Erupting Icelandic Volcano Becomes New Tourist Attraction

Tourists are hiking for hours to see Iceland's newest tourist attraction up close.

Lava is bursting from the ground near the Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland, unleashing a stunning spectacle, four days after a volcanic eruption.

"You see pictures, you think you know what it is. But then you get there, it does not feel real looking at it,” says Arne Tufte Helgevold, a tourist from Norway.

Some tourists are hiking up to 12 miles to see the awe-inspiring scene up close. Amishai Mueller from Israel made the trek and says, “It is pretty incredible when you see it for the first time appearing in the distance.”

"NEW ERUPTIVE CYCLE"

It’s the third volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula in just two years and comes after scientists recorded more than 4,700 earthquakes in a matter of days. “We seem to have entered into a new eruptive cycle here in southwest Iceland," says Dr. Matthew Roberts from the Icelandic Meteorological Office. He says the peninsula "hasn't been active in many, many centuries."

WARNINGS TO NOT DETER TOURISTS

Streams of molten lava and clouds of gases are spewing from the site about 20 miles from Iceland’s capital city of Reykjavik. Authorities are warning lava lovers to be careful of toxic air.

Canadian student Matthew Duick says he’s blown away by it all. “I didn't realize you can actually get this close so that was a pretty big surprise. But then it's amazing, yeah, definitely a once in a lifetime,” he says.

One of Iceland's most disruptive volcanos blew back in 2010 - sending huge clouds of ash into the atmosphere that grounded more than 100,000 flights, stranding millions of international travelers, including many Americans.