This tour will take you to the awe-inspiring, subterranean world of the Víðgelmir lava cave, one of the largest and most impressive caves in all of Iceland!
The Víðgelmir cave is located close to Husafell in western Iceland, making it a perfect addition to some of our other tours in the area. You can choose to meet us at the location or we can arrange for you to be collected from Hótel Húsafell.
Once everyone has arrived, our friendly tour guide will provide you with all the equipment that you need for the trip and give you a quick safety briefing. Then we will begin our descent into the incredible Víðgelmir lava cave, a subterranean wonderland replete with sparkling icicles and colorful rock formations.
The descent begins through a narrow tunnel, which is the only tight space that you will encounter in Víðgelmir. This opens out into an incredible hall, where glimmering icicles hang down from the ceiling like shards of diamond and the walls are dyed various shades of magenta, ruby, turquoise, and amber. This combined with the truly spectacular rock formations (equally beautiful ice formations in winter), makes for a truly phenomenal experience that all visitors are bound to enjoy.
The tour then proceeds, via a walkway to the next great hall, replete with rainbow-colored walls that are genuinely breathtaking. At this point the guide will turn off all the lights in the cave, so you can experience total darkness: a profound and slightly haunting experience that represents a radical departure from what we are used to in the modern world.
Víðgelmir is around 1600 meters in length and has an area of over 150,000 cubic meters, making it of the largest caves in Iceland and the world. It is situated beneath the spectacular Hallmundarhraun lava field in Iceland’s highlands and was formed around 1100 years ago, during the Viking Age, when the volcano under the Langjökull glacier erupted, spewing molten rock all over the countryside. The cave itself was formed when the surface lava hardened, while the molten rock beneath it continued to flow, creating a hollow subterranean paradise, which all visitors are bound to appreciate.
Our friendly and knowledgeable expert will tell you everything that you need to know about this majestic subterranean wonder and the volcanic forces that helped to create it. They will also tell you about the many myths and legends that are woven into the fabric of the area. The tour is completely family-friendly and the perfect way to interest children in geology and science.
The cave is located in West Iceland, in Borgarfjordur, not far from Hotel Húsafell. It takes around 2 hours to drive there from Reykjavik. The cave is accessible by all vehicles and clearly marked on nearby roads. Look for Fljótstunga, The Cave or Víðgelmir. Click here for the location on a map.
Yes, we will provide you with a headlight and a helmet.
The Icelandic weather is very unpredictable therefore we highly recommend to dress in layers. Warm layers closest to you preferably wool/thermal underwear, pants sweater and on top waterproof outdoor clothing. It is also suitable to wear good hiking shoes and gloves. Jeans have proven to be a bad choice.
