Guide · Snæfellsnes

Vatnshellir cave, the lava tube under Snæfellsjökull

On the slopes of the glacier volcano at the tip of Snæfellsnes, a pair of spiral staircases leads down into an old lava tube. Here is what the short guided visit is like and how to plan it.

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Editorial team, lavacavetouriceland.comUpdated October 25, 20266 min read32 sources

The tour that goes with it Snæfellsnes: Vatnshellir Lava Cave Tour 4.7 (270 reviews) 45 min from$46per person Check availabilityFree cancellation up to 24 hrs before

Quick answer

01What it is: An 8,000-year-old lava tube from the Purkhólar craters.¹
02Access: Guided tours only, inside Snæfellsjökull National Park.²
03The tour: 45 minutes down two spiral staircases, from $46.
04Where: By road 574, north of Malarrif; parking by the road.³
05Inside: Just above freezing all year; warm clothes and gloves.⁴ ⁵

A lava tube on the slopes of Snæfellsjökull

Vatnshellir cave lies at the western end of the Snæfellsnes peninsula, close to the glacier-capped volcano Snæfellsjökull. Its operator describes it as an 8,000-year-old lava tube shaped by an eruption from the Purkhólar crater family, just 500 meters from those craters.¹ The cave sits inside Snæfellsjökull National Park, and it is visited on guided tours only.²

The volcano above it has a literary fame of its own. Snæfellsjökull gained worldwide fame as the gateway to the subterranean world in Jules Verne's A Journey to the Centre of the Earth.⁶ Walking down into a lava tube on its flank is about as close as you can come to that story. Even if you have never read the book, the idea of climbing down into the volcano adds a little drama to a short visit.

The landscape around the entrance is classic Snæfellsnes: rough lava covered in moss, the sea not far away and the glacier dome above when the clouds allow. The Environment Agency of Iceland places the cave on the south slopes of the Purkhólahraun lava flow, north of Malarrif, by road 574.³ Nothing on the surface hints at much, and the scale of what lies below comes as a surprise.

Your visit

From the parking area to the bottom

Before

Stop at Malarrif

The nearest toilets are at the visitor centre there.³
Ahead of time

Check in

Be at the cave at least 10 minutes before your tour.⁷
At the entrance

Helmet and flashlight

Both are handed out; headlamps are not permitted.⁸
Going down

The spiral stairs

Two spiral staircases lead into the cave.⁹
Back up

After 45 minutes

The tour ends where it began, at the parking area.

How the cave formed and why it is guarded

Vatnshellir formed the way most lava tubes do. Its operator explains that molten lava rushed downhill in a lava river and built a solid crust as it cooled, and that once the eruption finished, the lava beneath drained away and left a hollow tube.¹⁰ The US Geological Survey describes the same process in general terms: tubes form when lava channels and flows crust over, and drain when the supply stops.¹¹ ¹²

The Environment Agency of Iceland says that in autumn 2009 it was decided to make Vatnshellir accessible while closing it and controlling public traffic, and that the agency opened it in mid-June 2010, when it was visited by 1600 visitors that summer.¹³ ¹⁴ Since then the rule has been simple: visitors cannot go into the cave unless they join a guided tour.²

The agency also explains the thinking behind the project. Under the park's conservation plan it saw Vatnshellir as a chance to promote education and knowledge of the value of caves and other natural monuments while protecting them.¹⁵ That balance of access and protection shapes the whole visit: you go in with a guide, you follow the route the guide sets, and the cave stays as fragile and as dark as it has always been. It is a model worth supporting with your ticket.

Age of the rock

How old the lava is, in years

years

Ages as each cave's operator gives them; for Víðgelmir the figure is the age of its lava formations.¹ ¹⁶ ¹⁷

Side by side

Two lava tubes compared

Point	Vatnshellir	Raufarhólshellir
Where	Snæfellsnes, road 574	Road 39, near Reykjavík
Age	About 8,000 years	About 5,200 years
Tour length	45 minutes	About 1 hour
Way in	Two spiral staircases	Footbridge and paths
Light	Flashlights	Lit section and headlamps
Minimum age	5 years	None stated on the walk
Price	from $46	from $72

From the Environment Agency of Iceland, the two operators and the GetYourGuide listings; prices are starting prices.³ ¹ ¹⁶ ⁹ ¹⁸ ⁸ ¹⁹

Decision helper

Is Vatnshellir right for you

A few questions to settle before you drive out

I am touring Snæfellsnes anyway I am based in Reykjavík for a short stay I travel with small children Stairs are hard for me I want the cheapest lava cave

Book it

The 45-minute tour fits easily between other stops.

Raufarhólshellir

It is approximately 30 km from the capital.²⁰

Check the age

The tour has a 5 year age limit.¹⁹

Skip this one

Two spiral staircases must be managed unsupported.⁹

Vatnshellir

It starts from $46 on GetYourGuide.

you’ll embark on a 45-minute journey into this natural wonder. The tour is suitable for most adventurers, though participants must be able to walk unsupported on uneven surfaces and navigate two spiral staircases leading into the cave’s depths.

Summit Adventure GuidesSource 9

The 45-minute tour down the spiral stairs

The tour is short and well organised. Summit Adventure Guides, which its own site calls the sole licensed operator of Vatnshellir tours, takes groups on a 45-minute journey, and participants must be able to walk unsupported on uneven surfaces and manage two spiral staircases into the depths of the cave.⁹ The GetYourGuide listing gives the same 45 minutes, starting and ending at the parking area at Vatnshellir.

Lighting is limited. The listing warns that walking on uneven surfaces with limited lighting may not be suitable for everyone, and the operator hands every guest a helmet and a flashlight at the start.⁸ For safety reasons headlamps are not permitted during the tour, so leave yours in the car.⁸ The staircases take you down through the cave's levels, and the flashlight beam becomes your whole world at the bottom.

Arrive early. The operator asks guests to be at the cave at least 10 minutes before their scheduled tour to check in.⁷ On GetYourGuide the tour holds 4.70 from 270 reviews; guests score the guide 4.8 and the value 4.5, and entry skips the ticket line. At a from-price of $46, it is the least expensive lava cave tour in this guide.

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.²⁰
In Google Maps ↗
2
Arnarker
A cave in the Leitarhraun lava field, entered by a ladder some 16 meters down; about 516 meters long.²¹ ²²
In Google Maps ↗
3
Leiðarendi
A lava tube near the Bláfjöll mountains, on road 417; its name means End of the road.²³ ²⁴ ²⁵
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.¹⁶ ²⁶
In Google Maps ↗
7
Reykjavík
The capital, less than 30 minutes by car from Raufarhólshellir.²⁰
In Google Maps ↗
8
Silfra
The snorkeling fissure in Þingvellir National Park, in water of 2-4 °C.²⁷
In Google Maps ↗
9
Vatnshellir
An 8,000-year-old lava tube on Snæfellsnes by road 574, open on guided tours only.¹ ³ ²
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.²⁸ ²⁹
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

Ready for Vatnshellir

Provided

Helmet
Flashlight
Guide in English

Bring

Warm clothing, it is necessary
Hiking shoes or sturdy sneakers
Gloves

Leave behind

Your own headlamp
Heels, flat soles and flip-flops
A tight schedule: arrive early

Calculator

Price the cave for your group

Compare Vatnshellir with the walk near Reykjavík

Vatnshellir45-minute tourfrom $46 Raufarhólshellir1-hour walkfrom $72 RaufarhólshellirWith coachfrom $68

People 2

Total from$92

each from $46

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 spiral stairs of Vatnshellir

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

Getting there and what is nearby

Vatnshellir is at the far end of Snæfellsnes, a long way from the capital, and the cave tour works best as one stop on a loop of the peninsula. The Environment Agency gives the location as the south slopes of Purkhólahraun, north of Malarrif, by road 574, with parking by the road.³

There are no toilets at the cave. The agency points visitors to the visitor centre at Malarrif, about 5 minutes away by car, and the operator points there too.³ Plan a stop there before your slot, especially in cold weather, because there is nowhere to warm up at the entrance itself. The coastline around Malarrif, with its lighthouse and cliffs, makes a good short walk before or after the cave.

Tours run all year, with opening hours adjusted to the season.³⁰ In winter the drive along Snæfellsnes can be slow, daylight is short and the weather changes quickly, so leave time to spare. Visit South Iceland's general advice for Iceland applies here too: be prepared for quickly changing conditions in every season.³¹ Book ahead anyway: cancelling stays free until 24 hours beforehand if the forecast turns.

Raufarhólshellir vs Vatnshellir

Raufarhólshellir vs Vatnshellir is really a question of where you are. Raufarhólshellir lies approximately 30 km from Reykjavík, less than 30 minutes by car, while Vatnshellir sits at the western tip of Snæfellsnes.²⁰ ³ If your trip is based in the capital, Raufarhólshellir is the obvious choice; if you are touring the peninsula, Vatnshellir comes to you.

The caves feel different too. Raufarhólshellir is a broad tube, up to 30 m wide and up to 10 m high, walked on a lit footbridge for about 1 hour.³² ¹⁸ Vatnshellir is entered down two spiral staircases, visited by flashlight in 45 minutes, and is older: about 8,000 years against about 5200 for Raufarhólshellir.⁹ ¹ ¹⁶ One is spacious and lit; the other is darker and more vertical.

On price, Vatnshellir starts from $46 and the walk in Raufarhólshellir from $72. Both include helmets and lights, and both have free cancellation up to 24 hours before.⁵ If you can fit in both, do: the contrast between a wide, lit tube and a narrow descent by torchlight shows how varied lava caves can be.

What to wear and who it suits

Dress for a cold cellar. The operator says the cave's temperature stays just above freezing all year and recommends gloves, and the Environment Agency calls warm clothing necessary and recommends hiking boots and gloves.⁴ ⁵ A warm layer under a windproof jacket, a hat that fits under a helmet and gloves that let you hold a flashlight are all you need for the 45 minutes.

Footwear rules are strict. Wear hiking shoes or sturdy sneakers; for safety the operator does not allow high heels, flat-bottom shoes or flip-flops.⁴ The spiral staircases and the uneven floor are where the wrong shoes become a problem, especially when the metal steps are damp. If you are driving the peninsula in winter, your normal boots will be perfect.

The tour has a 5 year age limit, and children above it who are confident on stairs can join.¹⁹ It is not for anyone who cannot manage two spiral staircases unsupported or who finds dim, uneven ground stressful.⁹ For those visitors, Raufarhólshellir's lit footbridge near Reykjavík is the gentler way to see the inside of a lava tube.

Under the lava