About us
The Inside the Volcano experience is run by 3H Travel, a small local company founded by three long standing friends in 2012.
Our Story
For the longest time Þríhnúkagígur volcano was only accessible by professional mountaineers and mountain rescue members.
That is, until our founders and close friends Björn Ólafsson and Einar Stefánsson, came together and cooked up the bold idea to take people inside the volcano to enjoy the incredible beauty of the crater. It took years to develop, but finally together with their mutual friend Ólafur Júlíusson, they opened Þríhnúkagígur for public in the summer of 2012.
It started small, with 10 guides and a small base camp and even then the lamb soup was always impenetrable part of the concept. Since then, base camp has tripled in size and the number of employees is now closer to 50. The company culture is strong; safety has always been most important, high class professional tour guidance is mandatory and we put massive emphasis on having fun.
Today we are proud of our amazing crew as of many have been here since the beginning. The volcano family welcomes you and we hope you have the most extraordinary experience entering this volcanic wonder.
Our Crew
Alexía Björg Jóhannesdóttir
Alexía is a hard-working actress who gets her kicks in the vast expanses of Icelandic nature. If given the opportunity she'll sing, dance and act like there is no tomorrow, but put her on top of a mountain and you’ll see what she’s really made of.
Andrea Líf Ægisdóttir
Andrea works in the office and is known for her positive, can-do attitude—always the "yes" person who approaches every task with enthusiasm. A hardworking and dedicated team member, Andrea has a passion for everything she does, from her daily work to her personal interests. She’s constantly planning her next adventure and loves exploring new and different experiences, bringing excitement and fresh ideas to the team.
Árni Lárusson
Árni is a rock solid guide who occasionally erupts into song. He is a versatile actor who has been involved in a wide range of international projects, including theatre, music, and television. His favorite hobbies include fly fishing, golf and playing the piano.
Ástbjörg Rut Jónsdóttir
Adda is a country girl and nature lover. Being a farmers daughter and a successful sheep whisperer, her knowledge in the field of agriculture has no limits. Nobody knows how old she is, but rumour says she has access to the fountain of youth. Our guess is that she is older than our volcano.
Benjamin Pitt
Benjamin is (very, very, very extremely) distant relative of Brad Pitt and they have had many fun adventures together all around the world (in his dreams). He loves fly fishing.. only fly fishing. He is sometimes called Benni Fluga (e. Benni the Fly). Not because he is tiny.
Björn Ólafsson
Head of the team, Björn is a dedicated mountaineer ever since childhood and has conquered the highest summit in all seven continents of the world. Björn was a member of the Icelandic Rescue Squad for decades. He is the co-founder and CEO of the company.
Bryndís Björk Kristjánsdóttir
Bryndís has been with us since 2013. She has a degree in Sports Science and could make you super fit within an hour. She lived in Luxembourg for ages where her favorite word was "Der Flygende Hirch". That is not because her husband is a pilot.
Dagur Adam Ólafsson
Dagur loves to travel and has been all over the world! In 2017 he spent four months traveling through South-America. He is a twisted personality as he likes meditative yoga just as much as the adrenalin of snowboarding. He also happens to be the son of Ragga, one of our senior guides.
Dagur Sigurðarson
Dagur is a tall man with big glasses. He may look scary because of his height but he is a kind soul and you can talk to him about anything as he just graduated psychology. He is also a DJ when he’s not hiking, so if you need some song recommendations you know whom to talk to.
Dögg Ármannsdóttir
Dögg sees her job in the volcano as a paid vacation. She totally fell in love with it and decided it was much more fun to take tourists into a volcano than sitting at a desk all day long working in sales and marketing, as before. Dögg is an adventurer by nature.
Einar Stefánsson
One of the founders, Einar is a climber and was, along with with Björn, part of the first Icelandic group that climbed Mount Everest. Einar is an engineer and happens to be the father of junior guides Katrin and Stefanía. What can we say? We like to keep it in the family.
Guðmundur Ingi Þorvaldsson
Gummi has been on the team since the beginning. He is an actor, director and a musician, holding two master degrees. Still Gummi is first and foremost a genuine country boy and a family man who loves being outdoors in good company. The fox loves him. We all love him.
Gríma Katrín Ólafsdóttir
Gríma Katrín, is better known as "the new Gríma" to distinguish her from a colleague who shares the same name. (It's a very common name, so this happens alot.) She's the daughter of one of the Ragnheiðurs and the sister of one of the Dagurs. Gríma is goldsmith currently working on launching her own brand, so stay tuned! Whenever she longs for fresh air and the beauty of nature, she takes a shift at the volcano.
Halldór Albertsson
As a child, Dóri took an overdose of his vitamins and grew into adult size overnight. So if you ever need a strong hand you should call Dóri. Not only is he an experienced mountaineer, he's also a mechanical engineer who develops prostheses for those in need. Beat that!
Hilmir Jensson
Hilmir is an actor and a playwriter who loves to spend the summer months inside and atop the volcano. He knows all the crazy stories of the locals and will gladly act them out, especially in the lift where he has a guaranteed audience with no escape route. His big dream is to become fluent in Chinese. We wish him well.
Hugrún Sara Maríusardóttir
Hugrún, the sweetest person in the world, originally joined us as a tail guide and has blossomed into our most beloved office problem solver. With her infectious smile and fearless approach to challenges, she constantly inspires those around her. Her love for learning new things makes her an invaluable part of our team!
Íris Ólafsdóttir
Íris, the daughter of Ólafur, is one of the many ,,nepo babies" working as a tail guide at the volcano. She now studies fashion at the University of Arts in Iceland, likes rock climbing and off-piste skiing. She is our fashion police, she can even make fleece look good.
Ísabella Ronja Benediktsdóttir
Ronja, the daughter of Adda, is one of our tail guides. She went to a folk school in the Westfjords where she did camping in the snow, skiing a lot (like a lot!), ice climbing and surf boarding. Please tell her all your travelling stories as she is a travel fanatic, and she will love you.
Ívar Pétur Kjartansson
Ívar Pétur is guide and a musician. He loves both equally. Most of all Ívar loves snowboarding. That's why it's good to control your own time as a freelance musician or have bosses that understand that it's more fun to be in the mountains rather than working. That's why Ívar works at the Volcano.
Jasmín Dúfa Pitt
There is a strong aura of positivity around Jasmín and she’s never been seen without a smile on her face, brightening even the darkest days at the volcano. She loves dancing and has a big passion for cooking. She just came back from studying in Oxford and has a killer British accent. And YES, she is Brad's, sorry, Benjamin's sister.
Jónas Alfreð Birkisson
Jónas is not only a stand out guy, but outgoing and damn likable. We find it impossible to be mad at him. Thankfully we never have a reason to. When not guiding in the volcano Jónas likes to explore nature both in Iceland and abroad. His motto is: "Things are not meant to be beautiful, but successful". Which is kind of strange since he is both.
Kamil Kluczyński
Kamil was born in Poland, raised in New Jersey and moved to Iceland over 10 years ago. He is yet another member of the Icelandic Rescue Team. Kamil is a tall, handsome and really likable guy but his ongoing project is to cross all of the Icelandic glaciers, to raise awareness for diabetes. His project is called Pole Diabetes, check it out!
Karl Ágúst Þorbergsson
Karl is very political, just ask him about the relationship between capitalism, fake news, propaganda and elections. Or don't, that is also an option since you are on holiday. But no worries, he is also super fun. And he does have the looks of Clark Kent, but sadly none of the super powers. Or does he...?
Katrín Kjartansdóttir
Katrín, daughter of Kjartan (yes, yet another family member, cue the banjos) is one of our tail guides. She grew up traveling around Iceland and practically had a permanent residency in the mountains. She loves it. Her favorite thing about working inside the volcano are the funniest and most amazing colleagues! Well, thank you.
Kjartan Þór Þorbjörnsson
Kjartan has been up in the mountains since he was a young man, skiing, hiking, biking, and off-roading on a super jeep. That's where he is at ease, the higher up the better. He's also our resident mechanic, making sure the lift purrs smoothly, so everyone has a nice happy lift ride in and out of the volcano.
Kolbrún Björnsdóttir
Kolla is a political scientist and a guide, but she loves the outdoors so much more than the political scene. That is why she spends most of her time in the mountains all over the world. She really likes winter camping, probably because of the cold. We think it might rather be because there are no spiders around during winter.
Kristín Kolka Björnsdóttir
Kristín Kolka, the daughter of Björn, is a girl filled with talents, one of them being able to dance all night long and still show up for work at 8 o'clock. She grew up in the outdoors and has travelled all around the world but now studies design in Italy. We are honored that she chooses to spend her summer with us at the volcano.
Kristján Maack
Volcano member since day one, Krissi started his photography carrier after graduation from Brooks in California. Yes, he has taken some excellent photos of the Volcano and you can even buy his book at base camp. Krissi met his wife inside the volcano and they travel all over the world... with his camera.
Margrét Sól Torfadóttir
With Margrét, you will get the full fire and ice experience as she is a bona fide overachiever. Not only is she is a professional figure skater doing some nice tricks while cruising the Caribbean's, she is also a mountain guide taking people inside a volcano, and, wait for it... a medical student in Denmark. Kind of puts the rest of us to shame.
Ólafur Þór Júlíusson
Óli is one of the founder and has over 20 years of experience in mountaineering. He is a passionate rock climber and an amazing storyteller. Ask him to tell you a story from his years in the Air Ground Rescue team back in the days, or the party he hosted last weekend. They are guaranteed to blow your mind.
Pálmi Freyr Hauksson
Pálmi is a writer, director, actor, dog lover and a hiker. He is a stoic man who is curious about people and human behavior and loves being outdoors exploring nature. His favorite song is Symphony of Sorrowful Songs by Henryk Górecki, and he finds it very important that you listen to it before entering the volcano. Don't ask us why.
Petra Hlíf Jóhannsdóttir
Petra is a kind, creative and witty individual. She enjoys expressing herself through song and dance so if you happen to be fortunate enough, you might catch her singing and dancing her way to the volcano with that bright big smile on her face. Petra is Bryndís' daughter, so it's easy to see where she gets her charm from.
Ragnar Ísleifur Bragason
Raggi is a father, a theater maker, writer and an actor. The thing he loves most in life is candy. When he goes abroad he always brings Icelandic candy with him, and eats it at his hotel room before falling asleep. Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night to brush his teeth. That is that!
Ragnheiður Harpa Leifsdóttir
Harpa is a nature enthusiast. Along with climbing into volcanos she makes the most beautiful art of all sorts. Her favorite weather is the fog you see sliding down a mountainside from distance. In Icelandic that is called "Þokuslæða"
Ragnheiður Ýr Grétarsdóttir
Ragga, also known as Erigga in her guiding role, is one of our senior guides. She joined us in 2014, when the path to the volcano was still being developed. Today, she takes great pleasure in walking the well-established trails through the stunning lava fields, never tiring of the beauty that the volcano offers. As the proud mother of three fellow trail guides, it’s clear that this passion for guiding truly runs in the family!
Snæfríður Sól Gunnarsdóttir
Snæfríður, or Snow-beauty as she likes to be called, has been working on and off in the volcano since 2015. Currently she is taking her masters degree in Theater Directing and when she is not guiding she makes music videos, creamy pasta, rat costumes and knits hats.
Sóley Ólafsdóttir
Sóley (the name translates to Sun island) is one of the most versatile guides we have. With a BA in contemporary dance practices, you will find her in the biggest dance scenes in Reykjavík. You can always rely on her to bring good energy. If you feel like dancing, just start, and she is guarantied to join you.
Sólveig Guðmundsdóttir
Sólveig is an award-winning actress and one of Iceland's best-regarded linguists (not really, but the bit with the acting is true). When she is not traveling the world with her beloved friends and family, you'll find her chin deep in mud, dressed only in the Icelandic flag in the name of art. Yes, that woman is truly one of a kind.
Thelma Marín Jónsdóttir
Thelma is a remarkable polymath. She is an actress, singer, filmmaker, and guide. With an adventurous spirit, she is always eager to explore uncharted territories, both creatively and geographically. Her love for travel is matched only by her impressive linguistic skills, as she speaks seven languages.
Tryggvi Gunnarsson
Tryggvi is considered by many to be an absolute legend. Why, no one really knows. He holds a degree in biology, anthropology and performative arts but just wants to climb mountains. He is a fully licensed humanist celebrant, and therefore able to wed guests at a moment's notice, even inside the volcano!
Víðir Pétursson
Víðir has the aura of a 1950's movie star. Rugged handsomeness, an innate calm and an uncanny persuasive ability to convince people to just relax and have a drink. His behavior is always polite but firm, kind and mild. On site he is commonly referred to as "The Yield Sign", because of his V shaped back.