Lava Caves Exploration

by Try Iceland Tours · Lava caves · Volcanoes & lava · Reykjavík

5.0(2) · tour · TripAdvisor4.8(25) · operator on Google
Lava Caves Exploration — Try Iceland Tours

Would this be cheaper direct? No — we sell at Try Iceland Tours's own price and take our commission from them, not from you. What you get here is one checkout across operators, one confirmation, and one place to change or cancel it. If you ever find it cheaper on their own site, tell us and we will match it or explain why we cannot.

More photos of Lava Caves Exploration

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  • Duration

    8 hours

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Season

    All year

  • Starts in

    Reykjavík

  • Meeting

    Hotel pickup available

  • Languages

    EN

  • Departs

    10:00

  • Minimum age

    8

About this experience

The surprising exploration of the underground system of lava caves. A unique experience in another world to discover some hidden natural wonders with stunning scenery of lava formations and amazing colours…


After a nice drive through the impressive Icelandic volcanic landscapes, we will reach an impressive lava field, where you can enjoy a nice hike to access to the entrance of one of the best hidden wonders of Iceland : the lava caves.

During the tour, we will visit two of them.

The narrow cave entrances, doors open to another world, lead us to extraordinary scenery and to a surprising natural phenomenon.

Lava tube caves are formed by flowing lava which moves beneath the hardened surface of a lava flow. Tubes can be actively draining lava from a volcano during an eruption. When the lava flow discontinues the tunnels sometimes empty leave a vast system of caves and tunnels.

With the light on your helmet and our experienced guide, you will discover some amazing features usually hidden in the dark and untouched for thousands of years.

You will explore the tunnels filled of unique colourful rock formations, stalactites, stalagmites, ice forms and other geological curiosities…

Even if the tour requires some crawling and walking on uneven ground, it is an easy activity who will leave you some incredible memories.

Description from the operator, Try Iceland Tours. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Where you go

  1. Lava Caves
  2. Reykjanes Peninsula

Included

Complimentary pick up and drop off, round trip transportation, professional guidance, hot drinks and wifi on board

Good to know

Warm clothes, gloves, good shoes

Remember to dress warmly for this tour. Gloves are necessary. Good sneakers or hiking shoes are required.

We provide security helmets and lights to fully enjoy the experience.

Cancellation for this tour

Cancelling costs 10% of the price within 7 days of departure, rising to 50% within 2 days. If the operator cancels for weather or safety, you get a full refund or a new date.

If the weather cancels this tour

Iceland's weather is real. What usually stops this one is wind on the ridge or a change in eruption activity — civil protection decides, not the operator. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.

  1. 1Try Iceland Tours decides, and tells us. Operators cancel when it is unsafe or pointless, and we back that call every time — we do not ask them to run anyway.
  2. 2We contact you by email, and by phone if your tour is the same or next day. You choose: another date if there is one you can make, or a full refund. There is no fee and nothing to argue.
  3. 3The refund goes back to the card you paid with, through Stripe, usually visible within a few working days. If this tour was one of several in your booking, the others are untouched.

What you do not get is the day back. If this is the only free day in your plan, put a spare day next to it — the planner leaves days free with the rest-day option. And if you want out because the forecast looks bad, that is your own cancellation: free until the cutoff shown above, the operator's policy after that.

Questions on the day: [email protected] · +354 497 1373. How cancellations work in Iceland →

Why this one and not the cheaper one?

The nearest cheaper Vatnshellir Lava Cave Tour from Summit Adventure Guides is €42 — €141 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.

Try Iceland Tours · €183Summit Adventure Guides · €42
How long it runs8 hours0.8333333333333334 hours
Getting therePicks you upYou make your own way
Changing your mindNot statedFree until 4 h before

The €141 buys you 7.2 more hours out and hotel pickup. Whether that is worth it is your call — but that is what the difference is.

Sold out on your date?

Seats come back — a cancellation, or the operator adding a vehicle. Tell us the date and we will check once a day and email you if one opens. One email, then we delete the address; nothing else is ever sent to it.

Who this is not for

  • Children under 8 cannot join this one.

Read off the operator's own conditions. If none of it applies to you, this is a good one.

Why we list it

Try Iceland Tours is one of 154 operators we work with — chosen for reliability, honest descriptions and how they treat guests when weather changes plans. We don't list everything; we list what we'd book ourselves. The six checks every operator passes →

What travellers say about Try Iceland Tours

Read all 25 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 4.8/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

  • Anna Beck

    ★★★★★ · 3 years ago

    We wanted a smaller group tour for our time in Iceland and came across Try Iceland Tours. So glad we did, Adam was brilliant. We were picked up at our hotel in his very comfy, clean and warm Jeep. There were just 4 of us on the trip which was amazing compared to being on a huge coach tour. We had a brilliant tour around the Golden Circle, with plenty time at each stop to explore. We never felt rushed. Adam took us to a great restaurant too before we started our search for the Northern Lights. He drove North to some great spots, very dark and no city lights in sight. We stopped at 3 places overall. Seeing the lights and getting some amazing photos. I think we were lucky with the display they gave us though, as this isn't guaranteed but it was incredible, memories to last a lifetime! Adam was very knowledgeable about Iceland and answered any questions we had as well as giving us info along the journey. We hope to return one summer and do a trip with him again, would 100% recommend if you want a much more personal and chilled out tour. Thank you, Adam! See you again soon.

  • Jonathan Powles

    ★★★★★ · a year ago

    A great experience in the Golden Circle and Northern Lights tour. Adam collected us from the hotel in his jeep and then took us to the iconic sights of the Golden Circle. As the Northern Lights were clouded out (most of the day was a snowstorm) we finished up in the Secret Lagoon, Iceland’s oldest thermal public baths.

  • lindsey yessick

    ★★★★★ · 2 years ago

    My husband and I joined a small group tour of the Highlands and Landmannalaugar. Adam is an incredible tour guide, I would not take a tour of Iceland any other way. He takes you to spots he knows of where the giant tour groups don't go. It's the first nature tour I've had where I felt like I was actually seeing something without a swarm of people. He really let's you drive the pace of the day. At one point he even drove us around looking for a place to buy towels for the hotspring! He's got great stories to tell and has collected an incredible amount of Icelandic knowledge in his time here. Choose Try Iceland!

  • Melissa Hales

    ★★★★★ · 4 years ago

    We booked an Golden Circle Afternoon & Northern Lights tour with Adam and Try Iceland and I couldn't be more thrilled that we did. We weren't sure we would be able to see the lights, so Adam asked us to bring swimsuits so he could take us to a hot spring instead just in case. Well, turns out we had a lot of luck on our trip because the Lights were incredible AND we got to see them from the hot spring. Adam was an incredibly knowledgeable tour guide, who catered to our love of Game of Thrones by showing us a few of the scenes on our tour, exploring the incredible golden circle with us AND adding his awesome photography in to boot. I wouldn't hesitate to book all my tours with Try Iceland and Adam the next time I am there!

Reviews from Google · updated 13 Sept 2026

Read before you book

Reviews from our travellers

Only people who booked this tour through us can write here. We publish every review in full — good or bad.

No reviews yet from our travellers on this one. After your tour we send one email asking how it was, and what you write goes here, unedited.

Lava caves — questions people ask

Which lava cave near Reykjavík is the easiest to visit?

Raufarhólshellir, sold as The Lava Tunnel, thirty minutes east of the city. It has a lit walkway and a one-hour guided walk (/experience/32545/ meet on location, or /experience/222055/ with pickup), so no crawling and no head torches. It runs all year. Viðgelmir in West Iceland is longer and quieter, an hour and a half away, and Leiðarendi is a proper caving trip with helmets and scrambling.

What is the difference between a lava cave and an ice cave?

A lava cave is a tunnel left when a lava flow drained out thousands of years ago; it is rock, permanent and open all year. An ice cave is a meltwater tunnel in a glacier, usually only safe November to March, and rebuilt by nature every year. Lava caves show colours in the rock, ice stalactites in winter and total darkness. Ice caves show blue light. If you are here in summer and someone offers a natural ice cave, ask which one.

Is lava caving suitable for children and older people?

The Lava Tunnel, yes. The main walk is on a flat walkway with lights and handrails, and children of most ages manage it. Viðgelmir has a good path too. Leiðarendi and the caving combos (/experience/268/) involve crouching, uneven floors and some scrambling, so the operator sets a minimum age; check the tour page. Anyone with a bad back or knees should stick to the walkway caves.

What do I wear in a lava cave?

It is around zero to four degrees inside, whatever the weather outside, and floors drip. Wear a warm jacket, closed shoes with grip and long trousers. The operator provides a helmet with a head torch where needed. For caving trips, wear clothes you do not mind scraping on rock; gloves help. The Lava Tunnel is easier on clothing, but it is still a cold, wet cave, not a museum.

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Pairs well with

Everything here goes into the same basket and the same single payment, however many operators it comes from.

from

€184 per person

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