Description
Summary
Description
Step inside the last human cave dwellings in Iceland on this guided tour of the Laugarvatnshellar Caves, on the Golden Circle between Thingvellir National Park and Lake Laugarvatn.
No one knows who cut these two rooms out of the soft tuff rock, or when. One theory holds that they were carved by Irish monks, the Papar, who are said to have reached Iceland before the Norse settlement of 874. For centuries, they sheltered shepherds and their flocks on the old route between the valley and Reykjavik.
In 1910, a newly married young couple moved into the cave, named it Reydarmuli, kept animals, and sold coffee to travelers on the road. They lasted a year.
In the spring of 1918, another couple arrived and stayed four hard winters, through one of the hardest years Iceland had known, with the coldest winter on record, an eruption of Katla Volcano, and the Spanish flu. They kept sheep, horses, and a cow, grew potatoes on the slope, and served skyr, cream, and cakes to travelers on their way to Thingvellir. Three children were born there, and the family became the last people to live in a cave in Iceland.
In 1921, King Christian X rode through on his journey across Iceland and was served skyr and cream from the cave kitchen.
After the family left, the caves stood empty for decades. In 2017, the cave was dug out and rebuilt the way it had been, with the outer wall, the window, the beds, and the stove. Names, initials, and dates cut into the rock over more than a century are still visible on the walls.
Your guide takes you inside with the stories, old photographs, and details of how the families lived, along with local folklore about the hidden people. Afterward, you're free to walk the hill and take photos for as long as you like.
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