Zipline Hveragerdi Over Geothermal Valleys
This zipline hveragerdi experience launches you across volcanic ridges and active geothermal zones in South Iceland. Dual-cable lines reach speeds up to 60 km/h, offering aerial views of steam vents, hot springs, and the Reykjadalur hiking trail below. Zipline hveragerdi tours include helmet, harness, and certified guide instruction at the launch platform.
Iceland's Mega Zipline stretches 1,040 metres across Reykjadalur — Smoke Valley — the longest single-cable zipline in the country and one of few in the world positioned above an active geothermal field.
Installed in 2017 by adventure outfitters who saw potential in the valley's dramatic topography, the cable runs between two ridges at heights reaching 200 metres above the valley floor, where fumaroles exhale sulfurous plumes and hot springs feed into braided streams. The flight takes roughly 90 seconds at speeds approaching 100 kilometres per hour, a velocity that transforms the geothermal tableau below into a blur of white steam, black basalt, and green moss.
Reykjadalur sits five kilometres inland from Hveragerði, a town built on the edge of the Hengill volcanic system and known for its concentration of greenhouses heated by geothermal water. The valley itself has drawn hikers for decades, its eponymous hot river — a rare bathing stream warm enough for year-round immersion — lies further upstream from the zipline launch site. The geothermal activity that powers Hveragerði's infrastructure also shapes the valley's unstable ground: fissures open without warning, and the 2008 South Iceland earthquake shifted several hot springs and cracked roads throughout the region. The zipline hveragerdi route was engineered to avoid the most volatile zones, its anchor points drilled into stable basalt outcrops on either ridge.
Riders ascend to the launch platform via a short but steep trail, gaining 120 vertical metres in less than a kilometre. The platform itself is a steel deck cantilevered over the valley's southern edge, offering unobstructed views north toward Hengill's summit ridge and east toward the coastal plain. Safety briefings are conducted in small groups; riders wear full-body harnesses with dual attachment points and ride in a seated position rather than prone. The descent begins with a brief freefall sensation as the cable's catenary curve drops steeply from the launch tower, then levels into a sustained glide above the steam vents. The deceleration zone uses a hydraulic brake rather than a friction stop, bringing riders to a controlled halt at the northern platform. From there, a gravel path descends back to the valley floor, completing a circuit that lasts roughly 60 minutes from arrival to departure.
50 min
