Vatnshellir Cave
Vatnshellir
Vatnshellir Cave is an 8,000-year-old lava tube in Snæfellsjökull National Park, formed by an eruption from the Purkhólar crater row a few hundred metres away. A guided 45-minute tour leads visitors down two spiral staircases into two chambers of the tube, whose walls reveal colourful mineral deposits and lava formations.
Region
Snæfellsnes Peninsula
Coordinates
64.7481° N, 23.8180° W
Important to know
- Guide required
- Summit Adventure Guides is the sole operator licensed to run tours into Vatnshellir; the cave is gated and cannot be entered independently.
Plan the stop
- Who it suits
- 5+
- The operator sets a minimum age of 5 due to the spiral staircases and uneven cave floor; children 5-11 are admitted free.
- Allow
- 45 min
Accessibility
- Wheelchair · None
- Entry is via two spiral staircases into the lava tube; there is no wheelchair-accessible route into the cave.
- Limited mobility · Limited
- Visitors must be able to walk unsupported on uneven surfaces and descend/ascend two spiral staircases; this rules out most mobility aids.
- Sensory · Partial
- The cave interior is dark, cold, and enclosed, though the guide provides lighting and narration throughout the 45-minute tour.
- Cognitive · Partial
- A small guided group with a fixed route makes the visit straightforward, but visitors must follow safety instructions on the staircases.
Why it matters
The cave lies at the foot of Snæfellsjökull, the glacier-capped volcano that Jules Verne made famous in 1864 as the entrance to the centre of the Earth in his novel of the same name; descending into Vatnshellir is often marketed as retracing that fictional journey. Summit Adventure Guides is the sole operator licensed to run tours into the cave, which is otherwise gated to protect it.