As of January 18th, 2020, four of the twelve man-made caves in Hella are now open to the public.

The Hella caves are ancient; some even believed to date further back than the settlement of the Vikings. In truth, nobody knows when they were originally constructed, but they have been taken care of by the same family for nearly 200 years. 

The caves feature drawings and carvings on the walls as well as carved seats. Many have wondered if they are the handiwork of the Celts, or whether the caves were a place of worship. Currently a restoration project is underway, supervised by the Cultural Heritage Agency of Iceland. The goal of the restoration is to eventually open more of the caves to the public, and all income generated from those that are currently open will go to this end.

If you’re interested in seeing the caves for yourself, they are located approximately an hour away from Reykjavík off Highway 1. Tours are 45 minutes and tickets for adults are 3,900 ISK and 1,950 ISK for children. To book a tour, shoot an email to cavesofhella@gmail.com