1,962 reviewsBestseller
4 hSkaftafell: Ice Cave Tour and Glacier Hike
★ 4.5 · 1 962 reviews
- Four hours, to a blue ice cave
- Free parking
- Hot drinks included
- Free cancellation
$160
Check availability→ 
Skaftafell ice cave tour
A Skaftafell Ice Cave tour puts you on Europe's largest glacier. Compare 20 tours from $158 with free cancellation, and the top tour rates 4.6 across 962 reviews. Book for a jeep tour to Vatnajökull Glacier's natural ice cave.
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Skaftafell$158
Today's lowest Skaftafell ice cave tour across all 20 tours
Average rating
All 20 tours45
17,691 verified reviews across 20 tours
Your day
Shortest to longest25–12h
Shortest: Crystal Ice Cave Super
Longest: Katla Ice Cave & South
Free cancellation
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Everything you can book here
Twenty ways in under the ice
Twenty listings leave from three places: Skaftafell inside Vatnajökull National Park, Jökulsárlón an hour further east, and Vík for the Katla cave in Mýrdalsjökull. Around the hour underground the operators build the rest of the day — a hike on the Falljökull tongue, a super jeep run, or a South Coast day from Reykjavík. Prices run from $158 to $698.
849 reviewsFalljokull
4 hSkaftafell: Blue Ice Cave & Glacier Hike on Vatnajökull
★ 4.6 · 849 reviews
- Four hours, across Falljökull Glacier
- Vatnajökull National Park
- Departs from Skaftafell
- Free cancellation
$159
Check availability→ 
Small groupFrom Skaftafell
3 h 30 mSkaftafell: Blue Ice Glacier Hike & Ice Cave Adventure
★ 4.4 · 21 reviews
- Three and a half hours, inside a naturally formed ice cave
- Guided hike from Skaftafell
- Crevasses and ice formations
- Free cancellation
$160
Check availability→ 
Price fromSkaftafell
4 hIceland: Vatnajokull Glacier Hike and Ice Cave Tour
★ 4.6 · 21 reviews
- Four hours, on the Vatnajokull Glacier
- Guided hike
- Cheapest here
- Free cancellation
$158
Check availability→ 
2,171 reviewsJokulsarlon
3 hJökulsárlón: Vatnajökull Ice Cave Guided Tour
★ 4.2 · 2 171 reviews
- Three hours, beneath the glacier
- Vatnajökull National Park
- Blue ice inside the caves
- Free cancellation
$164
Check availability→ 
1,131 reviewsSmall group
3 hJökulsárlón: The Original Ice Cave Tour on Vatnajökull
★ 4.6 · 1 131 reviews
- Three hours, inside of Vatnajökull glacier
- Small-group tours
- Ice cave pioneers
- Free cancellation
$169
Check availability→ 
1,752 reviewsSuper Jeep
2 h 30 mJökulsárlón: Crystal Ice Cave Super Jeep Tour
★ 4.2 · 1 752 reviews
- Two and a half hours, on Vatnajökull glacier
- Expert guides
- Departs from Skaftafell
- Free cancellation
$163
Check availability→ 
Our top pick962 reviews
3 hFrom Jökulsárlón: Vatnajökull Glacier Blue Ice Cave Tour
★ 4.6 · 962 reviews
- Three hours, to the natural ice cave
- Jeep tour
- Largest glacier in Europe
- Free cancellation
$195
Check availability→ 
606 reviewsBreidamerkurjokull
3 hFrom Jökulsárlón: Crystal Blue Ice Cave Super Jeep Tour
★ 4.5 · 606 reviews
- Three hours, in Vatnajökull National Park
- Crystal Blue Ice Cave
- Super Jeep from Jökulsárlón
- Free cancellation
$172
Check availability→ 
Rated 4.9Easy walk
3 hJökulsárlón: Easy Hike to a Natural Blue Ice Cave
★ 4.9 · 43 reviews
- Three hours, in the heart of Vatnajökull
- Easy ice cave tour
- Europe's largest glacier
- Free cancellation
$170
Check availability→ 
Rated 4.7Family run
2 h 30 mJökulsárlón Ice Cave Tour - Inside Vatnajökull glacier
★ 4.7 · 65 reviews
- Two and a half hours, to a naturally formed ice cave
- Small family-owned company
- Super jeep
- Free cancellation
$173
Check availability→ 
Rated 4.9Six hours
6 hJökulsárlón: Blue Ice Cave Tour and Glacier Walk
★ 4.9 · 69 reviews
- Six hours, through a wild landscape
- Small-group ice cave glacier walk
- Glacial formations
- Free cancellation
$242
Check availability→ 
Small group5 h 30 m
5 h 30 mFrom Jökulsárlón: Ice Cave and Glacier Exploration Tour
★ 4.7 · 225 reviews
- Five and a half hours, on Breiðamerkurjökull glacier
- Blue canyons
- Natural crevasses
- Free cancellation
$275
Check availability→ 
Rated 5.0Small group
6 hJökulsárlón: Glacier Hike to a Remote Ice Cave
★ 5.0 · 264 reviews
- Six hours, to Iceland's largest glacier
- Blue ice cave
- Ice canyons
- Free cancellation
$310
Check availability→ 
2,555 reviewsLikely to sell out
3 hFrom Vik: Katla Ice Cave and Super Jeep Tour
★ 4.6 · 2 555 reviews
- Three hours, to the Katla Ice Cave
- Blue ice and volcanic ash
- Most booked
- Free cancellation
$192
Check availability→ 
1,273 reviewsPickup in Vik
3 hFrom Vik: Katla Ice Cave Small-Group Tour
★ 4.4 · 1 273 reviews
- Three hours, at Katla Glacier
- Pickup and drop-off in Vík
- Super Jeep
- Free cancellation
$181
Check availability→ 
1,512 reviewsGeopark drive
3 hFrom Vik: Katla Ice Cave & Super Jeep Tour
★ 4.7 · 1 512 reviews
- Three hours, in Mýrdalsjökull Glacier
- Super Jeep drive
- Complimentary coffee and biscuits
- Free cancellation
$274
Check availability→ 
12 hoursFrom Reykjavik
12 hReykjavik: Katla Ice Cave & South Coast Tour
★ 4.7 · 1 346 reviews
- Twelve hours, on a guided tour
- Blue ice
- Longest tour here
- Free cancellation
$285
Check availability→ 
770 reviews10 hours
10 hReykjavik: South Coast and Katla Ice Cave Small Group Tour
★ 4.7 · 770 reviews
- Ten hours, from Reykjavik or Vik
- Waterfalls and black sand beach
- South coast of Iceland
- Free cancellation
$274
Check availability→ 
Two daysSmall group
2 daysSouth Coast Iceland: 2-Day Blue Ice Cave & Jokulsarlon Tour
★ 4.6 · 94 reviews
- Two days, on a glacier in Skaftafell
- Black sand beaches
- Departs from Skaftafell
- Free cancellation
$698
Check availability→ Two questions
Which cave is yours?
Three meeting points, and that is most of the choice. Skaftafell sits inside Vatnajokull National Park and the hikes go up the tongues beside it. Jokulsarlon is an hour further east on the same ice cap. Vik is the third, and the Katla cave above it is in another glacier, which is why it runs all year. Tell us what matters and we will point at one.
See it before you pay for it
Skaftafell, Jökulsárlón, and the cave near Vík
What gets searched for as a Skaftafell ice cave in Iceland is really three days out from three car parks: a hike on the Falljökull tongue from Skaftafell, a super jeep to a crystal cave from Jökulsárlón, and the Katla cave above Vík, which runs in every month.
Side by side
Skaftafell, Jökulsárlón, or Mýrdalsjökull above Vík
Booking an ice cave tour in Iceland under Vatnajökull is mostly a decision about which car park you drive to, and that one fact sets the hours, the price and the season. From Skaftafell the day is built around the walk, from Jökulsárlón around the drive, and Mýrdalsjökull above Vík is the answer that keeps going through the summer.
Swipe the table sideways →
| Iceland: Vatnajokull Glacier Hike and Ice Cave Tour | TOP PICKFrom Jökulsárlón: Vatnajökull Glacier Blue Ice Cave Tour | From Vik: Katla Ice Cave and Super Jeep Tour | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per person | $158 | $195 | $192 |
| What it is | A guided Vatnajokull hike ending in a cave | A jeep run to a natural cave in Vatnajokull | A Super Jeep run from Vik to the Katla cave |
| Time it takes | Four hours | Three hours | Three hours |
| Where you meet it | Skaftafell, inside Vatnajokull National Park | Jokulsarlon, about an hour further east | Vik, then the track up behind the village |
| Which glacier | Vatnajokull, the largest in Europe | Vatnajokull, the largest in Europe | Myrdalsjokull, the Katla glacier |
| When it runs | The natural blue caves hold from November to March | The natural blue caves hold from November to March | The Katla cave is sold all year round |
| How you get on the ice | On foot, with crampons, from the car park | By jeep to the edge, then on foot | Off-road by Super Jeep, then on foot |
| Pickup | As the listing states | As the listing states | Transport from Vik, as the listing states |
| Rating | 4.6 across 21 reviews | 4.6 across 962 reviews | 4.6 across 2,555 reviews |
| Cancellation | See the operator’s terms on the listing | Free cancellation | See the operator’s terms on the listing |
| Check dates | Book this one→ | Check dates |
TOP PICK
From Jökulsárlón: Vatnajökull Glacier Blue Ice Cave Tour
$195- What it is
- A jeep run to a natural cave in Vatnajokull
- Time it takes
- Three hours
- Where you meet it
- Jokulsarlon, about an hour further east
- Which glacier
- Vatnajokull, the largest in Europe
- When it runs
- The natural blue caves hold from November to March
- How you get on the ice
- By jeep to the edge, then on foot
- Pickup
- As the listing states
- Rating
- 4.6 across 962 reviews
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 h · Reserve now, pay later
Iceland: Vatnajokull Glacier Hike and Ice Cave Tour
$158- What it is
- A guided Vatnajokull hike ending in a cave
- Time it takes
- Four hours
- Where you meet it
- Skaftafell, inside Vatnajokull National Park
- Which glacier
- Vatnajokull, the largest in Europe
- When it runs
- The natural blue caves hold from November to March
- How you get on the ice
- On foot, with crampons, from the car park
- Pickup
- As the listing states
- Rating
- 4.6 across 21 reviews
- Cancellation
- See the operator’s terms on the listing
From Vik: Katla Ice Cave and Super Jeep Tour
$192- What it is
- A Super Jeep run from Vik to the Katla cave
- Time it takes
- Three hours
- Where you meet it
- Vik, then the track up behind the village
- Which glacier
- Myrdalsjokull, the Katla glacier
- When it runs
- The Katla cave is sold all year round
- How you get on the ice
- Off-road by Super Jeep, then on foot
- Pickup
- Transport from Vik, as the listing states
- Rating
- 4.6 across 2,555 reviews
- Cancellation
- See the operator’s terms on the listing
Verdict
Take the blue ice cave tour from Jökulsárlón
It balances the three things people weigh: three hours rather than a whole day, a jeep to the edge of the ice instead of a long approach on foot, and a natural cave inside Vatnajökull — rated 4.6 across 962 reviews, at $195. Keep the Skaftafell listing for a morning with a glacier hike either side of the cave.
Check dates and availability→Before you book
Two glaciers, three meeting points, one season
Twenty listings are sold here under two words, and the first thing to settle is which ice you are buying. Skaftafell is inside Vatnajökull National Park, where the hikes walk onto a tongue of the ice cap: from $158 for four hours. Jökulsárlón sits about an hour further east, and the crystal and blue cave listings meet there, from $163. Vík is the base for the Katla cave in Mýrdalsjökull, which runs through the year, from $181.
Two-minute check
Which part is the cave, and which part is the ride?
Two words on a listing settle most of the confusion: hike and transfer. A Skaftafell National Park ice cave tour walks you to the entrance in crampons; a transfer means a super jeep covers the rough track and the walk at the end is short.
How many of you are going?Small groups and super jeeps cap their numbers, so party size matters
When do you want to be on the ice?Winter days are short, and a cave is lit by daylight
How much of the day are you giving it?Two hours is a jeep run; a whole day starts in Reykjavik
Answer the three questions above
You’ll get the one that fits your answers, and the thing about it that catches people out.
Six ways into the ice
17,691 reviews across twenty ice cave tours
Skaftafell ice cave tour reviews here are the operators’ own numbers on GetYourGuide, shown as published. We write none of them, and we average nobody else’s into a score of our own.
4.5
★★★★★
Based on 17,691
verified reviews
5 ★80%
4 ★14%
3 ★4%
2 ★1%
1 ★1%
All twenty tours on this page, rated on GetYourGuide.
Read all 17,691→🏔
Skaftafell: Ice Cave Tour and Glacier Hike
From $160 · 1,962 reviews
★★★★★
Start at Skaftafell and end in a cave
Skaftafell sits inside Vatnajokull National Park, and the tongues beside it are close enough that the hike and the cave fit into the same four hours. The operator calls it the closest meeting point to the ice, with hot drinks included.
🧊
From Jökulsárlón: Vatnajökull Glacier Blue Ice Cave Tour
From $195 · 962 reviews
★★★★★
The cave most people book, and our pick
Three hours from Jokulsarlon, about an hour east of Skaftafell on the same ice cap: a jeep to the edge of the ice, then a natural cave inside Vatnajokull. The listing states free cancellation and asks to be booked thirty minutes ahead.
💎
Jökulsárlón: Crystal Ice Cave Super Jeep Tour
From $163 · 1,752 reviews
★★★★★
Crystal cave and Skaftafell cave, one ice cap
This is the one the names confuse. The crystal caves are reached from Jokulsarlon and the Skaftafell caves from the national park an hour west, but both sit under Vatnajokull. At two and a half hours this is the shortest listing on the page.
🌋
From Vik: Katla Ice Cave and Super Jeep Tour
From $192 · 2,555 reviews
★★★★★
A different glacier, and sold all year
The Katla cave is above Vik, in Myrdalsjokull rather than Vatnajokull, and that is why it is on sale in every month while the natural blue caves hold from November to March. An off-road super jeep drive gets you there.
🚶
Iceland: Vatnajokull Glacier Hike and Ice Cave Tour
From $158 · 21 reviews
★★★★★
The hours you spend walking on the glacier
Not every listing here is mostly a drive. This one is four hours on Vatnajokull itself, on crampons with a guide, with a naturally formed cave at the end of the walk, and it is the fare this page starts from.
❄
Jökulsárlón: Glacier Hike to a Remote Ice Cave
From $310 · 264 reviews
★★★★★
Six hours, and a cave further out
A 4x4 to the largest glacier in Iceland, then a hike to a remote part of it, a cave and the ice canyons around it, with the listing built around going where the big groups do not.
What it really costs
What a cave costs, line by line
Prices are per person and cover what the listing names — the guide, the gear and, on the long days, the super jeep. Six of the twenty sit between $158 and $164: a Vatnajökull National Park meeting point, three or four hours, one cave.
Swipe sideways →
| What you do | Price | What that buys | Cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vatnajökull glacier hike with an ice cave | $158 | Four hours from Skaftafell, guide and crampons included | Lowest fare |
| Crystal cave super jeep from Jökulsárlón | $163 | Jeep to the ice, then a short walk in | Super jeep |
| Katla cave small group from Vík | $181 | Three hours into Mýrdalsjökull, every month of the year | All year |
| Vatnajökull blue cave from Jökulsárlón | $195 | Three hours by jeep, small group, rated 4.6 | Free cancellation |
| Glacier hike to a remote cave | $310 | Six hours by 4x4 and on foot, quieter ice | Small group |
| Two days from Reykjavík with the South Coast | $698 | Two days: waterfalls, the glacier lagoon and a cave | Two days |
Costs the listing doesn't show you
- The meeting point is a drive. Skaftafell is inside Vatnajökull National Park and Jökulsárlón is an hour further east, so a listing that starts at the ice assumes you have a car.
- Clothing is on you. Crampons, a helmet and an ice axe come from the operator where the walk needs them, but warm layers, a windproof jacket, gloves and stiff boots are yours.
- Meals sit outside most fares. Hot drinks are included on the listings that say so; the ten- and twelve-hour days stop for food that is charged on the day.
- The clock starts at the pickup on the long days. A twelve-hour Katla and South Coast tour is twelve hours from the moment you are collected in Reykjavík.
What is genuinely included
- A guide on the ice, named on each listing
- Crampons, a helmet and an ice axe where the walk needs them
- Entry to the cave the listing names, under the glacier it names
- The super jeep that covers the track to the edge of the ice
- Pickup in Reykjavík or Vík where the listing names it
- Free cancellation where the listing carries it, with its own terms
The honest answer
Is a cave worth a whole day of the trip?
Walking into a glacier is the one hour in Iceland you spend inside the landscape instead of looking at it: the ice closes over your head and the light comes through it. That is the argument for the ticket, and 17,691 people rating these twenty listings is the evidence behind it.
What makes it worth it
- Twenty listings to choose between, from $158 for four hours on Vatnajokull to $698 for two days
- Our pick is three hours from Jokulsarlon to a natural cave, $195, rated 4.6 across 962 reviews
- The Skaftafell hike with a cave is $160 over four hours, 4.5 across 1,962 reviews
- The highest rating here is the six-hour hike to a remote cave, $310, 5.0 across 264 reviews
- Four of the twenty carry free cancellation, so a winter date held early can be moved
Keep in mind
- The natural blue caves are a winter thing: the tours that enter them run roughly November to March
- The Katla cave above Vik is another glacier, Myrdalsjokull, and it is sold all year
- Ice moves and melts, so a cave is different from one week to the next
- The meeting points are far apart: Skaftafell, Jokulsarlon an hour east, and Vik west of both
- Starting in Reykjavik turns a three-hour cave into a ten-hour or twelve-hour day
The day, hour by hour
Meeting point, the track, the crampons, the cave
Decide which meeting point you are driving to
Skaftafell is inside Vatnajokull National Park. Jokulsarlon is about an hour further east, and Vik has the Katla cave above it. That decision sets the day.
Book the slot, and read what the fare covers
Our pick asks to be booked at least thirty minutes ahead. The listings name the crampons, the helmet and the guide; boots and warm layers are yours.
The road, or the pickup
The Reykjavik listings leave early and spend the first hours on the south coast road. From Skaftafell, Jokulsarlon or Vik the day starts at the meeting point.
Onto the ice
Crampons and a helmet go on at the edge of the glacier. On the Skaftafell listings this is a hike; on the jeep listings it is a short walk.
Inside the cave
This is what the ticket is for. A cave is lit by the daylight that reaches through the ice, so the guides carry torches.
Back down, and the rest of the coast
The three-hour listings hand the evening back to you. The ten- and twelve-hour days from Reykjavik put the waterfalls and the black sand around the cave.
The drive home
Between November and March the light goes early, and much of the return leg is driven in the dark. That is the part people underestimate.
Best time of day
What the hour of the day actually decides
Almost everything on this page is a daytime listing, because the walk to the ice and the light coming through a cave roof both belong to the daylight. Mornings are when the long departures leave: the twelve-hour Katla and South Coast day from Reykjavík at $285, the ten-hour small-group version at $274, and the six-hour glacier walk from the city at $242. Midday suits the listings that meet you at the ice: the Skaftafell hikes from $158, and the jeep runs from Jökulsárlón from $163.
On the ground
The ice, the gear and the two glaciers
The mouth, from the inside
Caves form where meltwater runs under the glacier.
The gear comes with the guide
Crampons, a helmet and an ice axe come from the operator.
The tongue you walk on
Falljokull and Svinafellsjokull come down beside Skaftafell.
Katla is a different glacier
The cave above Vík is in Mýrdalsjökull, with ash in the walls.
What it's like
Twenty ways under the ice — what changes the day
Almost everyone arrives with the same picture in their head: a curved wall of ice with a torch beam on it and somebody in a helmet underneath for scale. The picture is real, and it is also seasonal. The natural caves under Vatnajökull are melted out and rebuilt by the glacier every year, which is why the tours that go inside them run from roughly November to March. The twenty listings here differ mostly in which ice you end up under, where you meet the guide, and how much of the day it takes.
Skaftafell comes first, because it is the name most people search. It is part of Vatnajökull National Park, and the ice you walk on is one of the tongues coming down off the ice cap — most often Falljökull or Svínafellsjökull. The glacier hike with a blue ice cave is $160 over four hours, 4.5 across 1,962 reviews, and the operator calls it the closest meeting point to the ice. The Falljökull version is $159, 4.6 across 849 reviews, and the lowest fare here is $158.
An hour further east the meeting point changes but the glacier does not. Jökulsárlón is where the crystal and blue cave listings gather, and the ice above them is still Vatnajökull. The guided cave tour there is $164 over three hours, 4.2 across 2,171 reviews, and the family-run listing with four generations of glacier experience behind it is $169, 4.6 across 1,131. Our top pick sits in the same group: the Vatnajökull blue ice cave from Jökulsárlón at $195 for three hours, 4.6 across 962 reviews.
Some of these listings ask more of your legs, and some ask more of the vehicle. The crystal ice cave super jeep run is $163 over two and a half hours, 4.2 across 1,752 reviews, and the small family-owned trip inside Vatnajökull is $173, 4.7 across 65. At the other end, the exploration tour reaches blue canyons and natural crevasses on Breiðamerkurjökull over five and a half hours at $275, and the hike to a remote ice cave is $310 over six hours with the highest rating here, 5.0 across 264 reviews.
The Katla cave is a different glacier, and that single fact settles most of the confusion on this page. It sits in Mýrdalsjökull, above Vík, and those listings run all year rather than through the winter only. The super jeep trip from Vík is $192 over three hours and carries the heaviest record on the page, 4.6 across 2,555 reviews. The small-group version is $181, 4.4 across 1,273 reviews, and a third, with coffee afterwards, is $274, 4.7 across 1,512.
Three listings start in Reykjavík and give you the whole day or more: twelve hours to the Katla cave and the South Coast at $285, ten hours in a small group at $274, and at the top of the price list two days at $698 that reaches Jökulsárlón and puts a glacier walk in Skaftafell into the second day. Settle the meeting point first, because it decides the drive; then settle the hours, and hold the date early.
If it is a Vatnajökull cave you are weighing up
Three ways under the same ice cap, from two meeting points
All three go inside a natural cave under Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Europe, and all three are winter listings. What changes is where you meet the guide and how much walking is in the hours.
From Skaftafell, with a hike
Skaftafell: Ice Cave Tour and Glacier Hike
4 hours · ★ 4.5 (1 962)
$160See dates From Jökulsárlón
Jökulsárlón: Vatnajökull Ice Cave Guided Tour
3 hours · ★ 4.2 (2 171)
$164See dates Our top pick
From Jökulsárlón: Vatnajökull Glacier Blue Ice Cave Tour
3 hours · ★ 4.6 (962)
$195See datesPractical
Plan the cave day
Four things decide how it goes: which meeting point you can reach, the season, what the fare already includes, and when you press the button. Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón are about an hour apart on the ring road, and Vík is further west.
Our top pick
The Vatnajökull blue ice cave from Jökulsárlón, $195, three hours, 4.6 across 962 reviews.
The Skaftafell pair
The hike with a cave is $160 over four hours; the Falljökull version is $159.
The lowest fare
The Vatnajökull glacier hike and ice cave tour at Skaftafell: $158 for four hours.
The Jökulsárlón group
Same ice cap, an hour further east: $164 guided, $169 family-run, $163 by super jeep.
The Katla cave above Vík
A different glacier, Mýrdalsjökull, running all year: $192 by super jeep, $181 in a small group.
The long ones
Six hours to a remote cave at $310, five and a half to blue canyons at $275.
Warm layers and a windproof shell
The air off the ice is cold in every month these tours run, and the walk is exposed.
Boots the crampons can grip
Crampons need a stiff boot with an ankle; waterproof walking boots are what the guides expect.
Waterproof trousers and a jacket
Ice melts, caves drip, and the weather on the south coast changes inside an hour.
Gloves, two pairs
A thin pair under a warmer pair survives a three-hour tour and the cold rails inside.
A camera, and something dry
Head torches and daylight through the roof are dim, and a pouch keeps the drips off.
Water, a snack and a card
Hot drinks are included where the listing says so; the long days stop for meals you buy.
Settle the meeting point first
Skaftafell, Jökulsárlón, Vík and a Reykjavík pickup are four different days, and that removes most listings.
Check the season
The natural caves under Vatnajökull are winter listings, roughly November to March; Katla runs all year.
Read the hours
They run from two and a half hours to two days, and the hours are the real difference.
See what the fare covers
Crampons, a helmet and an ice axe come from the operator where the walk needs them.
Free cancellation where it is carried
Four of the twenty state it, with the terms printed on each listing.
Book the heavy records early
The Katla super jeep holds 2,555 reviews and the Jökulsárlón guided tour 2,171; winter dates fill first.
Skaftafell is inside the national park
The tongues the hikes use, Falljökull and Svínafellsjökull, come down within reach of the car park.
Jökulsárlón is an hour further east
It is the meeting point for the crystal and blue cave listings, under the same Vatnajökull.
Vík is the base for Katla
The super jeeps collect you there and drive up into Mýrdalsjökull, a different glacier.
Reykjavík is a long day away
Ten hours to the South Coast, twelve to the Katla cave, two days as far as Jökulsárlón.
The super jeep is the road
It covers the track to the edge of the ice; the cave is reached on foot.
The guide meets you at the ice
You drive to the meeting point unless the listing names a pickup in Reykjavík or Vík.
Best time
When to come
The ice cap works on two calendars. The natural caves under Vatnajökull are a winter product, open roughly November to March, while the glacier hikes from Skaftafell and the Katla cave above Vík run through every month.
Dec – Feb
Natural caves, deep winter
The middle of the natural cave season: the ice is at its most solid and the whole page is bookable. Daylight is short, so the three-hour jeep runs from Jökulsárlón fit the day best.
Mar – May
The cave season closes
March is the last month of the natural caves, and a good one: longer daylight than January and the same ice. From April the hiking listings take over at Skaftafell, from $158.
Jun – Aug
Glacier hikes and the Katla cave
High summer is the season of the walk: crampons, crevasses and blue ice on the outlet glaciers of Vatnajökull. The cave that stays open is Katla, three hours from Vík for $192.
Sep – Nov
The stretch we would book first
The summer crowds have gone home, the hiking listings are still running, and from about November the natural caves under Vatnajökull open again. The small-group expeditions are at their quietest.
Worth knowing
Six things that aren't in the listing
01
The natural caves are a winter product. Meltwater carves them out of Vatnajökull and the glacier closes them again, so those listings run roughly November to March. The Katla cave above Vík is in another glacier, Mýrdalsjökull, and runs all year.
02
Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón are the same ice and two different mornings. Both sit under Vatnajökull, about an hour apart on the south coast. Skaftafell listings start at $158, the Jökulsárlón ones at $163.
03
A super jeep is the road, not the cave. Where the title says super jeep, that is how the track to the edge of the ice gets covered; the cave is reached on foot from where the vehicle stops.
04
The gear comes from the operator, the clothing comes from you. Crampons, a helmet and an ice axe are handed out on the listings that need them. Warm layers, a windproof shell, gloves and stiff boots are yours.
05
The hours are the honest difference between two similar fares. Two and a half hours is a jeep and a short walk; four hours is a glacier hike with a cave; six hours walks out to a remote cave at $310.
06
Book the date, not the discount. The fare is the same at the meeting point, with the operator or on this page. Four of the twenty carry free cancellation, and the heaviest records here fill first in winter.
Round out the trip
Booked alongside
Our top pick
From Jökulsárlón: Vatnajökull Glacier Blue Ice Cave Tour
3 hours · ★ 4.6 (962)
$195View The lowest fare here
Iceland: Vatnajokull Glacier Hike and Ice Cave Tour
4 hours · ★ 4.6 (21)
$158View The Katla cave, all year
From Vik: Katla Ice Cave Small-Group Tour
3 hours · ★ 4.4 (1 273)
$181ViewGo deeper
More on which glacier, when the caves exist and what a ticket covers
Common questions
Ice caves under Vatnajökull, answered straight
When can you visit an ice cave in Skaftafell?
The natural blue caves under Vatnajökull are a winter product, roughly November to March: meltwater carves them out and the glacier closes them again, so the ice is different every season. The Katla cave above Vík is the exception on this page — another glacier, Mýrdalsjökull, and those listings run all year.
How much does a Skaftafell ice cave tour cost?
The listings on this page run from $158 to $698. The Vatnajökull glacier hike and ice cave tour at Skaftafell is $158, the Skaftafell ice cave tour with a glacier hike is $160, our pick from Jökulsárlón is $195, the Katla listings from Vík run $181 to $274, and the two-day trip is $698.
What is the difference between the Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón tours?
The meeting point, and about an hour of driving. Skaftafell is inside Vatnajökull National Park, and the listings there walk onto a tongue of the ice cap, most often Falljökull or Svínafellsjökull. Jökulsárlón sits an hour further east, and its listings use a jeep to reach the edge of the ice. The glacier above both is the same.
Is the Katla ice cave the same as the Skaftafell one?
It is a different glacier. The Katla cave is in Mýrdalsjökull, reached by super jeep from Vík, and those listings run all year. The Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón caves are under Vatnajökull and belong to the winter season. The Vík super jeep trip is $192 over three hours, rated 4.6 across 2,555 reviews.
Do you need a glacier hike to see a cave?
Not on every listing, and the hours tell you which is which. The jeep runs from Jökulsárlón are two and a half to three hours with a short walk at the end, from $163. The Skaftafell listings put a glacier hike either side of the cave over three and a half to four hours, from $158.
What equipment is included?
Crampons, a helmet and an ice axe come from the operator on the listings where the walk needs them, and each listing states what it hands out. Hot drinks, parking and the guide are written into some fares and named on those listings. Clothing is on you: warm layers, a windproof jacket, gloves, and boots stiff enough for crampons.
Can you do an ice cave tour from Reykjavik?
Three listings here start in the city. The blue ice cave tour with a glacier walk is $242 over six hours, rated 4.9 across 69 reviews. The Katla cave with the South Coast is $285 over twelve hours, 4.7 across 1,346 reviews, and the small-group South Coast day is $274 over ten. The two-day trip is $698.
Will the cave be blue?
The ice decides that, week by week. These are natural caves inside a moving glacier: colour, size and shape change through the season, and the operators describe blue ice, ash layers and daylight through the roof because all three happen. What a listing does state is the guide, the gear the walk needs and the time under the ice.
One PDF · no account needed
A day under the ice — the cave tours we'd book
Which of the twenty listings matches the day you actually want: the glacier hike with a cave from Skaftafell, the jeep runs from Jökulsárlón, the Katla cave above Vík, and the long days from Reykjavík.
- All twenty tours, with the hours as the listings state them
- Which glacier each one enters, and where you meet the guide
- What each fare covers — guide, crampons, helmet, ice axe, hot drinks, pickup
- Which months the natural caves belong to, and which listing runs all year
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Why trust this page
How we put this together
Checked, not guessed
Durations, inclusions and operator names come from the live listings for each tour. Prices and ratings are read off the same listings and updated with the page.
How we pick
Every listing here takes you inside a glacier or onto one: the hikes from Skaftafell, the jeep runs from Jökulsárlón, the Katla cave above Vík, and the full days from Reykjavík. Nobody pays to be featured.
We say which glacier you are under
Skaftafell sits inside Vatnajökull National Park, and the hikes there use the tongues coming off the ice cap. The Katla cave above Vík is in Mýrdalsjökull, a different glacier, which is why those listings run all year.
What a ticket can and cannot arrange
A ticket arranges the guide, the gear the walk needs and time under the ice. It does not arrange the weather or what the ice looks like on your date: these are natural caves inside a moving glacier.
The answer
Pick the glacier and the meeting point, and the price follows.
Every listing on this page ends the same way: a guide, a helmet and time under the ice. What you are choosing is which glacier, and how far somebody drives you to it. A full day from Reykjavík with the Katla cave is $285; the lowest fare here, meeting at Skaftafell, is $158. Bring warm layers, and book ahead.
Check dates and availability→ Free cancellation where the listing carries it · Reserve now, pay later