Embarked on a Whale Watching tour,visited amazing Geysers,Crater-Kerid & Raufarholshellir Lava Tunnel in Iceland

On 18/5/25 ,after having our breakfast, we went on a trip to the Whale-Watching tour, a visit to the amazing “Geysers”to the huge Crater “Kerid” & to a Lava Tunnel in Iceland. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip, the details of which I am sharing here :

1)WHALE WATCHING TOUR :

We embarked on a beautiful boat from the Reykjavik harbour.It was a guided tour of around 3 hours having a nice cafetaria serving some great coffee & snacks!The guide was a jolly man entertaining the children,grown ups & the old alike.It also had a cozy little Sovereign shop.Just around 15 min off the harbour ,we felt excited as we sighted a whale for a brief moment at it jumped out of the water.As my mobile camera was ready,I could just capture a glimpse of the whale.

After travelling for another 30 min ,we sighted many beautiful Dolphins in a group performing their “flip” movements as synchronous pairs.It was a treat to the eyes.They seemed to follow our boat for another half an hour.We thoroughly enjoyed the boat tour after which we proceeded for the visit to the amazing ‘Geysers’

2)GEYSERS :

We reached the site of the amazing Geysers & collected some information on their theory & formation.Also learnt about how water is converted into steam & this Geo-thermal energy is being utilized for domestic as well as commercial purposes.All small & big Geysers were amazing & awe inspiring at every eruption.It was quite a fabulous & educative visit.

These are sometimes called “The Great Geysers” located in south western Iceland.The Geological studies suggest that they started forming around 1150CE. They lie in the slopes of Laugarfjall lava dome which is also home to the Strokkur geyser nearby.Strokkur geyser is icelands most visited active geyser.One of the major attractions on the world famous Golden Circle sightseeing route. Eruption at Geyser can hurl water upto 60 mts in the air .Since the 1920s hot water directed from the geysers has been used to heat greenhouses and to grow food that otherwise could not have been cultivated in Iceland’s inhospitable climate .Steam & hot water from the geysers has also been used for heating homes since 1943 in Iceland.

3)CRATER – “KERID”

Visited the huge Crater dating back to its creation around 6500 years ago.We enjoyed the rare spectacle.Geologists or the Volcanologists may understand better on its cause of formation.We collected some information on its origin & formation which I am sharing with my readers:

4)RAUFARHOLSHELLIR LAVA TUNNEL :

Raufarhólshellir is the fourth-longest Lava tube in Iceland. The cave’s proximity to Reykjavik made it popular with visitors, who caused damage to the cave. In late 2016 the cave was closed to the public to clear accumulated garbage and install lighting and a walkway to part of the cave. The cave reopened for guided tours the following year.

DESCRIPTION :

Raufarhólshellir is the fourth-longest lava tube in Iceland, at 1,360 metres (4,460 ft) long, with a typical height of at least 10 metres (33 ft) and width up to 30 metres (98 ft).^[1] The cave has multiple skylights, or holes in the ceiling, under which snow accumulates.Iceland Route 39 crosses over the cave at a point where it is about 15 meters in diameter.The cave hosts microbial mats containing a variety of microorganisms, including actinomycetota and acidobacteriota. The land containing the cave is owned by the Seventh day Adventist Church and rented to a company that operates the guided tours.

HISTORY :

Raufarhólshellir formed 5600 years ago, based on carbon dating.The source of the lava flow that created the tube is 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) uphill from the cave and was part of the Leitahraun eruption. An expedition in 1971 by the Shepton MalletCaving Club was one of the first systematic explorations of caves in Iceland.

Given its proximity to Reykjavik, it is popular with visitors. Over 20,000 people visited the cave in 2015. The cave was also used as a filming location for the 2014 film Noah and the series Sense8. Prior to 2016, it was freely open to the public, but it closed late that year due to concerns with garbage accumulation, damage to the cave, and the cost of rescuing visitors. Nearly all of the fragile lava straws had been destroyed by visitors. The cave reopened in mid-2017 after a renovation in which walking decks and lighting was added to the part of the cave nearest the opening, and the removal of several metric tons of trash.The infrastructure improvements were constructed in a way so as not to damage the cave. After the renovation, the cave can only be visited by guided tour. In June 2017, two concerts were held in the cave as part of the Secret Solstice music festival, which included a performance by Helgi Bjornsson, for which only 50 tickets were available.

Finally we came out of the tunnel happy & amazed,it being a very rewarding experience.