Iceland | Exploring an 8,000-year-old lava cave

Vatnshellir Cave is an 8,000-year-old lava cave on the Snæfellsnes peninsula. Vatnshellir (from Icelandic: water cave) is a good example of a typical lava cave in Iceland. There are two main sections within the lava caves. The length of the cave is 200 meters. The upper part has a great feature, a unique formation of lava statues curving along the sides of the lava tube. The lower part of the lava cave, which can be reached by a long and narrow staircase, takes visitors from deep underground to a place that was hidden from the outside world thousands of years ago. Scientists believe that Vatnshellir was more than 6,000-8,000 years ago. The cave itself is an 8,000-year-old lava tube formed by a volcanic eruption from a nearby caldera in the Purkhólar crater. As the molten rock rushed down the mountainside from the lava river, the surface began to cool, forming a crust over the lava river. After the volcanic eruption stops, all the molten rock beneath the Earth's crust continues to drain away. This ultimately leaves an empty tube on the top roof that gradually cools down. . The guide told us that glacial water flows from the top of the mountain into the volcano below and then flows into the sea, forming table water inside the volcano. It is the purest water in the world (he also took out an iron bowl from the volcano and drank a spoonful of it.) Water flows through the lava tube, forming a smooth and round surface. After the water flows through, the water drops from the top fall down to form a rugged water drop column on the surface. The color inside the volcanic rock can really be described as colorful! My photography skills are limited and I can't capture its beauty. . My favorite is In the cave, the guide asked us to turn off all the light sources and keep quiet. This lasted for a minute. The only things I could sense were the sound of water drops falling and the touch of air passing over my face. You are very close to the people around you, but they feel thousands of miles away. At this moment, I really felt that I was integrated with the universe and resonated with the same frequency. It is a feeling that cannot be expressed in words. For me, the meaning of traveling is that it makes you see your own position as small and makes the world seem very big, as if all the problems and worries encountered in my original world are not problems or worries at all. Let's just enjoy the present moment! Transportation: You can only drive by yourself, on the way to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, it takes about 3 hours from the city center. Address: Road 574 Snæfellsjökull National Park - Snæfellsnes, 356 Snæfellsbær, Iceland