Epic Travel → Europe → Iceland → West Iceland → Surtshellir

Location: Hallmundarhraun lava field, Borgarfjörður district, West Iceland

Time Required: 2-4 hours

Red Tape/Notes: If you have a vehicle that can handle the rough road out onto the lava field, and the right gear (helmet and headlamps – you shouldn’t need a rope), and you’re willing to wander around a bit and find an accessible entrance, you should be able to visit this cave on your own. I’ve read where people said they ran into locked gates, but I don’t remember any. You can also book a private tour and be certain to get into the cave – the only company I’ve seen advertising this is Extreme Iceland.

What’s Nearby?: Hallmundarhraun, Stefánshellir, Víðgelmir, Húsafell Geothermal Pools, Hraunfossar, Barnafoss, Deildartunguhver, Snorralaug

Surtshellir is a well-known cave in Iceland, and it comes with a legend about a band of outlaws who lived in the cave many years ago. Remains of their settlement are still visible in a section of the cave, which is pretty cool. The cave is nearly 2 km long, with 5 skylights, and the large central shaft is 9 meters high and filled with a large amount of rock fall debris, making for lots of fun scrambling. Only around 30 meters of rock divide Surtshellir from Stefánshellir, so these are often thought of as one large cave (maybe they are and we just haven’t found the connecting shaft).

Epic Travel → Europe → Iceland → West Iceland → Surtshellir