A lava cave in danger due to mass tourism

"The burden on the cave from tourist traffic is great and we need to respond to this fast," says Berglind Guðmundsdóttir, landscape architect at the municipality of Hafnarfjörður. 

"The idea is to put up informative signs on how to treat the cave and the main security concerns to keep in mind when caving. There are 14- 15 tour operators taking tours there and we need to put down some restrictions to keep the cave from damage. The groups are far too large, they should be limited to 6-8 people at the most." 

The Leiðarendi cave is a 1000 metre long lava cave fairly hidden in the moon-like landscape. It lies around 150 metres from the Krýsuvík road south of Hafnarfjörður. The cave lies underground and is entered from above. 

Guide Sigrún Nikulásdóttir says that the cave has shown signs of damage in recent years. "People have carved their initials into the cave walls, stalactites have been removed, garbage has been left on the floor, candles and so forth."

Stalactites inside the cave. Iceland Monitor/ Sigurður Bogi Sævarsson

The fascinating 1 km walk in the circular tunnel. Iceland Monitor/ Sigurður Bogi Sævarsson