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The Lava Tunnel: Raufarhólshellir Exploration
4.8
1,899 Ratings
Raufarhólshellir
Explore the bewitching beauty of Raufarhólshellir, Iceland’s famous lava tube. Experience the inner workings of a volcanic eruption and walk along the path where lava flowed. Book your tour now!
Explore the bewitching beauty of Raufarhólshellir, Iceland’s famous lava tube. Experience the inner workings of a volcanic eruption and walk along the path where lava flowed. Book your tour now!
Duration:
1 hour
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Raufarhólshellir - Explore the magnificent lava tunnel Raufarhólshellir, one of the longest and best-known lava tubes in Iceland. Discover the inner workings of a volcanic eruption and walk along the path where lava flowed underground during the Leitahraun eruption over 5000 years ago. Our tour is approximately one hour whereas platforms and…
- Raufarhólshellir - Explore the magnificent lava tunnel Raufarhólshellir, one of the longest and best-known lava tubes in Iceland. Discover the inner workings of a volcanic eruption and walk along the path where lava flowed underground during the Leitahraun eruption over 5000 years ago. Our tour is approximately one hour whereas platforms and lights have been incorporated - making the experience of visiting the cave simply breathtaking. The tour difficulty is rated as easy, although guests need to walk over uneven surfaces and up and down stairs. Helmets and headlamps are provided and the guests go in a group with an English speaking guide who provides information about the unique geological features inside the Tunnel.
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Lights
- Helmets
- Professional guide
- Lights
- Helmets
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
Journey through the renowned Raufarhólshellir lava tunnel, among Iceland’s largest and most famous lava tubes. Situated a short 30-40 minutes away from Reykjavík, it can be visited at any time of the year. Unravel the mysteries of a volcanic eruption as you traverse the route once followed by molten lava during the Leitahraun eruption 5200 years ago….
Journey through the renowned Raufarhólshellir lava tunnel, among Iceland’s largest and most famous lava tubes. Situated a short 30-40 minutes away from Reykjavík, it can be visited at any time of the year. Unravel the mysteries of a volcanic eruption as you traverse the route once followed by molten lava during the Leitahraun eruption 5200 years ago. The hour-long tour is enhanced with platforms and illuminations, making the visit to the cave an awe-inspiring experience. The tour provides all the necessary gear. Select your desired tour start time when you book. Please be aware that this tour does not offer pick up service and is intended for those self-driving.
- Not recommend for children under the age of 3
- Not recommended for people with back, knee or other health issues
- Sturdy shoes are important and it is recommend that you bring rain coat / jacket.
- Bathrooms are available on location.
Location
Raufarhólshellir
The tunnel is very easily accessed about 30 minutes drive from Reykjavik. Head east on road no. 1 and drive for about 18 km. Turn right onto road no. 39 (Þorlákshöfn) and drive for another 12 km. You will see our service building and parking lot on the left (if coming from Reykjavik).
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(1899 Ratings)
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995bluey
Feb 9, 2025
Amazing Experience – A Must-See in Iceland! - We had an incredible time on The Lava Tunnel Tour! Our guide, Laura, was absolutely fantastic – her enthusiasm was contagious, and you could tell she was genuinely passionate about what she was sharing.
Standing inside the tunnel, in a place where liquid lava once flowed, was a truly overwhelming and humbling experience. The sheer size and dimensions of the tunnel were absolutely breathtaking, making it one of the most impressive natural wonders we’ve ever seen.
Out of all the activities we did in Iceland, this was one of the absolute best experiences! It's both educational and awe-inspiring, offering a unique insight into the forces that shaped this stunning country.
If you're visiting Iceland, don’t miss this tour!
Greetings from Germany! 🇩🇪🔥
Review provided by Tripadvisor
K708rnchrish
Feb 7, 2025
Fire and ice - A great tour down into the tunnel. We did the one hour trip and seeing the combination of ice and lava formations through the tunnel was superb. Laura was a really good guide and very enthusiastic about the geology and geomorphology of the area and creation of the tunnel.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mdallen605
Feb 5, 2025
Great tour, really interesting, visit in winter - Awesome place. We booked this fairly last minute for our last day in Iceland and it turned out to be one of the most interesting attractions. The guide was knowledgeable and told a few jokes too which kept people interested. Visited in Feb which was perfect as the ice formations look incredible. Well worth a visit!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maryvasu
Feb 4, 2025
Great winter time tour - The tour of the caves was amazing! We had a knowledgable and bubbly tour guide from Colombia. She made the experience so much more fun.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
827mervynb
Feb 3, 2025
Manageable Adventure - This is a quite incredible natural highlight. It's what it says on the tin, a walk along a tunnel created by a lava flow but that description doesn't do it justice. You walk about 400m through multicoloured formations and parts where the roof has opened up and the snow drifted in. You get equipped with a helmet and light and crampons to make the walk a little easier. Your guide explains how the tunnel was formed. Very interesting. Thoroughly enjoyable and and nice little adventure.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Flassari
Jan 30, 2025
Amazing experience, especially in the winter! - I'm a local who'd gone to the lava tube many times when it was just a hole in the ground before it became a tour, so I was skeptical about whether paying for the experience was worth it.
But oh boy, it is so worth it! They've tactfully added lights and made walking easier while keeping the cave's look as authentic as possible.
The lights showed parts of the cave I hadn't seen before. The guide studied geology and was super informative, answering all our questions.
I definitely recommend this tour, especially during the winter when they have the icicles.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
P7779bzstever
Jan 30, 2025
Great people, great tour - We really had a great time! Our guide Joan, a geologist by trade, was thorough in explaining the unique nature of the tunnel. There are many beautiful ice outcroppings, and the lava formations were exquisite. It’s definitely a doable walk, and they provide you with appropriate safety gear. I highly recommend it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Timnov
Jan 28, 2025
Ice stalagmites. - Tour of a beautiful lava tunnel with a guide. Hard hats, crampons and hiking poles provided. Our guide was very knowledgeable of the geology and history of the tunnel. I’ve stalagmites were beautiful (only able to form in winter).
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wj
Feb 8, 2025
Highly Informative and Interesting Tour in a Stunning Landscape - This was a highly informative and interesting tour by a friendly guide. The guide explained all of the different formations and how they occur. The formation of ice columns in winter added to the experience. As a natural attraction the ground is pretty uneven, so if you are unsteady on your feet you may find it difficult to navigate all the way through. We had around 20 in our group, which was OK. The 1hr tour is quite pricey hence 4 not 5 stars. We drove there as we have experience of snowy conditions, but if not you might want to consider taking the tour from Reykjavik in winter.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marc_l
Jan 30, 2025
Cancelled tour - I don’t know because the tour was cancelled due to bad weather. Didn’t receive email until I was on the way there
Review provided by Viator
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