Description
Summary
Description
Explore a natural blue ice cave beneath Myrdalsjokull Glacier on this year-round Katla Ice Cave tour from Vik. In about 2.5 to 3 hours, you'll ride a super jeep across volcanic terrain, walk a short glacier trail and spend 45 to 60 minutes in the ice cave area, with all safety gear included. It's a great fit for families with children aged 6 and up, photographers and anyone short on time on Iceland's South Coast.
Your tour starts in Vik, a small village on Iceland’s South Coast about two and a half hours’ drive from Reykjavik. That makes it quicker to reach than many other ice cave tours in Iceland, which often start from the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. With five departures a day between 9:00 and 16:00, it's easy to fit into a South Coast road trip.
You'll meet your local guide at the operator's base in Vik and set off in a modified super jeep. The 45 to 60 minute drive crosses black sand deserts and glacial rivers, through a landscape shaped by volcanoes and ice.
The Katla Ice Cave sits inside Kotlujokull, an outlet glacier of Myrdalsjokull, above the Katla Volcano. It’s one of the very few ice caves in Iceland that's open all year round.
At the glacier, your guide will hand out a helmet, headlamp and crampons and give you a safety briefing. You'll then walk about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) to the cave entrance. You don't need any ice caving experience, but you should be comfortable walking on uneven ice in crampons.
Inside the Katla Ice Cave, you'll see blue ice streaked with layers of black volcanic ash. Your guide will explain how the cave formed, how Iceland's active volcanoes affect the glaciers here, and how the ice changes from season to season.
Ice caves are natural and constantly shifting, so the cave won't look exactly like the photos, and no two visits are the same. The cave is open year-round, but it's at its best in winter.
Groups are small, with 2 to 12 people per guide, so there's time for questions and photos. After 45 to 60 minutes in the ice cave area, you'll walk back to the super jeep and ride back to Vik.
Book this Katla Ice Cave tour from Vik to see a real blue ice cave in half a day and still have time to explore the rest of the South Coast. Choose a date to check availability.
