Raufarhólshellir is one of the most popular lava caves in Iceland. It’s about 40 minutes from Reykjavik. But even better, if you’re heading to Geysir on the Golden Circle, it’s less than 10 minutes out of your way.
A couple of years ago, I wouldn’t have qualified that first sentence. Raufarhólshellir was unquestionably the most popular lava cave in Iceland. But that was when the cave was free and open to the public without restriction. As tourism increased, so did stress on the cave. Visitors left trash, stole pieces of the cave, and had to be rescued.
To be fair, we noticed none of that on our visit in 2016, just a few months before the cave was closed to the public. What we did notice was a beautiful cave that starts out with lots of light quickly gets pitch black as you head further back. I can imagine unprepared tourists getting into trouble.
