a guide and the others pass it on a circuit of the lake. The crater itself charges nothing and needs no booking, so what you are paying for in every case is transport, timing or explanation. Figures current in Q3 2026.
from $143
Sunrise on the rim Hverfjall Crater Guided Sunrise Hike
New enough that it carries no reviews yet, which is worth knowing before you book. Crampons are handed out when the ground needs them.
- Sunrise from the rim of a tephra crater
- Panorama over the Lake Myvatn field
- Crampons issued when conditions require
- Two and a half hours in total
From Akureyri: Myvatn Lake, Craters and Waterfall Tour
Dimmuborgir is the stop that makes this one different from the plain lake tours, a field of lava pillars left when a lava lake drained out from under its own crust.
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation 24h
- Operator
- BusTravel Iceland
from $188
North Iceland classic Lake Myvatn, Hot Springs and Godafoss Waterfall Tour from Akureyri
The standard north Iceland day, and the one that reaches the Krafla volcanic area's surface features without a highland vehicle. A packed sandwich and water come with the ticket.
- Lake Myvatn and its pseudo craters
- Namaskard geothermal field
- Godafoss waterfall
- Packed meal and water included
What Hverfjall Is
A tephra ring, not a lava cone, which is why it looks the way it does.
One Eruption, One Shape
Hverfjall is a tuff ring built by a single explosive eruption when magma met groundwater. Steam blasts threw fragmented rock outwards, and it settled into a near-perfect circular rampart with a wide flat floor inside.
That is why there is no lava flow attached to it and no cone in the middle. The Viator listing that sells the climb calls it one of the largest tephra craters on earth, which is the phrase the local operators use as well.
The Climb
The path runs up the north side from a car park on the track east of the lake. It is steep for about 20 to 30 minutes on loose black gravel, and then the rim is flat and walkable, with the option of going right round.
From the top the whole Myvatn volcanic field opens: the pseudo craters on the lake, the Dimmuborgir lava pillars below, the steam at Namaskard on the pass, and the Krafla system beyond. This is the best single view of what this area actually is.
The Guided Sunrise Hike
One listing, no reviews yet, and a reason it might still be worth it.
What the Listing Sells
The tour is $143 for 2.5 hours, described as an early hike for sunrise from the top, with crampons issued when the ground requires them. It is run by the same company as the Lofthellir cave tour.
It carries no published reviews, which is worth knowing at this price. A new listing is not a bad listing, but there is no record to read before you book.
What You Are Paying For
Not access, since the crater is free. You are paying for the timing and the transport: being at the rim at sunrise in winter means leaving in the dark on a track that is not obvious, and crampons matter more than people expect on frozen tephra.
In summer, when sunrise is at an hour nobody wants and the path is dry, the honest answer is to drive yourself and walk up. In winter, with a low sun and ice on the path, the guided version earns its price.
Doing It Without a Tour
The practical route, for anyone with a car.
Where to Park and What to Wear
The car park sits on the track running east of the lake below the north face, and the path from it is the only marked route up. Walking on the outer slopes off the path damages the tephra and is discouraged.
Boots with grip are the thing to bring. Loose volcanic gravel on a slope behaves like scree, and trainers turn a 25-minute walk into a slide. In winter add microspikes or take the guided version, which supplies them.
Fitting It Into a Day
Hverfjall sits inside a cluster: Dimmuborgir is a few minutes away, the pseudo craters at Skutustadir are on the south shore, and Namaskard is over the pass east. A car covers all four in a morning.
Without a car, the six-hour lake loops from Akureyri at $182 and $188 cover the same ground with commentary, though they view Hverfjall rather than climb it. Both are compared on the Krafla and Myvatn page.
Sources: Icelandic Met Office, Safetravel
Hverfjall Crater Questions
Is there an entrance fee for Hverfjall?
No. The crater is open ground with a marked path and no gate. What the tours sell is transport, timing and explanation.
How long does it take to climb?
About 20 to 30 minutes up the marked path on the north side, then as long as you like on the flat rim.
Is the guided tour worth it?
In winter, for the sunrise timing and the crampons, plausibly. In summer, with a car, you can do the same walk for nothing. The listing is the sunrise hike at $143.
Can you walk around the rim?
Yes, the rim is flat and walkable. Stay on the marked paths on the slopes: loose tephra erodes where people cut their own routes.
What else is nearby?
Dimmuborgir, the pseudo craters at Skutustadir, the Namaskard geothermal field and the Lofthellir ice cave. A day's worth, all within 20 minutes.
Is Hverfjall an active volcano?
It was built by a single explosive eruption and has not erupted since. The active system in this area is Krafla, described on the Krafla and Myvatn page.
Can you go inside the crater?
The floor is open ground and people do walk down into it, but the marked route is the rim path and the north-side climb, and the loose tephra on the inner walls erodes badly where people cut their own way. Treat the rim as the tour and the floor as somewhere to look at. The other big features of this field are compared on the Krafla and Myvatn page.