Reykjanes Peninsula eruptions: your trip, flights and rental car

The situation as of 11 November 2026

Since March 2021, the Reykjanes Peninsula has had twelve eruptions: three at Fagradalsfjall, in 2021, 2022 and 2023, then nine on the Sundhnúkur crater row north of Grindavík, between December 2023 and August 2025. The latest began on 16 July 2025 and ended on 5 August 2025. In its update of 10 November 2026, the Icelandic Met Office reports:

• Magma is still accumulating beneath Svartsengi, shown by steady ground uplift; seismic activity is very low.
• A magma intrusion, which could lead to an eruption, remains the most likely scenario. The time of the next event can't be predicted, and the warning could still be short: before earlier eruptions on the crater row it ranged from about 20 minutes to a few hours, and clear signs can't be expected in the days before an eruption.
• The Reykjanes–Svartsengi volcanic system stays at alert level 2 (orange). On the hazard map issued on 30 September 2026, Grindavík is in the considerable (orange) hazard category and Svartsengi, where the Blue Lagoon is, in the moderate (yellow) one.
• Grindavík is open and at Civil Protection's uncertainty phase; no evacuation is needed at present (town update of 14 September 2026). Grindavík and the Blue Lagoon were evacuated as a precaution when the July 2025 eruption began, and both have since reopened.

Where to check live, on the day you drive near Grindavík or the Blue Lagoon:

Flights to and from Keflavík Airport

According to the Icelandic government, the eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula have not affected air travel to and from Iceland. When the latest began on 16 July 2025, Keflavík Airport reported flights operating normally and on schedule, and the Met Office said the eruption produced no ash and so did not affect air traffic.

Past eruptions are no promise for the next one: if an eruption starts before your flight, check its status with Keflavík Airport or your airline. If your arrival is delayed, tell us as soon as you can. The car must be collected within two hours of the booked pickup time, or the booking may be treated as a no-show; we try to hold it for a delay reported in advance (rental terms, clause 10).

Roads near the eruption area

The eruptions have closed or cut the roads around Grindavík and the Blue Lagoon. Route 43 (Grindavíkurvegur), the road to both, leaves Reykjanesbraut (Route 41) about 12 km from the airport terminal. Reykjanesbraut itself, the road between the airport and Reykjavík, was reported open during past eruptions.

On the new lava, stop only in car parks, never on the road or its shoulder. Vegagerðin, the Road Administration, has warned that walking on new lava is very dangerous and illegal.

Driving to the Blue Lagoon or Grindavík

From the airport terminal, the Blue Lagoon is 23 km away on Routes 41, 43 and 426, and Grindavík 26 km on Routes 41 and 43, paved all the way (Vegagerðin). Both have reopened since the July 2025 eruption, but both lie in the area the Met Office's hazard map covers, and an evacuation can come at short notice.

• Before you go: check Route 43 on umferdin.is, and if you have a Blue Lagoon booking, its seismic activity page. During past eruptions, only guests with a booking in Svartsengi were let through the closure post on Route 43 at Seltjörn.
• Evacuation sirens stand in Grindavík and in Svartsengi, by the Blue Lagoon. A loud, continuous siren means leave the area at once, following Civil Protection's instructions. The sirens are tested on the last Wednesday of each month; a test is a short sound and means no danger.
• In Grindavík: follow the signs and the responders' instructions, and if the town is evacuated, drive out at once by the route they give, keeping the road clear. Affected areas are fenced off, and walking outside areas marked safe is dangerous because of unmapped crevasses.
• At the Blue Lagoon: in an evacuation, follow the staff's directions, and never walk on the protective barriers around Svartsengi.

For the sights and a loop of the whole peninsula, see Reykjanes Peninsula by car.

Seeing an eruption or new lava: viewpoints, parking and trails

When an eruption starts, the area around it is closed, and the police can stop all traffic to it without notice. It opens again only when the authorities decide, with marked car parks and trails: in August 2024, for example, the closure on road 427 moved to the P1 car park at Fagradalsfjall, and the trails there reopened.

Until then, watch from a distance. During the August 2024 eruption, Visit Reykjanes pointed visitors to viewpoints on the north side of the peninsula, such as Reykjanesbær and Vogar, and to the live webcams of RÚV and mbl.is. An eruption can be visible from Reykjanesbraut, but don't stop on the highway or its shoulder.

With no eruption under way, you can walk to the lava fields of recent years:

• Path B, from the P1 car park by Fagradalsfjall (road 427): 4.7 km one way to the first viewpoint over the 2023–2025 lava field and craters, 6.1 km to the second, about 1.5–2 hours each way. Parking at P1 and P2 costs a fee, paid through Parka; the signs at the car park explain how.
• A shorter stop: the lava-field viewpoint by Route 43, near the Blue Lagoon, which Visit Reykjanes suggests when the weather is poor or you have young children.
• In winter, the trails are not serviced: expect snow and ice, check the weather, and postpone the hike if visibility is poor.

Volcanic gas

The main gas from the eruptions is sulfur dioxide (SO₂). It comes from the eruption plume and from new lava, and it can cause drowsiness, headaches, eye and throat irritation and breathing symptoms; children and people with heart or lung conditions are more sensitive. Near an eruption site, gas can exceed danger levels at any time, and in light wind it collects in valleys. The wind can carry it far: on the first day of the July 2025 eruption, the Met Office reported high levels measured in Reykjanesbær and advised residents to stay indoors.

• Before you go: during an eruption, the Met Office issues a gas dispersion forecast, and loftgaedi.is shows measured air quality.
• At a viewpoint or on a trail: watch with the wind at your back, and in light wind move to higher ground such as hills and ridges. If the wind blows from the north, gas may drift over the Fagradalsfjall trails: skip the hike, especially with children.
• If you feel symptoms, leave the polluted area. In the car, keep the windows closed. Heavy pollution affects a driver's concentration and very high SO₂ levels can cause unconsciousness, so never drive into a gas plume; if you feel unwell at the wheel, stop somewhere safe and call 112.
• In town, when pollution is high: stay indoors, close the windows and turn off ventilation. If symptoms don't pass, call the health advice line 1700; in an emergency, call 112.

If an eruption starts during your rental

1. Follow the authorities. If a siren sounds or an evacuation is ordered, leave at once by the signposted route and keep the road clear for emergency vehicles. In an emergency, call 112.
2. Don't drive toward the eruption. Roads near it can close at short notice and stay closed until the authorities reopen the area.
3. If a closure or warning stops you from returning the car on time, tell us before the return time. Using the car more than an hour past the agreed return time without our consent is unauthorized use, with no waiver cover, unless you've told us that a road closure, weather warning or other circumstance beyond your control prevents the return. The extra time is still charged (clause 12).
4. Call us day or night on +354 779 9499 if something happens to the car: every rental includes 24/7 breakdown and emergency assistance (clause 50).

Ash: the July 2025 eruption produced no ash, according to the Met Office, but tephra fallout is one of the hazards on its map, and windblown sand and ash can damage a car in strong wind. Sand and Ash Protection (SAP, €15 a day) and MAX (€40 a day) cover damage from sandstorms, erosion and ash at no excess, except in an area under an orange or red wind warning from the Icelandic Met Office (clause 38). Without SAP or MAX, no cover option includes ash damage: it is charged in full (clause 36), and after the return inspection we may hold up to €10,000 on your card for it (clause 7). More in Rental car cover.

Your booking: changes, cancellations and what we can't promise

Our rental terms treat an eruption like severe weather or a road closure: we are not liable for losses caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control, such as eruptions, severe weather or road closures, nor for indirect losses such as missed flights or accommodation (clause 32). The usual booking rules apply (clause 8):

• Canceling: at least 48 hours before the scheduled pickup, you get a full refund; a later cancellation or a no-show is not refunded. Booked through a travel agent or booking website? Cancel through them.
• Changing dates: subject to availability and, within 48 hours of pickup, to our consent. Each change costs €10 and reprices the booking.
• A canceled or badly delayed flight: tell us as early as you can. That is exactly the situation where we try to move your dates, but we can't promise it.
• Returning early: days you don't use are not refunded, for example if closed roads cut a trip short (clause 12).
• Travel insurance: the Icelandic government advises travelers to make sure their travel insurance covers disruption caused by natural events such as eruptions. We send you the written confirmation an insurer needs.

All the rules: Cancellation policy and the rental terms.

Questions about volcanic eruptions and your trip