Caves of Hella
Caves of Hella
4.5
Historic SitesCaverns & Caves
9:30 AM - 4:15 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 4:15 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 4:15 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 4:15 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 4:15 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 4:15 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 4:15 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 4:15 PM
About
Guided tours every day at 10 am, 12 pm and 2 pm. All tours are in English. An hours drive from Reykjavik, next to the village Hella, there is a mystery to be discovered. Four man-made caves, and an unknown story behind them. Where the caves made by the Vikings or before the Viking Settlement? On the tour we will be exploring the mysterious caves and ancient carvings on the walls - such as beautiful crosses, runes and a Viking mask - while telling our forefathers stories about Iceland’s history. The caves are located on our family farm. We have been taking care of the caves for nearly 200 years. After the tour you can sign our guestbook, the biggest guestbook in Europe, located on the walls of the reception - instead of carving inscriptions on the walls of the caves as has been done for centuries. Don't miss out on this adventure, visit the Caves of Hella.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • Hjordis Rut S
    Orebro, Sweden5 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Really interesting and fun visit
    An excellent tour with a fun and knowledgeable guide. The history and the speculation about what was not written in the Viking saga's is a great reminder that it's often more to thing than we know. The more resent history of the caves gives a interesting insight into farmers life's at the time.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written 22 October 2023
  • Neil M
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Caves of Hella are a must see if you enjoy history & mystery.
    We stopped off here on our way to the waterfalls, and we were so glad we did. It's such an interesting place steeped in ancient history and mystery. Stefan Smari our guide is full of information and passion about the site and its history. He made the tour fun and didn't mind us asking lots of questions. He's one of those lovely warm people you wish to be friends with. Thanks again Stefan.
    We are so grateful for your kind words and encouragements. Stefan truly is a gem, and we are really lucky to have him as part of our staff. He does an amazing job at presenting both the History and the mystery part of the Caves. Thank you for your visit, we hope to see you again some day. All my best Dora
    Written 8 December 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited November 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 1 December 2023
  • Tiffani G
    Seattle, Washington5 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Love!
    Stefan was great! Was a small group of 4 and he was very accommodating and knowledgable. The caves provide an alternative view of Iceland’s long history. A little controversial but not completely off the mark as other archeological finds/ digs support this theory. Once more information is confirmed, I think tour will be famous! He grew up in the area and you can tell his passion for the history of the caves and the stewards of the land. Truly enjoyable experience!
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 10 December 2023
  • Jennifer
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Surprisingly interesting piece of Icelandic history. Both educational and entertaining.
    These caves are a unique piece of Icelandic history, brought to life by our knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide Stefan. Interesting, educational tour with amusing and entertaining saga stories. An unexpected gem
    Visited January 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 15 January 2024
  • Wendy H
    Wokingham, United Kingdom1,711 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Worth a visit
    We took a taxi from the nearby Hotel Ranga and the tour lasts about 75mins and is highly informative and interesting. The caves are have a good history and it's a surprise to see some very old markings/drawings with some more recent ones which it is definitely not allowed to do now. Stefan who did our tour has an excellent delivery, facts aplenty along with a good dose of humour and wit.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 17 February 2024
  • Hanne H
    10 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great tour
    This was our favorite tour in Iceland. The guide (Stefan) was very knowledgeable and shared the stories in a fun and engaging way. He is easy to understand and had answers for all the questions. The caves were really interesting to see. We definitely recommend going here!
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 27 July 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles168 reviews
Excellent
139
Very good
12
Average
4
Poor
5
Terrible
9

sunsprite3
Encinitas, CA7 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022 • Family
This experience is a rip off. You pay $30 per person to have the tour guide move you from the area in front of the building that isn’t windy into a space directly into the freezing wind so he can start telling you very little about the caves. The experience goes downhill from there.
The guide leads you down to the first cave which will be uncomfortable to bend into or stand in for anyone over 5’6. The website should have mentioned that these caves will not be accessible to anyone walking with a stick or without ability to bend much. (The person at the front desk was not helpful in this respect.)
The tour operator also should limit the group size as there were far too many people to fit comfortably in the first cave. And the tunnel between the first two caves is skinny enough to trigger a panic attack. All the guide keeps telling you is what they don’t know about the caves- who lived in them, how they were made, etc. What they know is modern history and how the caves have been used to house animals.
Really, really disappointed that we hurried from Reykjavik, skipping a lot along the way to do this.
AVOID.
Written 28 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Karen D
12 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2022
We took a private tour as they are only open for scheduled tours 1 day per week in winter and it was well worth it. They were flexible with day and time as the weather and road conditions were changing daily during our visit. The guide was super knowledgeable and friendly. We learned a lot about what they know about the caves, working theories, and all that cannot be known or isn't known yet. This was a great experience.
Written 27 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bérénice H.
6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022 • Family
We stumbled about this great spot on our journey to Vik and could not be more happy to have seen it! We weren't aware of the rich non-nordic history in the area, but our guide Thora did a fantastic job enlightening us about it. We will definitely keep up with the future progress in furthering the knowledge about who made the caves and what more exciting things will be found in the future. 10/10 would recommend, and if any archeology PhD-student is looking for a great project, these caves would be the perfect spot.
Written 7 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tiffani G
Seattle, WA5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Family
Stefan was great! Was a small group of 4 and he was very accommodating and knowledgable. The caves provide an alternative view of Iceland’s long history. A little controversial but not completely off the mark as other archeological finds/ digs support this theory. Once more information is confirmed, I think tour will be famous!

He grew up in the area and you can tell his passion for the history of the caves and the stewards of the land. Truly enjoyable experience!
Written 10 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sabrina I
12 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Friends
Amazing tour!!! Very interesting!

Toir guide was well informed and passionate about history and developing historical finds! Amazing sense of humour!

Definitely recommend if you like to explore hidden part of history and learn more about Icelandic culture!!

At end we were offered a nice Icelandic treat.

Would repeat when I return to Iceland .
Written 23 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

David A
Phoenix, AZ39 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022
Had a great time on this tour on Oct. 7. It was during the day on a Friday, so there was just a small group during our scheduled time. The tour operator was very nice and knowledgeable on the history of the caves, as well as general history of the area of Iceland. If you're in this area and can carve out a couple hours, it's worth the time, especially if you enjoy history.
Written 6 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rachel A
South Shields, England, United Kingdom6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022 • Couples
Hella Caves are incredible - made more enjoyable by our guide, Stefan. He had the best sense of humour! Hearing about the origins and subsequent history of the caves was really interesting and Stefan spoke passionately and knowledgeably. I would thoroughly recommend adding this to your itinerary.
Written 28 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

giuly j
Lido di Jesolo, Italy24 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2022 • Couples
LAST MINUTE STOP

We stopped here because is on the road to Vik. An amazing surprising because we are “caves tourist. “

So Icelandic 😍

It worths the stop.
There is a guided tour at 12 and 2 that takes one hour. Even the price is regular not too expensive
Written 6 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Wendy H
Wokingham, UK1,711 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
We took a taxi from the nearby Hotel Ranga and the tour lasts about 75mins and is highly informative and interesting.
The caves are have a good history and it's a surprise to see some very old markings/drawings with some more recent ones which it is definitely not allowed to do now.
Stefan who did our tour has an excellent delivery, facts aplenty along with a good dose of humour and wit.
Written 17 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TravelingDeacon
Dothan, AL739 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022 • Friends
If you are expecting a cave experience, then this is not for you. Although the caves themselves are nice as caves go, it’s not like natural caves. These were carved within the stone about 1000 years ago.
This is more of a history tour covering the Viking settlers and the ……? who preceded them.
Our tour guide was great - friendly and knowledgeable.
Written 5 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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