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The Lava Tunnel: Raufarhólshellir Exploration
4.8
1,806 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
(1806 Ratings)
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O2165xbjeffm
Sep 24, 2024
Really interesting -- but not a 'must see' - Our guide was great and the tour was really interesting. The highlight was definitely when they turn off all the lights and you're in total darkness. We've done a few caves in the U.S. and this was definitely different, but would classify as cool if you're in the area but would not go hours out of your way to see it -- there is so much hiking/natural beauty in Iceland that it didn't crack our 'best of' list.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Traveljunkie_mo
Sep 23, 2024
Great tour of a lava tunnel with hx of the region - This was an amazing experience and our guide was very knowledgeable. She was a geologist so understood the history and formation well and could answer questions with ease. She presented with a sense of humor so the information had life. She only spoke 4 times during the hour tour. The rest was exploring on your own on the way back out and asking questions. Plenty of time for pictures. They do have a night tour and were able to see the northern lights through one of the sky lights in the tunnel.
Highly recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
S_bastiena931
Sep 21, 2024
Very good - Very good experience with a great guide (Alex) who gives good explanations and funny stories about the place. The visit felt too short
Review provided by Tripadvisor
F7998rorobm
Sep 21, 2024
Lava Tunnel Tour with Alex. - Spent the week touring around Iceland where we saw so many fantastic sights and had brilliant experiences. The Lava Tunnels tour was recommended by a friend and it was our last visit before our flight home.
Booking online was easy with a good selection of time/date slots available. We arrived at the allotted time, but be careful as our satnav tried to send us the wrong way! Fortunately we probably weren't the only ones as they had put a sign at the junction giving the correct directions. On arrival staff were very friendly and helpful and having been issued with our 'hard hats' (mandatory!), we started the tour. The tunnel is fascinating, well marked and easy-ish to follow with good lighting highlighting the features. Well worth a visit.
I have to say a few words about our guide Alex who was fantastic. From the pre-walk briefing right up to saying goodbye he was animated, polite, engaging and informative giving a running commentary with a great mixture of fact and humour. He made the tour for us, thank you Alex.
All in all a great experience and a tour I would recommend during your visit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Donnamv2222ew
Sep 20, 2024
Great excursion - Great experience - explained how lava tunnels form in understandable terms - great photos ! Just challenging enough for a hike at the end of a long week!
the views were amazing highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Voyage28143789818
Sep 19, 2024
Worth every ISK - Absolutely incredible experience. Our guide Jona (that's probably spelt wrong, sorry) was incredibly enthusiastic, charismatic and informative and even took photos of everyone at the end!
The tunnels are cold but are probably warmer than the rest of Iceland on a windy/rainy day. The colours are spectacular and theyve done an amazing job to help bring the tunnel to life
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Samisd9845rq
Sep 24, 2024
Nice Lavatunnel Experience - Lava Tunnel experience.
The visit was wonderful. Initially, I made a mistake and we arrived a day late. I asked if they could help me with this, and the most friendly lady at the reception fixed the issue for us. So, despite our schedule being for the previous day, we were able to go.
This was absolutely excellent customer service. Thank you for that! They could have just told me to buy a new ticket.
The experience itself was great. We had a guide from Colombia who was a geologist. She explained the process of lava tunnel formation very clearly and in an easy-to-understand way, making me want to learn even more about the formation of these tunnels. Five stars for her!
It felt amazing to be inside a place where liquid stone flowed 5000 years ago.
I especially loved the moment when all the lights were turned off. That complete pitch-black experience was wonderful. I want my sleeping room to be as dark as it was in the cave. :)
As time is limited in the tunnel itself, it would be nice to have a video or animation running in the waiting area that shows the formation of the tunnels.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chad2014
Sep 23, 2024
Totally worth it but not a "must see" - This was cool. You hike through the ancient tunnel made by lava for a short distance and stop a few times for the guide to educate you. You can only go with tour. The best part of the tour are the moments with the lights off at the end. It's nice and different but not beautiful like so much else in Iceland. It was concerning that they do NOT appear to sanitize the helmets between tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ricomtl79
Sep 19, 2024
Awesome! - Great visit, very informative. Our tour guide was friendly and managed well to compose with a disruptive couple who were loud and not listening. I really enjoyed this tour and I believe the price point is decent compared to many other tourist attractions!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Buddog245
Sep 23, 2024
Fine but wouldn’t make big effort to see - The tour was fine. Tour guide was really enthusiastic which we all appreciated but just kinda looking at a rock (okay lava) tunnel. If on your way, fine. But I wouldn’t make a special effort to get there.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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