Caves of Hella

28/04/2025

This innermost part of the cave has always been called the Chapel, and the name comes from the fact that on the back wall there is a particularly beautiful cross carved into the rock. The cross itself is not carved into the rock like most crosses, but instead the rock around it has been carved away so that the cross stands out from the stone.

There are many types of cross markings in the caves of South Iceland — but do you know what kind of cross this is? 🔎

24/04/2025

The First Day of Summer (Sumardagurinn fyrsti) is a unique and traditional holiday in Iceland. It marks the beginning of summer according to the old Icelandic calendar, which divided the year into only two seasons: winter and summer.

In the old Norse calendar, summer began around this time, regardless of the weather – even if it was still snowing. It was considered a time of joy and renewal after the long, dark winter.

There’s an old belief that if the night before the First Day of Summer was cold enough to freeze, it was a sign that the summer would be good. This is called “vetur og sumar frusu saman” – “winter and summer froze together.”

Happy first day of summer from Iceland 🌞🌻

Sumardagurinn fyrsti er einn af þjóðlegustu hátíðisdögum Íslendinga og markar upphaf sumars samkvæmt gamla íslenska misseratalinu.

Sumardagurinn fyrsti kemur frá gamla norræna tímatalinu þar sem árinu var skipt í tvö misseri: vetur og sumar. Veturinn endaði með „sumarmálum“ og þá hófst sumar. Sumardagurinn fyrsti var fyrsti dagur sumars, og því mikilvægur tímapunktur í hinu forna lífi Íslendinga. Þrátt fyrir oft kalt veður, þótti dagurinn sérstakur og var tilefni til fagnaðar – jafnvel þó snjór væri á jörð!

Það var talin góð tíðindi ef vetur og sumar frusu saman – það er að nóttin fyrir sumardaginn fyrsta væri frosthörð. Þá var sagt að sumarið yrði gott.

Gleðilegt sumar kæru landsmenn 🌞🌻



20/04/2025

Happy easter 🐣✨💛

14/04/2025

We heard a rumour… that the easterbunny was hiding eggs in caves 🐰🐣
We don’t deny or confirm- but we will say this: Step lightly in our next tours… there may be hidden chocolate in the dark!

We have daily tours at 10:00, 12:00 and 14:00 - don’t miss a fun upcoming week with us ✨

13/04/2025

Love seeing the excitement about our caves! Huge thanks to Iceland Travel Guide for the kind words and recommendation — we can’t wait to welcome you (and your followers) soon!

10/04/2025

“Light hits differently when it breaks through a crack in total darkness.” 🕯️

Daily tours at 10:00, 12:00 and 14:00.

08/04/2025

Did you know that the caves are the oldest standing structures in Iceland? 🔎

They were carved by human hands, but no one knows when. The caves are thus shrouded in mystery, and in many of them you can find wall carvings, initials, dates, crosses, brand marks and even runes.

The family of Ægissíða is working to restore and preserve the environment and history of the caves in collaboration with the local community and the Cultural Heritage Agency of Iceland.

04/04/2025

A delightful group of kids from the kindergarten Heklukot came for a short visit and got to look inside of the caves 😊

Þessi flotti hópur frá Leikskólanum Heklukot kom í stutta heimsókn og fékk aðeins að líta inn í hellanna 😊

03/04/2025

We have a very unique guestbook - usually it’s not very polite to write or draw on buildings but at Caves of Hella we encourage it!

So come down to Hella and take a tour with us through the mysterious history of one of the oldest man-made caves in Iceland - and of course don’t forget to sign our guestbook after the tour 😉

02/04/2025

01/04/2025

26/03/2025

Need an activity in this rainy weather? 🌧️

We have daily tours everyday at 10:00, 12:00 and 14:00!

18/03/2025

This is Cow Shed Cave 🕯️

Was it used for animals? or was it used for gatherings? maybe a church?

Find out by taking a guided tour through the Caves of Hella and learn all there is to know about the history of these man-made caves.

Guided tours every day at 10:00, 12:00 and 14:00. Book now and get 20% off using the code “WINTER” ✨