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.

Anna Gunndís Guðmundsdóttir

Anna Gunndís, always called Dunda, has it all. She has a BA in acting from the Iceland Academy of the Arts and an MA in filmmaking from Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. When she’s not guiding she writes scripts and develops TV shows and movies.

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 Daníelsson

Einar Dan is a true nature lover, always seeking outdoor adventures. He loves both biking and skiing, but his biggest passion by a mile is his task as a father. His quick wit adds an extra sparkle to every conversation!

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.

Gísli Bjarki Guðmundsson

Gísli has the looks of a viking, is rough on the outside but soft on the inside. He can turn a bad day into a fantastic one within a blink of an eye, just by smiling and emanating his tranquil aura. Gísli is also a member of the local male choir "Bartónar" in downtown Reykjavik along with his fellow guide Tryggvi.

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.

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.

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.

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

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"

Sigrún Hlín Sigurðardóttir

There is only one thing to say about Sigrún. She loves champagne. Well, there are actually really many things we could tell you, but if you strike up a conversation about knitting you are in for a treat. And champagne. Did we already mention how much she loves champagne?

Snæfríður Sól

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.

Stefanía Einarsdóttir

Stefanía is a second generation volcano guide, the daughter of Einar Stefánsson. She is our druid, protector of all animals, big and small. Our residential foxes absolutely love her, to the extent that we sometimes call her our fox-whisperer.

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.

We would love to hear from you.

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