Grjótagjá-Grotte

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Grjótagjá Cave is only about 5 kilometres from the small village of Reykjahlíð. A wonderful little cave that might look familiar to some ( keyword Fire&Ice). Until not so long ago, visitors could bathe in the over 40°C hot water inside – unfortunately, this is no longer allowed. The space available there would probably not be enough for a normal tourist rush anyway.

The trail of history

Grjótagjá Grotto was formed in the foothills of the lava flow after the eruption of the Krafla volcanic system. It lies right on the continental divide between the American and Eurasian Plates.

Between 1950 and 1977 it was very popular for locals and visitors to swim in Grjótagjá. Today this is no longer possible and a sign indicates that bathing is prohibited. The cave is privately owned and was closed mainly because of the amount of rubbish left by visitors in and around the cave.

Useful Information

There is a small car park in front of Grjótagjá Cave. This can get very crowded in the high season and people have to queue patiently to enter the small cavity in the cooled lava layer.
The cave was used as a filming location for the love scene between Jon Snow and Ygritte in the 2013 third season of the television series Game of Thrones.

How to get there?

Grjótagjá Cave is only about 5 kilometres from the small village of Reykjahlíð. The access road is a narrow gravel road in some places and should be driven carefully.

Conclusion

Grjótagjá Grotto is an interplay of many coincidences. It only takes a few minutes to explore due to its small size, but a stop is recommended.
The small size also means that not many people can enter the cave at the same time, so a long queue can form.