Vatnshellir Lava Cave Tour

by Summit Adventure Guides · Lava caves · Volcanoes & lava · Snæfellsnes

4.80· 68 Google reviews of the operator

Fine on your own
Works in the rain
Eco-certified

from €43.32 per person

Next departure: Thu 22 Oct

Book Thu 22 Oct · €43.32 Other dates

Vatnshellir Lava Cave Tour — Summit Adventure Guides

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Duration
50 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Season
All year
Starts in
Snæfellsbær
Pickup
Meet at the start point
Starts at
Vatnshellir Cave
Vatnshellir Cave, Snaefellsbaer
Guide
Guided in Icelandic, English
Departs
09:00, 09:30, 10:00, 10:30 …
Minimum age
5
Cancellation
Free until 4 hours before

About this experience

Vatnshellir Cave Tour – A Journey to the Center of the Earth

Nestled beside the majestic Snæfellsjökull stratovolcano lies Vatnshellir Cave, an 8,000-year-old lava tube shaped by a volcanic eruption from the Purkhólar crater family. Just 500 meters from the Purkhólar craters, this unique geological wonder offers an extraordinary glimpse into Iceland’s volcanic past.

Snæfellsjökull gained worldwide fame as the gateway to the subterranean world in Jules Verne’s A Journey to the Centre of the Earth. While the explorers in Verne’s novel descended through the glacier's summit, your adventure begins at Vatnshellir Cave—offering a chance to retrace the fictional footsteps of this legendary journey. Step into the dark depths of this ancient lava tube and uncover the story carved into its walls by nature’s most powerful forces.

What to Expect on Your Tour

Vatnshellir Cave was formed when molten lava rushed downhill in a fiery lava river, creating a solid crust as it cooled. Once the eruption finished, the molten lava beneath the crust drained away, leaving behind an intricate hollow tube. Today, this underground marvel is accessible to those eager to explore the heart of Iceland’s volcanic landscape.

Guided by Summit Adventure Guides, the sole licensed operator of Vatnshellir Cave tours, you’ll embark on a 45-minute journey into this natural masterpiece. The tour is suitable for most adventurers, though participants must be able to walk unsupported on uneven surfaces and navigate two spiral staircases leading into the cave’s depths.

Important Information for Your Visit

Dress Appropriately: The cave’s temperature remains just above freezing year-round. We recommend warm layers, including gloves, for your safety and comfort.
Footwear: Hiking shoes or sturdy sneakers are required. For your safety, high heels, flat-bottom shoes, or flip-flops are not permitted.
Accessibility: While the tour is relatively easy, it does require physical ability to navigate uneven terrain and stairs.

Safety First

At Summit Adventure Guides, your safety is our top priority. All guests will be equipped with helmets and flashlights to ensure a safe and comfortable exploration of the cave's dark, uneven terrain. Our experienced guides are trained to lead you through the cave while prioritizing your security and enjoyment.

Why Choose Vatnshellir?

Vatnshellir Cave offers more than just a look at Iceland’s geology; it’s an opportunity to immerse yourself in a setting that bridges nature, history, and literary legend. Whether you're a thrill-seeker, a nature lover, or a Jules Verne enthusiast, this tour is a must-see experience that will leave you in awe of the forces that shaped our world.

Join us on this unforgettable journey beneath the surface—book your tour today and take your first steps toward the center of the Earth.

Description from the operator, Summit Adventure Guides. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Included

• Helmet
• Flashlight/Torch
• Guiding in English / Icelandic

Good to know

• Hiking shoes/boots
• Gloves (optional, but recommended)
• Warm clothes (It´s cold inside the cave)

Cancellation for this tour

Free cancellation until 4 hours before departure; no refund after that. 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.

1Summit Adventure Guides 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.
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.
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 4 hours before departure, the operator's policy after that.

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

Who this is not for

Children under 5 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

Summit Adventure Guides is one of 204 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 Summit Adventure Guides

Read all 68 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.

Patryk Jurczak
★★★★★ · 2 months ago
We had an absolutely amazing experience with Summit Adventure Guides on their ATV tour! From start to finish, everything was perfectly organized, and the entire team made us feel welcome and well taken care of. A very special thank you goes to our guide, Giulia. She was fantastic! She has a great sense of humor and kept us laughing throughout the tour, making the whole experience even more enjoyable. At the same time, she always put safety first, making sure everyone in our group felt comfortable and confident before and during the ride. Her professionalism, positive energy, and genuine care for the guests really stood out. We joined the tour as part of the Hotel Fransiskus team (although not the full crew), and it turned out to be one of the highlights of our time together. The scenery was breathtaking, the ATVs were in excellent condition, and the route was both exciting and beautiful. We highly recommend Summit Adventure Guides to anyone looking for an unforgettable ATV adventure in Iceland. And if you get the chance to tour with Giulia, you're in for an incredible experience! Thank you for an unforgettable day!
Geoff Ford
★★★★★ · 4 weeks ago
A great afternoons quad trekking to the foot of the glacier, in amazing weather! Our guide Giulia was superb, making sure we were comfortable with the quads and then expertly leading us up and down the volcano, with plenty of time to explore. Thanks Giulia for your time - it was much appreciated!
Stas Lifshitz
★★★★★ · a month ago
A wonderful experience, highly recommended. Julia, our guide, was sooo charming and fun, and the ATV ride is breathtaking. The route itself is not challenging to drive, and they provide very warm and protective clothes so you only need to bring yourself
Elleke Bosma
★★★★★ · 3 months ago
We had such a great adventure with the 2h quad tour with Giulia! We were provided with warm and waterproof high-vis clothes so even in the wind and rain we stayed nice and warm. Going into the mountains with the quads was so beautiful and a great way to see the landscape. We made several stops on the way where we could look around and Giulia gave some very cool info on the places. Highly recommended!!

Reviews from Google · updated 21 Oct 2026

Read before you book

Lava caves in Iceland: which one to visitRaufarhólshellir, Víðgelmir, Vatnshellir, Leiðarendi or Lofthellir. The easy one is near Reykjavík; the wild one is unlit and you crawl.
Hekla volcano tour: what you actually doMostly you drive: a super jeep up Hekla's lower slopes and lava fields, often with Landmannalaugar. Nobody we list guides you to the summit.
Lava Show: Reykjavík or Vík?Same molten lava, same €48 ticket, same 50-odd minutes. See it in Vík if you are driving the South Coast anyway, in Reykjavík on a wet day in town.

Reviews from our travellers

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

Reviews arrive the day after each trip — none yet for 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.

Hotels

Where to stay for this tour

From the cheapest to the top end of what is near Snæfellsnes, from our hotel partners. Rooms are booked on our hotels site. Ourhotels is our sister company — the same people, a different business — so we list it first and say so.

All hotels in Snæfellsnes →

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from

€43.32 per person

Summit Adventure Guides's own price. 3% off the whole trip when you book two or more tours together, in one checkout.

Your date

The next departure we can see — change it if this tour is for another day.

Pick a date to check departures.

Departs09:0009:3010:0010:3011:0011:2011:3011:4012:0012:3013:0013:3013:4514:0014:3015:0015:3016:0016:3017:0018:00

Snæfellsnes: light 08:44–17:49, 9 h 5 min of daylight.

✓ Free cancellation until 4 hours before
✓ Instant confirmation by email
✓ If Summit Adventure Guides cancels for weather or safety: a full refund, or another date
✓ Card — Apple Pay or Google Pay where your device offers it — through Stripe; the charge is made in Icelandic krónur
✓ Price promise: Summit Adventure Guides's own price, or we refund the difference
✓ One checkout, even with tours from several operators
✓ Vetted operator — the six checks every operator passes

Pairs well with

Add any of these to this tour and 3 % comes off both at checkout — about €6 on the cheapest pair. One basket, one payment, however many operators they come from.