Remember when I told you about the Laugarvatnshellir cave in my travel blog, Laugarvatnshellir Cave & the Cave People of Iceland?
Two families inhabited these caves in the last century, and you can take guided tours to see what life was like in the caves.
Top photo: by the elf-church
The elf-church as seen from a distance
A short distance from the cave, you will find a distinctive rock, which is believed to be an elf-church, Álfakirkja.
Seeing that the weather was glorious when I last visited Laugarvatnshellir, I decided to hike to the elf-church.
It was sunny and still, and the silence was almost eerie.
The elf-church
But 25 minutes into the hike, as I was approaching the elf-church, I heard loud voices as if many people were talking.
I thought to myself that there must be a group of people visiting the elf-church, although I hadn't seen anybody around.
But as I stood by the elf-church one minute later, there was nobody around, and it was utterly silent again!
By the elf-church
I had asked the elves for permission on the way to visit their church, as is customary here in Iceland, and promised not to make any loud noises or racket during my visit.
Respect is of the utmost importance when visiting the elf-habitations and elf-churches. There are many stories in Icelandic folklore about the revenge of the elves if respect is not shown near their habitations and churches.
You can find such stories in my travel blog about Mt. Pétursey in South Iceland and the Elves - Icelandic Folklore
The elf-church
In olden times, people often heard mass and loud singing inside this elf-church, but what I heard was a group of people talking loudly.
Or it sounded as if they were talking very loudly, given how still it was outside. But it most definitely came from the direction of the elf-church!
The elf-church
See some of my other travel blogs about elf-locations in Iceland:
The Sheriff's Wife at Burstarfell and the Elf-Rock in East Iceland - Icelandic Folklore
An Elf Woman catches a Ride across Skjálfandafljót River - Icelandic Folklore - Álfkona reidd yfir á
At the new café inside Laugarvatnshellir cave
When visiting Laugarvatnshellir cave, consider visiting the elf-church as well, given that you have the time to do so. The round-trip from the cave takes about an hour.
Laugarvatnshellir cave is on the Golden Circle route, which takes around 8 hours to complete.
The Golden Circle is the most popular route in Iceland. It includes sights such as the majestic Gullfoss waterfall, which gives the Golden Circle its name, the Geysir geothermal area, and Þingvellir national park, where you can see the tectonic plates above ground.
Laugarvatnshellir cave
I have written a couple of other travel blogs about interesting stops on the Golden Circle:
The spectacular Geysir Geothermal Area - Strokkur and all the other Hot Springs
The Majestic Gullfoss - Iceland's Golden Waterfall, which gives a Name to the Golden Circle
The historic Skálholt Episcopal See in South Iceland
Laugarvatnshellir - the Cave People is located some 59 km away from Reykjavík, Iceland's capital city.
To visit the Cave People, you can rent a car in Reykjavík and drive to the caves in an hour or so.
The next village after Laugarvatnshellir is Laugarvatn village, some 8-9 km away from the cave.
If you want to see more elf-churches in Iceland, then I have written two other travel blogs about elf-churches in Iceland:
Tungustapi in Sælingsdalur - the Church of the Elves in West Iceland, and The Beautiful Elf City and Elf Church by Hotel Laki in South Iceland
Have a lovely time visiting Laugarvatnshellir caves and the elf-church :)
