Búri (cave)

The Buri Cave is located in the municipality Ölfus in southwestern Iceland. It was discovered and researched on 7 May 2005 by the volcanologist Björn Hróarsson. The cave is regarded as one of the most remarkable discoveries of the Icelandic caving in the last 1000 years.

Location

The cave is situated north- west of the town Þorlákshöfn and about 45 km south-east of Reykjavík on the Reykjanesskagi Peninsula.

Formation

The cave is situated in the Leitahraun lava field and is believed to have resulted from as a liquid lava solidified underground. The walls cooled off quickly, the remaining lava flowed from developed and cavities. These are sometimes up to 10 m high and 10 m wide. At the end of over 1 kilometer long cave system is a 17-meter shaft, which was created by a lava fall.

Entering the cave

The entrance to the cave is located in a valley on the southern side and is hidden behind larger boulders, runs vertically and has a diameter of only ≈ 80cm. Wearing a helmet is strongly recommended, in part tight spaces need to be crawled, therefore, guided tours of local tourist organizations are offered.