Grjótagjá – gorgeous cave bath

Clever beast

Icelandic nature will definitely impress you, so be prepared for hand shaking because of the thrill. Another thing which for sure will amaze you apart from the alluring landscapes is the weather. Traversing the wilderness in just a few hours you can experience a super heavy rain, a drizzle which will perfectly refresh your senses, then warm sun rays similar to tropical ones and in the end another rain just to cool down. But do not give up! Iceland is like an infamous beast, clever as few. After every great hardship, it prepares even bigger prizes. That’s why everyone loves her just boundlessly and no matter what. So now imagine the following situation.

Cave buzz

All around endless lava fields. Earth severely cracked and dotted with mysterious cavities, now occurs in snow-white robes. Frosty air seems to be full of amazing stories. This place thousand years ago must have looked completely the same. The Vikings, ancestors of Icelanders known for their wrath, must have traversed these spectacular lava fissures. Cheeks pinch, limbs numb – everything despite the five layers of thermo-active clothing in compilation with a sweater, hat and gloves made from Icelandic wool. Then out of the snow-covered land starts to appear steam. After a moment, music joins the steam and no one knows what the hell is going on here.

With each step the view and the sound are more intriguing. Suddenly we realise that the cave is filled with water. Music seems to be getting louder. Several jumps down and we are inside the cave. That’s right, inside this amazing, mysterious cave filled with geothermal, wonderfully glimmering, blue water. What’s more the water is so pleasantly warm and currently five Icelanders and some other visitors dabble inside. They are very friendly and after a minute ask us to join them. The atmosphere is just awesome, so despite icy blasts of the air from the outside, we immediately take off our clothes and jump into the water.

We are lucky, because our just met friends tell us many interesting stories about this amazing cave. Some time ago, to the 70’s it used to be a popular bathing place. In 1975 it all ended because of the explosion of one of the volcanoes; water temperature went up to fifty degrees. But then again the cave began to undergo cooling and so here we are wading in the warm depths. Remember that in Iceland you should have a bathing suit with you all the time. You never know when you will need it. Oh yes, for such awards we can deal with even the biggest obstacles! And this is only one of the thousands of secrets that Iceland has.

Bite of tips:

• To reach the cave you must arrive in Reykjahlíð, a small village located near the lake Mývatn. Then take the road no. 1 to the east, towards Egilsstaðir. After driving one kilometre, you should turn right onto a gravel road no. 860. Then look for a small parking place. This is a sign that you will soon find yourselves in the cave.

• After a while we discovered that bathing in Grjótagjá is forbidden and possible in the nearest one called Stóragjá. Of course, we must tell you with the hand on the heart – we are rule followers (for sure these regarding nature); however, we must admit that our unconscious breaking the rules was the most pleasant of offences which we have committed. Please carefully read the information panels located in front of the caves, then you will know whether you can bath or not.