Guide · Real caving

Leiðarendi and Arnarker, lava caves near Reykjavík

No footbridge, no lights along the way: just your helmet lamp, broken rock and a guide. These are the caving trips for people who want more than a walk.

Check availabilityfrom $72 · cancel without a fee

Editorial team, lavacavetouriceland.comUpdated October 25, 20266 min read27 sources

The tour that goes with it Geological Lava Tunnel Adventure - Arnarker Cave 5.0 (7 reviews) 5 hours from$210per person Check availabilityFree cancellation up to 24 hrs before

In short

01Leiðarendi: A lava tube near the Bláfjöll mountains; 3-hour caving trip with pickup, from $103.¹
02Arnarker: A ladder some 16 meters down into a cave about 516 meters long.² ³
03Arnarker trip: 5 hours, up to 6 people, ages 15 to 65, from $210.
04Gear: Hiking boots with ankle support and a waterproof jacket.
05Easier option: The 1-hour footbridge walk in Raufarhólshellir.

Beyond the footbridge: what caving means here

The lava fields around the capital hold far more caves than the one with the footbridge, and a few of them are open to guided caving trips. These are the lava caves near Reykjavík for people who want to climb, duck and scramble rather than stroll. The difference starts at the entrance: there is no built path and no lighting, and everything you see comes from the lamp on your helmet and the guide's torch.

The listing for Arnarker spells out what that means. There is no man-made path inside, climbing over boulders is necessary in most parts, and you need to be in good physical shape with good balance. Hiking boots with ankle support are required, and a waterproof jacket is recommended because water drips from the ceiling. It is a different activity from the show cave walk, closer to a short mountain hike in the dark.

That is the appeal. The rock is untouched by railings, the passages twist out of sight, and you notice details a lit walkway hides: the lines left by the flowing lava on the walls, the flat floors and the drips of rock hanging from the ceiling. The US Geological Survey describes drained lava tubes as commonly showing high-lava marks on their walls, generally flat floors and lava stalactites hanging from the roof.⁴

Leiðarendi, the cave at the end of the road

Leiðarendi is a lava tube in a lava field close to Bláfjöll, the Blue Mountains, in south-west Iceland.¹ Visit Reykjavík gives its address as road 417, and says the name means End of the road, after the skeleton of a lamb found inside when the cave was first discovered.⁵ ⁶ It is a name that tells you something about the place: once inside, the outside world feels very far away.

The GetYourGuide caving trip to Leiðarendi lasts 3 hours, includes pickup and keeps the group small, limited to 8 participants. It starts from $103 and is rated 5.00 from 13 reviews, with the guide, transportation and value for money all rated near the top of the scale. The listing asks every participant to be able to communicate in English. In the dark, clear instructions from the guide are what keep a group moving safely.

Its packing list is practical: clothes for the weather outside, a waterproof jacket for inside the cave, good hiking boots and a camera. With pickup included, it is easy to join without a car. If you have never been caving before, Leiðarendi is a sensible first step: a genuine cave with rough rock and darkness, but on a half-day schedule with transport arranged for you.

Group size

How many people go in together

people

Group sizes as the cave's operator and the two caving listings state them; the GetYourGuide lava falls trip is private.⁷

Side by side

The three caving trips

Point	Leiðarendi	Arnarker	Lava falls
Listed time	3 hours	5 hours	3 hours
Group	Up to 8	Up to 6	Private group
Ages	Not stated	15 to 65	12 and up
Start	Pickup included	Hallgrimskirkja	At the cave
Rating	5.00 from 13	5.00 from 7	4.88 from 41
Price	from $103	from $210	from $223

From the three GetYourGuide listings; prices are starting prices, and the lava falls trip is booked for your own group.

Three levels

From walk to proper caving

Raufarhólshellir Lava Tunnel: Underground Expedition

Gentle

Footbridge walk

Raufarhólshellir

Time: 1 hour
Ground: Lit footbridge
Price: from $72

See this tour

Raufarhólshellir: Lava Falls Adventure Tour

Demanding

To the lava falls

Raufarhólshellir, private

Underground: 3 to 4 hours
Minimum age: 12
Price: from $223

See this tour

Most rugged

Arnarker caving

Ladder entrance

Time: 5 hours
Ages: 15 to 65
Price: from $210

See this tour

Decision helper

Which caving trip suits you

Be honest about fitness, age and how much darkness you enjoy

I have never been caving I want the most rugged cave I travel with a young teenager I get uneasy in tight spaces I want my own private group

Leiðarendi

A 3-hour trip with pickup and a group of up to 8.

Arnarker

A ladder down, boulders and no man-made path.²

The lava falls trip

Its minimum age is 12; Arnarker starts at 15.

The footbridge walk

The operator does not recommend the deeper trip with claustrophobia.⁸

The lava falls trip

It is sold on GetYourGuide for a private group.

The cave is about 516 meters long. It goes from the opening 100 meters south and 400 meters north. For exploring Arnarker, you need good hiking gear, a helmet, and a headtorch.

Visit South IcelandSource 3

Arnarker, down a ladder into the lava

Arnarker lies in the Leitarhraun lava field, north of the old road from Þrengsli towards Selvogur, and Visit South Iceland says a marked path leads to it from an information sign by the road.² At the opening a ladder goes down some 16 meters, which is the moment the trip becomes real caving.² Below, the cave is about 516 meters long, running 100 meters south and 400 meters north from the opening.³

Visit South Iceland is clear about what you need: good hiking gear, a helmet and a headtorch.³ The guided trip on GetYourGuide lasts 5 hours, takes small groups limited to 6 participants, starts from the parking lot of Hallgrimskirkja in Reykjavík and is rated 5.00 from 7 reviews. Its age limit is 15 to 65, and it starts from $210.

It is cold down there. The listing says the temperature in the cave rarely goes above 4°C, even in summer, and asks you to dress warm. Thermal layers, a warm hat under the helmet and gloves that still let you grip the rock make a big difference. Bring water and a snack, and wear clothes you do not mind scuffing: lava rock is sharp, and you may well use your hands as much as your feet.

Map

Where the lava caves are

First the lava fields between Reykjavík and Hveragerði with the three caves near the capital, then west Iceland with Silfra, Vatnshellir and Víðgelmir.

Map of south-west Iceland with Reykjavík, Hveragerði and the caves Raufarhólshellir, Arnarker and Leiðarendi — Caves near Reykjavík

Map of west Iceland with Reykjavík, Raufarhólshellir, Silfra in Þingvellir, Vatnshellir on Snæfellsnes and Víðgelmir — West Iceland

1
Raufarhólshellir
The lava tube by road 39, approximately 30 km from Reykjavík; the meeting point of the 1-hour tour.⁹
In Google Maps ↗
2
Arnarker
A cave in the Leitarhraun lava field, entered by a ladder some 16 meters down; about 516 meters long.² ³
In Google Maps ↗
3
Leiðarendi
A lava tube near the Bláfjöll mountains, on road 417; its name means End of the road.¹ ⁶ ⁵
In Google Maps ↗
4
Reykjavík
Bus tours to Raufarhólshellir start here and drive 30 to 40 minutes each way.
In Google Maps ↗
5
Hveragerði
A geothermal town east of the cave on road 1, where the lava heath drops to the lowland.
In Google Maps ↗
6
Raufarhólshellir
The tube of the Leitahraun eruption, 1360 m long in total.¹⁰ ¹¹
In Google Maps ↗
7
Reykjavík
The capital, less than 30 minutes by car from Raufarhólshellir.⁹
In Google Maps ↗
8
Silfra
The snorkeling fissure in Þingvellir National Park, in water of 2-4 °C.¹²
In Google Maps ↗
9
Vatnshellir
An 8,000-year-old lava tube on Snæfellsnes by road 574, open on guided tours only.¹³ ¹⁴ ¹⁵
In Google Maps ↗
10
Víðgelmir
A lava cave in Hallmundarhraun, the lava of an eruption set at around 900 AD; tours last 1.5 hours.¹⁶ ¹⁷
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

Pack for a caving trip

Wear

Hiking boots with ankle support
A waterproof jacket
Thermal layers and a warm hat

Bring

Gloves that still let you grip
Water and a snack
A camera with a wrist strap

Before booking

Check the age limit
Be honest about balance and knees
Check pickup or meeting point

Calculator

Price a caving trip

Choose a cave and the number of people

Leiðarendi3 hours, pickupfrom $103 Arnarker5-hour cavingfrom $210 Raufarhólshellir1-hour walkfrom $72

People 2

Total from$206

each from $103

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Our sum: the trip's cheapest GetYourGuide fare multiplied by how many cavers you enter, converted with the ECB's figure for the day. The exact amount shows once you pick a date.

Video

Down the ladder and into Arnarker

Nothing from YouTube loads into the page until you press the play button.

The deep end of Raufarhólshellir

There is a third way into rough lava near the capital, inside a cave you may already know. Raufarhólshellir runs 1360 m in total, and the standard walk covers only the easily accessible section.¹¹ ¹⁸ Beyond it the Lava Falls Adventure Tour goes all the way to the end of the tunnel, where it branches into three smaller tunnels with lava falls and other formations.¹⁹ ²⁰

On GetYourGuide this trip is sold for a private group, starting from $223 and rated 4.88 from 41 reviews. The average time underground is 3 to 4 hours, the minimum age is 12, and hiking shoes with ankle support are required. The operator adds that helmets, headlights and, in winter, crampons are provided, and that a tour needs at least 4 passengers to run.²¹

The operator is honest about the limits too. It cannot guarantee that every group reaches the end of the cave, since that depends on the fitness of the group.²² It also does not recommend the trip for anyone who may suffer from claustrophobia, for pregnant women or for children younger than 12.⁸ For fit walkers who want to see the same cave in two ways, though, it is hard to beat.

Fitness, age and the gear you need

All three trips ask for more than the show cave. Balance matters most, because you are stepping from block to block on uneven rock, often looking down into the beam of your own lamp. The Arnarker listing asks for good physical shape and good balance, and the Raufarhólshellir trip to the lava falls asks for a good sense of balance and good overall fitness. If you have back or knee problems, these are not the trips for you.

Age limits are firm. Arnarker takes guests from 15 to 65, and the lava falls trip sets a minimum of 12. Younger children and anyone who prefers a gentler outing can still see the inside of a lava tube on the 1-hour footbridge walk in Raufarhólshellir, which is sold on this site from $72. The Leiðarendi listing does not state an age limit, so ask before booking with young teenagers.

Footwear is the one rule that is never bent. Every one of these trips asks for proper hiking boots, and the operator of Raufarhólshellir says sneakers or low-cut shoes are not allowed on the lava falls trip.⁸ Add a waterproof shell for the drips, warm layers for air that stays near freezing, and leave anything you would hate to scratch at home.

Treat the rock gently

Lava cave formations do not grow back. In Raufarhólshellir, the operator writes, the tunnel was full of stalactites until the last century, but as visitor numbers rose in the 1950s they began to disappear, and today almost none are left.²³ On a caving trip you are closer to the rock than anywhere else, which makes care more important, not less: watch your helmet in low passages and keep your hands where the guide shows you.

Iceland protects its most fragile caves. Árnahellir, in the same Leitahraun lava, was protected as a natural monument in 2002, and the Environment Agency of Iceland describes soda straws up to around 60 cm and stalactites just over 1 m long inside it.²⁴ ²⁵ Kalmanshellir in Hallmundarhraun, a cave system of approximately 4 km, was protected in 2011, and traffic through it needs special permission from the Environment Agency.²⁶ ²⁷

Those protected caves are not on any tour, and that is the point. The trips on this page go into caves where guided groups are welcome, led by people who know where to step. Follow their line, take nothing but photographs, and you leave the cave as you found it for the next group. It is a small price for a few hours in a place that took a volcanic eruption to make.

Under the lava