Thrihnukagigur VolcanoHow to Get to the Inside the Volcano Meeting Point From Reykjavik
The Inside the Volcano meeting point is not in Reykjavik and it is not signposted from the ring road the way a lot of first-time visitors expect. It is a small ski cabin called Breidabliksskali, sitting alone on a lava plateau in Blafjoll, about 20 km southeast of the city and 30 to 35 minutes by road for anyone starting the guided descent into Thrihnukagigur. I have driven guests out there for ten seasons and the questions never really change: which turn off road 417, whether the coach reaches their hotel, and whether a taxi can actually get them back. This guide answers all three with real fares, real GPS coordinates and the one turn that catches almost everyone at least once. Once you're through the door of the cabin, the guided descent into Thrihnukagigur starts with the 3 km hike out to the crater.
Quick answer
The simplest way to the Inside the Volcano meeting point from Reykjavik is a self-drive rental car: about 30 to 35 minutes on paved road to the Breidabliksskali cabin in Blafjoll. There is no scheduled public bus during the May to October tour season, so anyone without a car uses a taxi, the operator's own paid pickup add-on, or the coach that comes bundled with the departure with hotel pickup included.
Key takeaways
- Fastest and cheapest for drivers: self-drive, 30 to 35 minutes, only fuel and free parking to pay
- No car, tight budget: a metered taxi covers the 20 km in about 30 minutes, but read the return-trip note before you book one
- The return trip needs planning ahead: there is no taxi rank at the car park and no reliable way to hail one there
- No scheduled public bus reaches the meeting point during the tour season, only the winter ski-area service
- The transfer is a paid add-on on the cheaper departure and built into the fare on the pricier one, so price them like for like
- Cruise passengers and anyone without a car: the departure with hotel pickup included collects from Skarfabakki and most Reykjavik hotels at no extra charge
Which Way to Go, Based on How You're Travelling
If you have a rental car and are staying anywhere in Reykjavik
drive yourself. It is the cheapest option and the drive itself takes under 40 minutes each way.
If you are a cruise passenger with a fixed return time
book the departure with hotel pickup included, which collects directly from the Skarfabakki cruise terminal.
If you are travelling as a group of three or more without a car
compare the operator's own pickup add-on against splitting a taxi fare both ways before you decide.
If you have one shot at this and don't want to think about logistics at all
book the departure with hotel pickup included and let the coach handle the whole round trip.
If you are travelling with a stroller or have limited mobility
drive or take the coach. The 3 km hike from the car park is unavoidable either way, but you skip a cold wait for a taxi on either end.
Every Way to Reach the Meeting Point, Compared
All fares and times checked August 2026. Read the return-trip warning in the taxi section below before you rule out driving yourself.
| Option | Time | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-drive rental car | 30-35 minutes | Fuel plus free parking | Independent travellers with a hire car |
| Metered taxi | About 30 minutes | Metered, no fixed fare quoted here | Solo travellers on short notice who plan the return first |
| Coach with hotel pickup included | 30-35 minutes plus a set pickup window | Built into the ticket price | Cruise passengers and anyone without a car |
My own pick is the rental car whenever the traveller already has one, since it is the cheapest way there and gives you control over the return. Without a car, the departure with hotel pickup included is the least stressful of the paid options, because the return trip is handled for you and you never have to solve the taxi problem described below.
Where Exactly the Meeting Point Is
Breidabliksskali sits alone on the Blafjoll plateau, about 20 km southeast of central Reykjavik. Every pin below is a real stop on the route: the cabin itself, the car park, the turn people miss, and the two Reykjavik points the coach uses.
Driving Yourself: Turn by Turn
The Route Out of Reykjavik
Take road 1 east out of the city for about 15 minutes, then turn right onto road 417, Blafjallavegur. Stay on it as it continues into road 407 towards the ski area. About ten minutes after leaving road 1 a sign reading "Inside the Volcano, Parking 300 meters" appears on the right, and the car park itself sits at 63.98502 N, -21.649949 W.
The one mistake I see every single week in season is the gravel turn. Road 417 has a paved stretch that continues to the meeting point and a gravel track that branches off it towards the older ski lifts further into the valley. Do not take the gravel track. If your GPS routes you onto unpaved road, you have taken the wrong branch, and the fix is simply to backtrack to the paved 417 and keep going.
Parking, Timing and Arrival
The car park at Blafjoll is free and self-drivers should arrive 5 to 10 minutes before the start time; the listing for the cheaper of the two departures states 10 minutes plainly, and I would treat that as the safe minimum rather than a suggestion. There is no vehicle access beyond the car park itself. Base camp sits inside Reykjavik's water protection area, so nothing with wheels goes further than the lot, and the hike to the crater begins right there.
Mountain weather at Blafjoll runs differently to Reykjavik even on a clear city forecast, and the exposed final stretch of road can slow you down more than the distance suggests. If the forecast looks rough, build in an extra 10 minutes rather than cutting the drive close.
- Fuel topped up before you leave Reykjavik, there is nowhere to refill at Blafjoll
- Offline map saved, the exposed stretch of road 417 loses signal
- Waterproofs and proper boots, mountain weather differs from the city forecast
- The operator's contact number saved, in case the drive runs long
- GPS set to 63.98502, -21.649949, not the gravel branch off 417
- Leave with enough time to arrive 10 minutes before your start time
By Taxi, and the Return-Trip Problem
A metered taxi from central Reykjavik covers the 20 km to Blafjoll in about 30 minutes. Taxis here run on the meter rather than a negotiated rate, so there is no haggling script to give you, and no rideshare app operates in Iceland at all: Uber and similar apps simply do not exist here, and taxis are booked by phone or through an app run by the taxi companies themselves, not a third-party aggregator.
Here is the detail that matters more than the fare itself. There is no taxi rank at the Blafjoll car park and no reliable way to hail one there on the spot, mobile signal at that altitude is not something to count on either. If you take a taxi out, arrange your return with the driver or the taxi company before you are dropped off, not after. Ask for a fixed pickup time that matches when your hike is expected to finish, and confirm it again with the company by phone once you are back at the car park and have signal. Turning up at Blafjoll with only a one-way taxi plan is the single most common way I see travellers get stuck out here.
Is There a Public Bus?
No, not during the tour season. Blafjoll does have a scheduled bus, but it runs for the ski area in winter only, when the lift into Thrihnukagigur itself is out of the ground and there is no descent to book anyway. From May 5 to October 30, the months the tour actually runs, no public transit route serves the meeting point at all.
If you are without a car in summer, your realistic choices are a taxi, the operator's own pickup add-on, or the coach with hotel pickup included, covered next.
The Zero-Hassle Option: Coach With Hotel Pickup
Two ways of buying the same seat exist here and it is worth knowing which one you are on. The cheaper of the two departures sells the coach as an option you tick at checkout, so the fare you first see is the self-drive price. The pricier one folds the same collection into the headline number, which is where the $121 between them comes from.
The departure with hotel pickup included takes a different approach: the coach fare sits inside the ticket price from the start, collecting from most Reykjavik hotels and guesthouses plus the Skarfabakki cruise terminal, then dropping off at 28 locations around the city on the way back, including the BSI bus terminal and a run of numbered city bus stops. That built-in transfer is the honest reason it costs more than the self-drive fare.
Either route removes every problem covered above: no gravel-track turn to miss, no return-trip taxi to pre-arrange, no parking to find. If you already have a rental car the trade adds little beyond convenience. Without one, it is the option that takes the whole logistics chain off your plate at once.
| Booking route | Pickup cost | Pickup built in? |
|---|---|---|
| Self-drive | Free | No transfer needed |
| The $433 listing | Paid option at checkout | No, added at checkout |
| The $554 listing | Built in | Yes, from booking |
What Time to Arrive, and What Happens If You're Late
Self-drivers should be parked and ready 5 to 10 minutes before the published start time. Guides brief the group at the cabin before the 3 km walk out to the crater and the lift into the magma chamber, and a late arrival risks missing that briefing and being left to catch the group on the trail rather than starting with everyone else.
Coach passengers are covered by the scheduled pickup window and do not need to time their own arrival, since the driver's own route dictates when the group reaches Blafjoll. If you are driving yourself and traffic or the mountain road runs long, call the operator's contact number as soon as you know you are running behind. Waiting in the car park with no signal and no plan is worse than a quick call before you lose reception on the exposed stretch of 417.
Questions About Reaching the Meeting Point
Where exactly is the Inside the Volcano meeting point?
The Breidabliksskali ski cabin in Blafjoll, about 20 km southeast of Reykjavik, 30 to 35 minutes by road. The car park sits at 63.98502 N, -21.649949 W, and a sign reading "Inside the Volcano, Parking 300 meters" appears about ten minutes after you leave road 1.
How do I drive to the Inside the Volcano meeting point?
Road 1 east for about 15 minutes, then right onto road 417, Blafjallavegur, continuing as it becomes road 407 towards the ski area. Do not turn onto the gravel track that branches off 417. The paved road takes you straight to the signposted car park.
Is there a public bus to the meeting point?
No, not during the May to October tour season. Blafjoll's scheduled bus runs for the ski area in winter only, when there is no lift into the volcano to book anyway.
How much does a taxi to the meeting point cost, and can I get one back?
The 20 km ride from central Reykjavik runs on the meter and takes about 30 minutes. Getting back is the harder part: there is no taxi rank at the car park, so you need to pre-arrange your return with the driver or the taxi company before you are dropped off.
Does the tour with hotel pickup collect from cruise ships?
Yes. The departure with hotel pickup included collects directly from the Skarfabakki cruise terminal, along with most Reykjavik hotels and guesthouses.
How early do I need to arrive if I'm driving myself?
Five to ten minutes before the published start time. The cheaper of the two departures specifies 10 minutes on its own listing, and I'd treat that as the safe minimum.
Is parking free at the meeting point?
Yes, the Blafjoll car park is free. No vehicle can go beyond it, since base camp sits inside Reykjavik's water protection area, so the 3 km hike to the crater begins right at the lot. If you would rather not pay for the descent at all, the free walk to the rim starts from that same car park.
For anyone with a rental car, driving yourself is the cheapest and most direct way to reach the meeting point, and the only real risk is that one gravel turn off road 417. Without a car, weigh the operator's own pickup add-on against the departure with hotel pickup included, which costs more but removes every piece of logistics described above, including the taxi return-trip problem. Once you're through the front door of that decision, the rest of the day is the same for everyone: the 3 km hike, the lift, and the hours we cover on the homepage comparing both departures.
If you'd rather skip the descent entirely and just see the crater from outside, walking to the crater on your own covers that route, and if you're still deciding whether the descent is worth the money, that's the honest version of that question.