In July and August 2024, Jill and I journeyed through Iceland, the Land of Fire and Ice. We spent two days in Reykjavik and then sailed around the island on a 7-day cruise aboard the Windstar Star Pride. Iceland, a bucket list cruise, was everything we had hoped for and more!
Click HERE to read a short introduction to our adventure.
This story, part of a series, is about my adventure in Vatnshellir, an ancient lava tube cave near Grundarfjörður.
Click HERE to read a short introduction to our adventure.
This story, part of a series, is about my adventure in Vatnshellir, an ancient lava tube cave near Grundarfjörður.
Grundarfjörður, Iceland (August 8, 2024) Many, many, many years ago—I was 18 or 19 years old—I joined an outdoors club when I attended the University of Cincinnati. The club was a student organization dedicated to outdoor activities, including rock climbing, backpacking, and caving. I did all three and more, but I have fond memories of one outing in particular—a group adventure through the sinuous passages of a limestone cave 25 feet below the surface of the earth!
We rappelled through a narrow opening in the rocky terrain to reach the floor of the cave. The first passage was tall enough for me to stand upright, but the next passage, a crawlway, was small and narrow, and the only way through it—it was more than 100 feet long—was to wriggle belly down with my head turned sideways. Soon, we reached a large cavern with several stalactites and stalagmites, and a stunning display of colors created by mineral deposits. I felt as though I had stepped into another world.
Our group leader asked us to turn off our headlamps “so that you can experience total darkness.”
We did…and I saw nothing, not even my hand that I held inches from my eyes. The darkness I experienced was complete and utter, like nothing I had experienced before...UNTIL THIS DAY, that is, when I journeyed to the center of the earth.
I’ll get to this in a moment, but first, let me tell you something about Grundarfjörður.
We rappelled through a narrow opening in the rocky terrain to reach the floor of the cave. The first passage was tall enough for me to stand upright, but the next passage, a crawlway, was small and narrow, and the only way through it—it was more than 100 feet long—was to wriggle belly down with my head turned sideways. Soon, we reached a large cavern with several stalactites and stalagmites, and a stunning display of colors created by mineral deposits. I felt as though I had stepped into another world.
Our group leader asked us to turn off our headlamps “so that you can experience total darkness.”
We did…and I saw nothing, not even my hand that I held inches from my eyes. The darkness I experienced was complete and utter, like nothing I had experienced before...UNTIL THIS DAY, that is, when I journeyed to the center of the earth.
I’ll get to this in a moment, but first, let me tell you something about Grundarfjörður.
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Call me crazy, but when I looked at a map of Iceland, I saw a plump animal with a long snout and antlers, and one leg extended as if to shake my hand. (Am I crazy…or do you see it, too?!) The snout is Snæfellsnes, a peninsula in western Iceland with a volcanic origin. Grundarfjörður is located about halfway along the northern coast of the peninsula.
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Grundarfjörður, with a population of almost 900 people, is sometimes referred to as the ’town of Kirkjufell’ because it is near Kirkjufell—in English, Church Mountain. This singular mountain, which rises more than 1,500 feet above sea level, has a distinctive conic shape—like a spire atop a church, thus its name—formed over millions of years by volcanic eruptions and glacial erosion. Kirkjufell is one of the most photographed mountains in Iceland, and it gained international recognition when it was featured as Arrowhead Mountain in Season 6 of Game of Thrones.
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Like much of Iceland, this region was first colonized in the 9th and 10th centuries—a period of 140 years or so referred to as the ‘Settlement Age’ of Iceland. In the 17th century, Denmark established a trading post at present-day Grundarfjörður, and in the 19th century the town’s harbor was used by French fisherman.
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In the decades after the French “invasion,” their influence was seen in some of the area’s offspring, which was very unusual as Iceland was a very closed genetic nation. The foreign introduction has been interpreted as having had a long-term benefit for Iceland from the perspective of gene diversity.
~ Windstar Cruises
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Despite this, I found Grundarfjörður and the surrounding area—described as "a giant natural wonderland crafted by the whims of Mother Nature”—decidedly Icelandic, as it embodied much of what the whole of Iceland offered:
As I discovered through my excursion and walk about town, Grundarfjörður was both scenic and serene, which made it an ideal stop on Windstar’s ‘Around Iceland’ cruise.
- Scenic beauty—celebrated mountains, cascading waterfalls, and a glacier-covered volcano.
- Unique wildlife—Arctic foxes and the iconic Icelandic horse.
- A rich Viking heritage—both historical and mythological, which helped shape its culture.
As I discovered through my excursion and walk about town, Grundarfjörður was both scenic and serene, which made it an ideal stop on Windstar’s ‘Around Iceland’ cruise.
It was nearly 9AM when Star Pride docked in Grundarfjörður, and since the ship did not set sail until 6PM, I had time for a group excursion and a bit of sightseeing on my own.
My excursion, A Journey to the Center of the Earth, kicked off at half past nine, when I joined 20 or so fellow travelers on a motor coach bus bound for Vatnshellir—in English, Water Cave.
(As an aside, Jill and I went separate ways, as she opted for Wonders of the West, where she saw “many of the wonderful highlights of Snæfellsnes peninsula.” She had a grand time!)
My excursion, A Journey to the Center of the Earth, kicked off at half past nine, when I joined 20 or so fellow travelers on a motor coach bus bound for Vatnshellir—in English, Water Cave.
(As an aside, Jill and I went separate ways, as she opted for Wonders of the West, where she saw “many of the wonderful highlights of Snæfellsnes peninsula.” She had a grand time!)
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Allow me to introduce our bus driver, Hörður. I could not pronounce his name, and so I asked him to write it on a piece of paper, as this was the only way I would remember the name of this genial chap. His name, rooted from Old Norse, means “Man from Hordaland”, which is a county in Norway.
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This map (click to enlarge) displays the route we followed, a round trip of a little over 80 miles. I was pleased with this circular route, as it afforded me the opportunity to see quite a bit of this western peninsula.
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The landscape between Grundarfjörður and the Gestastofa Visitor Center, our first stop, was beautiful...even though the sky was overcast, and I viewed the countryside through the bus’s smoked glass window.
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We saw many Icelandic horses—a unique breed of horse developed in Iceland that traces its oldest ancestors to the Viking Age—like the one in the right-hand photo above. Here’s an interesting fact: Once an Icelandic horse leaves Iceland, it can never return. Why? To keep the breed in Iceland pure.
By current estimates, there are more than 10,000 waterfalls in Iceland, and while I didn’t see nearly that many this day, I saw more waterfalls on the Snæfellsnes peninsula than in any other region of Iceland I visited. Not every waterfall had a name, but the one in the photo on the left did: It is Bjarnarfoss, which translates to Bears Fall. Bjarnarfoss falls more than 260 feet from the top of a basalt cliff to the lush green fields below.
By current estimates, there are more than 10,000 waterfalls in Iceland, and while I didn’t see nearly that many this day, I saw more waterfalls on the Snæfellsnes peninsula than in any other region of Iceland I visited. Not every waterfall had a name, but the one in the photo on the left did: It is Bjarnarfoss, which translates to Bears Fall. Bjarnarfoss falls more than 260 feet from the top of a basalt cliff to the lush green fields below.
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A couple of miles before we reached the visitor center, we passed a pair of rock formations named Lóndrangar. These towering pillars—the one on the left is 200 feet tall, while the one on the right is 250 feet tall—are the remains of an ancient volcanic crater, carved by erosion over tens (or perhaps, hundreds) of thousands of years.
This geological wonder is steeped in Icelandic lore. One story—perhaps my favorite—held that Lóndrangar “are the petrified remains of two trolls caught by the sunrise while trying to drag a ship to shore.” |
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A funny thing happened at the visitor center, which was a ‘comfort break’ before we reached Vatnshellir. I ran into Jill, as her tour group had stopped there for the same reason!
What were the chances, I thought. Big peninsula, yet here we are at the same place and at the same time. |
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You wouldn’t know this from the photos I’ve shared, but we were on the coast of Faxaflói, a bay south of the peninsula. I mention this to provide context for this photo of Malariff Lighthouse, which “stands as a lonely sentry to protect ships from crashing into the rocky coast.”
(If you are sharp-eyed, you will glimpse a sliver of the bay between the landscape and sky.) The lighthouse, which was originally built in 1917 and rebuilt in 1946, is 66 feet tall and its light can be seen up to 18 miles. |
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And there was something else Jill and I saw before we went our respective ways: An Arctic fox. Except…it wasn’t white, as I had expected it to be.
The Arctic fox, I learned, changes the color of its fur to make it harder for predators to spot it—white during winter months and brown or gray during summer months. This was summer, and the Arctic fox we saw sported a coat of brown fur. |
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Now, it was time for me to embark on my journey to the center of the earth—some 160 years after Professor Lidenbrock led an expedition down an extinct Icelandic volcano to the Earth’s core in Jules Verne’s classic science fiction novel, Journey to the Center of the Earth. And guess what? That inactive volcano was none other than Snæfellsjökull, a 700,000-year-old glacier-capped volcano on the westernmost part of the peninsula—literally a stone’s throw from the cave I was about to enter.
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Vatnshellir, which was formed in a volcanic eruption more than 5,000 years ago, is one of Iceland’s older lava tubes opened to the public—opened to the public, yes, but only with a guide. Our guide’s name was Janette.
We entered Vatnshellir through the silo behind her. The letters above the door spell the word ‘UNDERHEIMER.’ “What does that mean,” I asked Janette. “Underworld,” she replied, and that’s where we were headed. But first, she pivoted a graphic that hung from a rod attached to the inside of the door, which illustrated the lava tubes we would explore. |
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(As an aside, Janette was a great guide, both knowledgeable and informative, and her insights made my ‘journey to the center of the earth’ a most memorable experience.)
“The top-most cave, Vatnshellir, was the original one opened to visitors,” Janette said. “There are three caves further down—Bárarstofa, Vættagangur, and Iður. Collectively, the caves are about 200 meters long—a little more than 650 feet—and in most places the ceiling is 30 feet or so high. When we reach the lowest part of the cave, we will be nearly 100 feet below the surface of the earth.”
Well, it might not be the CENTER of the earth, but the caves I was about to enter were older, longer, and deeper that the one I explored in my college days.
Well, it might not be the CENTER of the earth, but the caves I was about to enter were older, longer, and deeper that the one I explored in my college days.
I WAS STOKED!
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We followed Janette down a spiral staircase that led to the first lava tube, and over the next 45 minutes, we explored each one.
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Here are a handful of the many pics I snapped as we journeyed from one lava tube to the next…
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There were places where the walls and ceiling seemed to twinkle in colorful patterns. This effect, Janette explained, “was caused by colonies of bacteria and fungi that reflected the light from our flashlights.” She also pointed to several stalactites—the calcite deposits that “hold tight” to the ceiling—as well as something called 'lava straw,' which were small hollow tubes of calcite.
The next photo is a section of a ‘lava shelf.’ The shelf, brown in color, “indicates the maximum height of the lava flow in this part of the cave,” Janette said.
The next photo is a section of a ‘lava shelf.’ The shelf, brown in color, “indicates the maximum height of the lava flow in this part of the cave,” Janette said.
Geez, I thought, the lava would have reached my waist, with no chance to escape!
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The expedition led by Professor Lidenbrock “began their incredible underground journey” from Snæfellsjökull, and they “emerged from the bowels of the earth at Stromboli,” an island off the north coast of Sicily.
If I had any doubts about the veracity of this account, they were dashed when we came to this point in the cave, for this was THE spot where Professor Lidenbrock’s journey to the center of the earth began. How fortunate he was, I thought, to have found a sign that pointed the way to Stromboli! |
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I have one more photo to share with you…
You can’t see anything, can you? Well, neither could I because Janette asked us to turn off our flashlights, phones, and any other sources of light we possessed so we could experience total darkness—an absence of visible light, complete and utter, just as I experienced so many years ago.
We backtracked to reach the spiral staircase, and then up, up, up we went to stand, once again, atop the surface of the earth.
This was the last full day of our 7-night cruise around Iceland, and I’ve had fantastic experiences—amazing adventures—in every port we visited. But I must say, my tour through Vatnshellir—a mesmerizing natural wonder—was my most awesome adventure…period!
We traveled across the south coast of the peninsula to reach Vatnshellir, and now we followed the road north along the west coast and east along the north coast to return to Grundarfjörður.
We backtracked to reach the spiral staircase, and then up, up, up we went to stand, once again, atop the surface of the earth.
This was the last full day of our 7-night cruise around Iceland, and I’ve had fantastic experiences—amazing adventures—in every port we visited. But I must say, my tour through Vatnshellir—a mesmerizing natural wonder—was my most awesome adventure…period!
We traveled across the south coast of the peninsula to reach Vatnshellir, and now we followed the road north along the west coast and east along the north coast to return to Grundarfjörður.
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We arrived back at half past two, which left plenty of time for some sightseeing on my own. First things first, though—lunch. Here was where I ate and what I ate—a hot dog made from Icelanndic free-range lamb at a street food stand named Mæstro. Deelish!
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I won’t burden you with all the sights I saw, but I’d like to share two points of interest.
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The first POI was Grundarfjörður Church, which took five years to build and opened in 1966. The architect was Halldór Halldórsson, who also designed several other churches in Iceland. The 66-foot-tall steeple, perhaps the most prominent feature of the town’s skyline, and whitewashed timber façade point towards Church Mountain, AKA Kirkjufell.
The main entrance was closed, but the back door was opened, and that was how I gained access to the church’s interior. It was rather modest, as were most of the Icelandic churches I visited, except for a triptych of Christ—three glass panels—with his arms spread over his followers. It was, I thought, a powerful image! 
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The second POI was the statue ‘Sýn,’ which stood atop a basalt column near the church. The sculpture, "a tribute to the life and work of fishermen,” was created by Steinunn Þórarinsdóttir, an Icelandic artist who has exhibited widely in Europe, Japan, USA and Australia.
“The key element of the structure,” I read, “is a sailor woman looking out at the sea.” By late afternoon, I was back onboard Star Pride, with time to spare before we set sail for Reykjavik. |
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Although the temperature continued to hover in the low-50s, the clouds broke to reveal a vivid blue sky.
I stood topside as Star Pride set sail for Reykjavik a bit past 6PM. There I enjoyed this scenic view of the mountain range to the south of Grundarfjörður—a range that includes Bodvarskula (3,241 feet), Om (3,064 feet), and Raudakulur (2,942 feet) amongst its tallest peaks. The small town of Grundarfjörður grew smaller yet as we sailed along Breiðafjörður—a large shallow bay that separates the Westfjords to the north from Snæfellsnes peninsula to the south—towards the Atlantic Ocean.
Aside from dinner with Jill and repacking my suitcase, this was the end of my wonderful day on the Snæfellsnes peninsula—a day in which I journeyed to the center of the earth and learned about the history and culture of picturesque Grundarfjörður.
And, for all intents and purposes, this was also the end of my journey through Iceland, as I caught a flight to Chicago—and from there a flight to Phoenix—soon after Star Pride docked in Reykjavik.
While I could easily have stayed longer, nine days was a good amount of time to explore the Land of Fire and Ice—to learn about its history and culture, to witness its rugged landscape and breathtaking natural wonders, and to meet many friendly and congenial Icelanders.
Yep, this trip was everything I hoped it would be…and more!
And, for all intents and purposes, this was also the end of my journey through Iceland, as I caught a flight to Chicago—and from there a flight to Phoenix—soon after Star Pride docked in Reykjavik.
While I could easily have stayed longer, nine days was a good amount of time to explore the Land of Fire and Ice—to learn about its history and culture, to witness its rugged landscape and breathtaking natural wonders, and to meet many friendly and congenial Icelanders.
Yep, this trip was everything I hoped it would be…and more!