Arnarker lava cave

Arnarker is the collapsed mouth of a lava tube about 515 metres long in the Leitahraun lava field, a short walk from a small roadside car park near Þorlákshöfn. A restored spiral staircase drops into the sinkhole, and from there the tunnel runs into the dark in both directions over a rough, often icy floor. It is the same passage the guided tours use, except here you go in alone and for free. No lighting, no railing, no one ahead of you: it suits only visitors who arrive equipped and turn back the moment the way feels wrong.