Reykjavik Lava Tunnel Tour: An In-Depth Review

Okay, so you’re thinking about a trip to Iceland, right? I mean, who isn’t these days? Thing is, Iceland has just a ton to offer, and trying to decide where to spend your time can be tough. One thing that should be on your radar, in my humble opinion, is the Lava Tunnel tour, that is if you are at all into exploring nature’s wonders and want to experience something that is really different. It’s pretty special. The Lava Tunnel, actually also known as Raufarhólshellir, offers a chance to wander through a place that formed about 5,600 years ago, when a volcanic eruption created this large lava tube. What is kind of neat is that the tour lets you walk through a section of it, witnessing the marks that molten rock left as it cooled and hardened.

Booking and Preparation

If this sounds like your kind of adventure, here’s the deal. I would very much suggest booking your tour well in advance, mostly if you are going during peak season, such as summer or around the holidays. Seriously, tours sell out, and you don’t want to miss out. You can book directly through the Lava Tunnel’s official site or use tour aggregators. Doing a bit of comparison shopping could, potentially, save you some bucks, that is to say money. Okay, what to wear? That’s actually a big deal. The tunnel temperature tends to hover around freezing, or maybe just above, so layers are, honestly, your friend. That said, think thermal underwear, a warm sweater, and a waterproof or water-resistant outer layer, more or less like what you’d wear for a moderately cold hike. Sturdy, waterproof hiking boots are pretty much necessary, because the tunnel floor is uneven and can be wet. Gloves and a hat are often smart choices, too, it’s almost as you might imagine, it is cold down there.

So, about getting there, the Lava Tunnel isn’t actually right in Reykjavik. That means you will have to figure out transportation. If you’ve rented a car, the drive is pretty easy and should take you about 30 minutes from Reykjavik. What you want to do is plug Raufarhólshellir into your GPS. It gets you right there. They do have parking at the site. However, not everyone wants to drive themselves around Iceland, I get that, that’s what I did though, so, anyway if that’s you there are tour options that include transportation to and from Reykjavik. That also has the benefit that you can skip worrying about driving. Check when you book. They give directions or pickup locations when you confirm everything.

The Standard Tour Experience

So, what is the standard tour, right? When you get there, what happens? They start you off with a brief introduction about the tunnel’s formation and a little geology. It is fairly interesting, so, too it’s almost, the tour guides are well-informed and happily field any and all questions you may have. That is, if you are the questioning type, it’s like your eighth-grade science teacher finally has some real-world samples to show you. The tour, basically, takes you through a fairly accessible part of the lava tube. It stretches out to about 900 meters, and the path is reasonably evened out, however, that doesn’t mean it’s a walk in the park. It’s still uneven, you still have rocks, that sort of thing. You can see different rock formations and get a good look at how the lava flowed. And that’s if you booked a standard tour, then the guides are sure to focus your attention to a whole bunch of various colors on the walls, made from minerals in the rock.

I thought the most incredible part was standing there in that underground area and that to remember that, literally, tons of molten lava flowed there a few thousand years back. It makes you consider a slightly, well, very different concept of time, I suppose. Make certain you bring a camera because you want to get photographs of this area. Now, the lighting they put up down there does an alright job for most smartphone cameras. The long exposure shots will not be easy. A great camera would definitely make you happier. You know you can remember stuff a bunch better later, it’s almost like those holiday slideshows we end up watching later with the family. If you take the photographs.

The Adventure Tour Experience

If you are up for even extra thrills, consider doing the adventure tour. Honestly, it is not just a stroll, or, maybe, an even paved stroll like you’ll see on the standard tour. The adventure tour has a ton more climbing and hiking. The terrain can be difficult to traverse. Thing is, I would only advise doing it if you are in alright physical shape, because there is, indeed, a bunch of bending and squeezing and scrambling required to be part of the adventure. It should be, arguably, worth it if you really would like to get away from the tourist crowds and see much of the tunnel in its raw form. Plus, there is that sense of accomplishment when you finish. But just know it is legitimately tricky, okay?

The tour I had did come equipped with helmets, with lights, for navigating some of the darker, narrower parts, therefore you are really stepping off the well-trodden path, and seeing, too, more of the tunnel’s natural state. One experience that stood out for me was when our guide had all of us switch off our headlamps for a short amount of time to feel total darkness, I would tell you it was rather unforgettable. In a way, I was pretty amazed how complete the darkness was. Honestly, no light gets to that section. It’s extremely cool. Just that darkness really puts the location in perspective. In short, for those into real discovery, the Adventure Tour is worth looking at.

Photography Tips

Speaking of cameras, I had previously talked about photography. It is pretty neat. What makes it so challenging is the lower light. You’ll obviously want a camera that does good photos when it’s dark, which likely, means a good smartphone, or a digital SLR or mirrorless camera. Also a wide-open aperture and image stabilization on the camera would be highly suggested. You can get those mineral colors and capture those very intricate rock formations with even lower ISOs.

You know, you may consider bringing a tripod to make it easier for any of your longer-exposure shots, you know, just getting some images down inside there. Now you should already plan to utilize your headlamp, it might be good as well to bring an even small flashlight in order to add light in other cool sorts of techniques or angles to, potentially, bring more focus to details or textures you see. You can get photographs from some truly wild angles. That is something the flash on your camera phone could, almost, never, honestly, do. Test out different positions, therefore, you’ll be prepared as well as you can for lower lighting. It just means the images come out better, right?

What to Expect: Key Considerations

Thing is, going into a lava tunnel, while super amazing, isn’t exactly the same thing like going for a walk in a public park, but there’s just things that’ll help set up reasonable expectations for, like, just that total experience. To begin with, that total dark and quiet that I referenced can be disorienting for a bit, arguably, for those who do not prefer enclosed areas, just that sense of containment may be stressful to, in a way, keep it real, those spaces inside a volcano could feel tight sometimes, right. And it will be fairly cold inside. Just anticipate just how cold it is, okay? I indicated this before, just know how important layering is!

Something, too, is, that you have got to know the environment. That’s extremely important to think about! Thing is, it’s vital you adhere to the guides’ directions plus also follow their guidelines pertaining to preserving the geological site. The Lava Tunnel will remain amazing only in as long as individuals handle the place appropriately. Just do not touch or eliminate any rocks. Respect any scientific equipment there. Stay on designated walkways in the place. It can just damage fragile surfaces there, you see. Lastly, do not leave trash. Carry out whatever you carry inside to guarantee the tunnel continues to be preserved to ensure that various other people are free to go there afterwards.

Accessibility

Here’s a thing to take into account as you want to visit Raufarhólshellir. I was not kidding earlier: The cave, really, is not one of the most easy sorts of places, even though that the path may have been graded a fair amount. You see all sort of uneven and rugged parts. You would most likely think about how difficult the path will be if anyone among your group has any limited freedom of movement as well as if any individuals have disabilities. Consider, though, that during the tour, certain portions get completely dark; for many who are prone to sensory overload then, actually, just a couple portions may get very overstimulating as well as too challenging.

If anybody in your party has accessibility concerns, that is where reaching out ahead makes an entire bunch of sense. The excursion firms normally should be able to just answer, really, any queries to ensure, basically, an adventure that works properly for anyone concerned, right. That is where they actually can spell the conditions right on out as well, they probably could inform any people how they could adjust the journeys also, that is whenever necessary. Actually, going beforehand normally does give, honestly, everybody just reassurance. Plus, actually, merely making all appropriate queries ahead should make it, arguably, a wonderful excursion proper for literally all.