Adventurer of the Week: Sydney explores a Lava Cave!

adventurer of the week
Sydney, Icelandic Mountain Guide's Adventurer of the Week, is sitting by the shore with a blue sky and buildings in the background.
Sydney
Sydney in downtown Reykjavík

On their adventure trip through Iceland, Sydney and her best friend Sophie were able to visit a lava cave! This adventure into a well hidden cave included crawling through the partly narrow  sections and enjoying the absolute silence and darkness with their head lamps off. A true experience of lifetime!

What motivated you to visit Iceland?

My friend and I wanted to go to Iceland and everyone thought we are a little bit crazy, because most people go to warm places. But we really wanted to go to a place that was unlike any other places that we have ever been to.

It was impressive to visit a place that was nearly untouched by human interference and we were really taken by the incredible landscapes. There were multiple times when I was in Iceland I did not even feel like I was on earth anymore. It felt like on another planet, which was incredible.

Sydney, Adventurer of the Week, is on Snæfellsnes peninsula posing for a photo in front of  waterfall and Kirkjufell
Sydney
Sydney in front of Kirkjufoss waterfall and Kirkjufell mountain

How long was your stay? Did you travel solo or with a group?

Our stay was 1 week and I traveled with my best friend Sophie.

We stayed in Reykjavík, traveled to the Snæfellsnes peninsula, where we did a round trip. That was amazing! And we drove along the south till Jökulsárlón, the glacier lagoon, and visited Vík on our way.

Which tour did you take and why did you choose it?

We took the IMG 10 Lava Cave Exploration. We chose it because it was kind of totally different from everything else we had planned for this trip. I mean, how often does one get to hike through a lava cave?! We just thought it sounded very cool and somebody in our hostel recommended it. We had a great tour guide, his name was Siggi Bjarki. I really liked being in a small group and it was very nice to get to know everybody.

We went into the cave and walked through in a circle. It was a quite difficult part to get into the cave but our guide helped us and it was really cool to go through some narrow spaces.

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and he explained so much to us about how the cave was formed and how long it has been there.

It was really cool to see the cave because it seemed so hidden away. If I hadn‘t taken the tour I would have no idea that it was there. There was a point on our tour when our tour guide had us all turn off our head lamps and it was so dark! We all stood completely still and it was absolutely quiet. It felt incredibly surreal.

Sydney, Icelandic Mountain Guide's Adventurer of the Week, is inside of a lava cave with her another young woman.
Sydney
Sydney and Sophie in a Lava Cave

What is one thing you will always remember about your tour?

I will also always remember that we finished our tour a little bit early and our guide took a beautiful scenic road back to Reykjavík. We had a stop at the Gunnuhver hot springs, where you can walk next to the bubbly, hot water. That was a really nice addition to the tour.

If you had more time in Iceland, what else would you like to see and do?

I definitely would have gone to the Westfjords! I know from everybody who has gone there that it is the most beautiful region in Iceland. Equally I would love to go to Akureyri.

What tips do you have for people who want to visit Iceland?

Don‘t come just for the northern lights! I think for a lot of people that is a real selling point, and they are incredible, but Iceland has so much more to offer. And it is so much more incredible than people realize. People should not be afraid to step out of their comfort zone and get to know the language, the culture and the people.

Blue green ocean water and a black, snow covered landscape with a blue sky and clouds in Iceland
Sydney
Icelandic shore

What adventure are you off to next? What is your next dream adventure?

I just graduated college and started my first full-time job. so I actually don‘t have  any travel plans, but my dream adventure is to go to Cape Town in South Africa.Sydney


Sydney's adventure  is only one of the many features that make for an unforgettable experience. Book your tour and join us for an excursion that is guaranteed to make memories that last a lifetime.

About the Author

Joseph Mattos-Hall

Joseph Mattos-Hall

Hailing from London and born into a British/Brazilian/Italian household, Joseph came to Iceland originally to complete a master’s degree in Environment and Natural Resources from the University of Iceland: the rest is history.

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