Into the Glacier

During the recession of 2008, a local resident near Langjökull Glacier embarked on an ambitious plan to create a tunnel into the glacier to allow travelers to view what it looks like inside a glacier. It took quite a bit of further time and study to convince the government that the efforts would not harm the glacier in the long run and then local residents were given permission to drill in from both sides. The tunnels didn't quite meet in a perfect circle, but what was created was a heart shaped tunnel that circled around the inside of the glacier.

Travelers can take a shuttle from Reykjavik or drive the paved roads to Husafell and meet a shuttle there to embark on the final 30 minute journey over rough dirt road to Klaki Base Camp. From there, you board a rugged specially designed vehicle that is able to drive across the glacier itself for another 40 minute slow crawl up the glacier to the tunnel location.

Rain jackets and waterproof shoe covers are provided as the inside of the glacier has a constant 32 degree temperature and a steady drip of water as the glacier melts and refreezes from within.

Guides lead small groups of travelers inside the tunnel to a staging 'room' where there are crampons to wear over shoes to make it easier to walk along the slippery ice. From here, travelers walk the looped tunnel to admire the ingenuity of this local effort to provide a 'one of a kind' access to what a glacier looks like on the inside.

You can see the layers indicating the various freeze/ slaw cycles as well as darker layers of volcanic ash that signify eruptions over the glacier's history. There's even a large, carved out room that is called the 'chapel' where several weddings have been performed. 

If you are driving your own car to/ from Reykjavik, there are a couple of interesting stops enroute including a troll garden, a couple of waterfalls, and Deildartunguhver, Europe's most powerful hot springs with a high flow rate and temperatures of 200 degrees F (tempered by glacier water at the nearby Krauma Natural Geothermal Baths for soaking. 

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