Iceland is an ever popular destination with tourists due to it’s black sand beaches, glaciers and it’s blue lagoon.
But if you’re planning on travelling there in the coming days or weeks, the recent volcanic eruptions in the Reykjanes peninsula may have you questioning your travel plans.
The eruption began shortly after 9pm local time on August 22, after strong earthquakes spewing lava out of a four kilometre fissure.
While it’s about an hour and 15 minute drive from Reykjavik, if you’re looking to venture outside the Icelandic capital, you’ll need to be cautious.
So when it comes to catching flights, where you can stay and what areas are affected, here’s everything you need to know…
Where did the volcanic eruption in Iceland happen?
Sundhnúksgígar is a row of craters in southwest Iceland where the fissure volcano began to erupt on Thursday evening.
Before recent eruptions which began back in December, the volcanic system there had been dormant for nearly 800 years.
It’s just northeast of the town of Grindavík which has been evacuated, although it’s been largely empty since eruptions began last year.
The southwest is one of the most popular areas of Iceland for tourists, offering waterfalls, glaciers, hot springs and small fishing towns.
Is it safe to travel to Iceland?
Despite being just 20km north of the eruption site, Keflavik International Airport – Iceland’s main international airport – is open and inbound and outbound flights are still running.
The airport said in a statement: ‘Recent volcanic activity in Iceland has not disrupted air travel. Flights to and from Iceland are operating normally despite the ongoing eruption.’
Volcanic ash has the potential to damage plane engines which poses a risk to flight travel – however this isn’t a concern in this instance.
Countries haven’t issued -no-go’ travel warnings for Iceland, so travel companies are operating as usual.
If you’d feel safer cancelling your flight and visiting Iceland another time, you won’t have an automatic right to a refund because the airlines aren’t at fault.
Is it safe to visit the Blue Lagoon and Grindavík?
For many of you visiting Iceland the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa will be on your bucket list – however it’s located near the eruption site.
Despite closing initially on August 23, the Blue Lagoon is currently open and fully operational – so you can still go ahead with your visit as planned.
The establishment said it has ways to monitor the surrounding air quality to ensure all guests are safe.
According to Safe Travel Iceland though, the town of Grindavík and the surrounding areas and roads are closed.
Travellers are advised to respect all closures and stay away from the area while everything is being assessed.
You’ll be unable to drive any further than the Blue Lagoon toward the small coastal town, for your own safety.
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