The Gateway to Hell
Hekla is a 1,491 m stratovolcano in southern Iceland, historically called the "Gateway to Hell." It is part of a 40 km fissure system and typically produces VEI 3–5 explosive eruptions. Medieval Europeans believed the souls of the damned passed through its crater. Today, Hekla remains one of Iceland's most active and unpredictable volcanoes.
Medieval Europeans feared Hekla as the entrance to the underworld. Its distinctive elongated ridge dominates the southern Iceland landscape, visible from vast distances across the farmlands.
Despite its fearsome reputation, the slopes of Hekla support grazing land right up to the snowline, making the contrast between pastoral beauty and volcanic danger all the more striking.
Hekla has been quiet since 2000 - 25 years since its last eruption. This is the longest gap in recorded history. The volcano typically gives less than 60 minutes warning before erupting. Scientists closely monitor this unpredictable volcano.
Hekla's lava fields stretch for kilometers across the highlands. The volcano has produced massive lava flows in nearly every eruption, with the most recent in 2000 covering significant area.
The rhyolite mountains of Landmannalaugar, painted in vivid reds, greens, and yellows, lie within Hekla's broader volcanic zone. This highland area showcases the geological diversity created by millennia of volcanic activity.
Popular hiking trails including the famous Laugavegur trek pass through landscapes shaped by Hekla's eruptions, with natural hot springs offering a warm respite for trekkers.
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