On November 10, 2023, Grindavik, home to 4,000 residents, was evacuated as the Sundhnúkur volcanic system erupted, sending lava toward the town.
Today, Grindavik rises again and you get to witness its unfolding story.
Walk the streets touched by molten rock. Marvel at the epic barriers built to redirect lava. Savor fresh seafood in restaurants that have reopened. Experience where raw volcanic power meets traditional fishing heritage.
In November 2024, the Sundhnúkur eruption sent molten lava spilling across Bláalónsvegur, transforming the familiar road into a river of black rock. Within hours, a three-kilometer fissure had swallowed the asphalt, cutting off the usual path to the Blue Lagoon and leaving travelers searching for new ways through the peninsula.
In response to volcanic threats, Grindavik built 16 kilometers of earth and rock barriers — some over 8 meters high — to protect not just homes, but key infrastructure: roads, the Svartsengi Power Plant, and the nearby Blue Lagoon.
Just before 8 a.m. on Sunday, January 14, 2024, a fissure eruption broke the morning calm north of evacuated Grindavik. As glowing lava flowed steadily toward the town, locals and people around the world watched live as the molten rock advanced. By midday, it had reached Efrahóp Street; by afternoon, it entered the town, igniting and destroying three homes.
On the Reykjanes Peninsula, the Earth’s crust doesn’t tear open in one clean break. Instead, it slowly pulls apart through a network of fractures, some stretching for tens of kilometers, formed by the movement of tectonic plates and the magma rising from deep underground.
“I was so excited to see the new basalt. I’d followed the flows in the news, but seeing it in person gave me chills. We rode in silence, in awe of it all.” – Christina D., visited Grindavik in summer 2025
From the walls that guard the present, step toward a beloved landmark of Grindavík’s culinary past. The Salt House, or Salthúsið in Icelandic, a log house once famed for its salted cod and fresh seafood, stood as a proud symbol of the town’s fishing heritage. But in late 2023, an earthquake opened a fissure beneath the building itself, forcing its closure.
On this once-busy residential street, the ground didn’t just shift. It tore. Deep cracks and buckled pavement now mark Víkurbraut, where homes stand empty and life was forced to pause.
Begin at the defensive barriers and be in awe. Walk the streets where dark lava streams meet residential fences. Eat fresh fish by the harbor. Meet resilient locals continuing their businesses.
