Deep Inside the Raufarhólshellir Lava Tunnels
Explore the magnificent lava tunnel Raufarhólshellir, one of the longest and best-known lava tubes in Iceland. It is located just 30 minutes from Reykjavík and is easily accessed year round. With proper footwear, the tunnel is easy to walk through with its stairs and ramps and a short initial section on a sloped trail.
A journey into Raufarhólshellir is a unique experience and a great opportunity to witness the inner workings of a volcanic eruption as one walks in the path of lava that flowed during the Leitahraun eruption, which occurred east of the Bláfjöll mountains about 5200 years ago.
The main tunnel is 900 m (3000 ft) long. The tunnel is up to 30 m wide with headroom up to 10 m high, making it one of the most expansive lava tunnels in Iceland. Near the entrance of the tunnel the ceiling has caved in creating three beautiful columns of light inside the tunnel. At the end of Raufarhólshellir the tunnel branches into three smaller tunnels where magnificent lava falls and formations are clearly visible.
Raufarhólshellir is a lava tube formed during the Leitahraun eruption about 5200 years ago and is one of Iceland´s longest caves. Lava tubes are a natural conduit formed when an active low-viscosity lava flow develops a continuous and hard crust, which thickens and forms a roof above the still-flowing lava stream.
A trip through Raufarhólshellir is a unique opportunity to get a close look of the impressive forces of nature that emerge from the center of the earth and a guided tour of the wondrous world that can be found just under the surface.