Caves of Hella Tour: Uncover Iceland's Ancient Man-made Landmark
4.5
82 Ratings
Hella
Uncover the ancient man-made caves of Hella in Iceland, believed to predate the Viking settlement. Explore the mysteries, hidden secrets, and untold stories of this historic landmark site.
Duration: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Caves of Hella - At this location, called Ægissíða, there are 12 ancient man made caves. In this tour your local guide will take you to four of them.
What's Included
  • Guided tour
Additional Information

A dozen age-old artificial grottos have been found on the property of Ægissíða near Hella along the southern seaboard of Iceland. Currently, four of these caves are accessible to the public through our tour guides. This location is considered the most ancient archaeological site in Iceland that’s still standing. Some conjecture that these caves might be older than the Nordic Viking settlement.

The marvels within the Hella Caves include age-old crosses, intricate wall engravings, and carved seating.

A cloud of uncertainty looms over these caves and over the years, numerous individuals have pondered over two main questions:

Were the Celts responsible for the construction of these caves?
Could these caves have possibly served as sacred sites for ancient rituals?

These caves are a significant historical monument, and during your visit, you’ll uncover hidden gems and untold tales from Iceland’s past.

Come, explore the enigmatic insides of these caves with a local guide and immerse in the spellbinding Underworld of the south.

The positioning of these caves is convenient, adjacent to Route 1 (also known as the Ring Road), which is roughly an hour’s journey from Reykjavik.

Location
Caves of Hella
You should find the exact location by typing "Caves of Hella" in Google maps. If you dont use that the location should be easy to find, just west of the town of Hella, market with big signs and flags.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(82 Ratings)
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Alexandradreamvoices
Jun 12, 2024
Kind of Indiana Jones feeling :) - It was very interesting experience of visiting caves of Hella. Guide said interesting stories and was very intertaining story teller. My boys 19, 15 and 8 years old and I enjoy this excursion tour very much. I can recommend for the families interested in history, nature and adventure :) Kind of Indiana Jones feeling.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pallb
Jun 10, 2024
Interesting, surprising and humorous tour - A really interesting tour. The tour guide was passionate and had a good humor on the subject. It came as a surprise the caves do not necessarily fit into the Icelandic saga cause the caves are most likely made by people who came here before the old saga was written, even up to 1300 years before oldest sources can tell. It is well worth it to stop at Hella and take a tour.
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Curiosity28182703065
Jun 3, 2024
Great Tour - The guide was amazing! Very knowledgeable and provided a lot of historical context. Highly recommended if you have an extra couple of hours in Iceland.
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U6374evisabellel
May 24, 2024
Cool caves! - Great experience! The caves were cool with celtic and old norse (allegedly. It's more fun if you choose to believe tho) carvings on the wall. Our guide was funny and informative and told us a lot of history about the old times.
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Hellab_1505
May 17, 2024
Great tour into an unseen Iceland many tourists miss! - It’s a really interesting tour and you learn not only about the caves but also the region’s history on geothermal activity in the area. The Visitor-Book is amazing too :)
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Kalebthedog
May 15, 2024
Must See - incredible caves - spectacular site, amazing underground experience, terrific guide with incredible sense of humor - definitely must visit!
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Tracy
May 11, 2024
Fun tour - What a fun and interesting tour. Our guide was really nice and provided us with a lot of interesting facts. We would definitely recommend doing this tour.
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Sfurt
Apr 27, 2024
Best History Tour in Iceland - This tour exceeded expectations! I learned so much about the history of Iceland’s history, settlers, and culture. The guide was hilarious and informative. Skip the Saga museum, you’ll learn so much more during this tour. You must make time for this! Tip: the evening tour might also include a tasting of some of the local beer and spirits. I was on the morning tour which was great, but sadly no tasting.
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D4578twamyb
Apr 21, 2024
Stefan! - My husband and I enjoyed this tour- one of the many highlights of our trip to Iceland. Our guide Stefan was knowledgeable, insightful, and absolutely hilarious. If you are interested in learning about the unwritten history of this area, we recommend this tour!
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Caligirlseestheworld
Apr 27, 2024
Excellent tour - We stopped at this tour on a whim and found it extremely informative. It offered the most authentic Icelandic point of view we experienced on our whole trip and we really appreciated it!
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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