Visiting the blue ice cave in the Vatnajökull glacier is something I will never forget; it left me speechless!
I was on a tour with the Guide to Iceland team to check out the ice caves in this area. We had already visited the beautiful aquamarine ice caves in Fláajökull glacier earlier that same day.
After visiting the ice cave in Fláajökull glacier, I was very excited about visiting another ice cave, as these rare natural ice caves are out of this world.
Top photo: inside Breiðamerkurjökull ice cave
Entering the ice cave
The ice cave guides go out to look for ice caves every winter, and we are always eager to see what the newly formed ones look like each year.
The blue crystal ice cave we visited was located in an outlet glacier of Iceland's largest ice cap, Vatnajökull, called Breiðamerkurjökull glacier. Vatnajökull glacier is Europe's largest ice cap by volume.
I had already seen some pretty amazing photographs of ice caves from inside, and I couldn't wait to see this one with my own eyes.
On the way to the ice cave
We met our tour guide at Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon and were driven in a specially modified car on a very bumpy mountain road up to the glacier.
The ride took only 15 minutes, and there was a very short, easy 5-minute hike to the mouth of the ice cave.
In my photo above, you can see the specially modified vehicle that transported us to the ice cave. In the photo to the left is Ingólfur, the COO of Guide to Iceland, and Kolbeinn, our glacier guide.
Extraordinary blue colours in the ice cave
We were given a safety helmet and crampons for walking on the ice.
These ice caves, although extremely beautiful, can be dangerous and should never be entered without a glacier guide and proper safety gear. Wear a thin cap so it fits under the helmet.
When we entered the ice cave, the beauty of it just took my breath away.
The rest of the group and I turned into kids, playing in the snow and touching this blue ice that formed an ice dome above our heads :)
It is a good idea to wear red and yellow colours as they make a good contrast against the blue ice
I can tell you that one can get quite emotional inside the ice caves, as the beauty is just overwhelming. And I have heard of glacier guides who have burst into tears upon seeing the beauty of a new ice cave.
The ice cave is enormous, and further inside the cave, away from the light, the ice turned into a sapphire blue wonderland! With ice sculptures and icicles hanging from the ceiling!
Inside Breiðamerkurjökull ice cave
We were completely enveloped in this beautiful blue colour, and all of us were taking photos left and right.
I had been worried about not having enough light inside the ice caves for my photos to turn out right, and had been reading up on which camera settings would be the best for taking photos inside ice caves.
But once inside the caves, I just left it to the camera and shot the photos on auto, using flash.
Inside the ice cave - a hole in the ceiling
And I was praying my photos would capture this beauty and not come out blurred or the wrong colour.
I think the photos came out beautifully and justly show all these extraordinary blue colours inside the ice cave. One of the photos looks like I shot a painted wall, but it is blue ice on one of the ice cave walls.
The old blue ice inside the ice cave had black ash stripes from volcanic eruptions in Iceland trapped within it. The blue ice you see inside the cave might be 900 years old!
The staff of Guide to Iceland visiting the ice cave in Breiðamerkurjökull
Isn't this just breathtaking!! I had quite a few WOW moments inside this extraordinarily beautiful ice cave.
We spent half an hour inside the cave, and when we left, I felt elated - this is such a unique experience.
The year we went on this tour was the first year the ice caves were becoming popular, and we were checking whether guided ice cave tours would become popular. So we had the ice cave to ourselves.
Inside the ice cave in Breiðamerkurjökull
The ice caves have become VERY POPULAR and are now more crowded than when we checked them out back in 2016.
This crystal ice cave tour is by far the most popular, and it is almost always sold out.
If you want to book a tour of this ice cave, don't wait too long, as it might be sold out.
Inside the sapphire ice cave, a couple of years later, another ice cave had formed
I was helping a small group of Chinese people with their itinerary and suggested a visit to the ice caves.
They, unfortunately, waited a couple of days before booking, and by then this tour was sold out. I felt for them as they really wanted to see this ice cave.
Only a limited number of people are allowed into the ice cave per day, so unfortunately, it is not possible to add an extra tour.
Beautiful black and bright blue ice with a black heart
I revisited the ice caves a couple of years later during the pandemic, and again, we were the only ones inside, just the tour guide and a small group.
My last photos in this travel blog are from that visit.
These ice caves form in the summertime when water runs beneath the glacier, and every winter, as it gets colder, the glacier guides look for new ice caves in Vatnajökull.
Fortunately, this ice cave was located relatively close to Ring Road 1.
The entrance to the ice cave
These natural ice caves are rare, and as I said earlier, we are very excited when a glacier guide finds a new naturally formed ice cave.
But nature is unpredictable, and the glaciers are constantly moving and shrinking.
So one never knows where the ice caves will be located each winter. That said, as the glaciers shrink, more and more ice caves are discovered.
The ice cave I visited was called Crystal, but the ice caves collapse in the summertime, and new ones are found.
The Black Diamond
Crystal didn't form in this location again, but nearby, another ice cave formed, called the Black Diamond.
I visited this cave in 2021. There is more ash in this cave, which creates this glistening black colour when it is trapped inside the ice. Very beautiful.
Another beautiful ice cave formed on the east side of the Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon was named the Sapphire ice cave.
Inside the Sapphire ice cave
I visited Sapphire in 2021, and it is breathtakingly beautiful. It has got the most amazing blue colour, more aquamarine than sapphire.
But of course, these caves change every year.
Dress warmly when visiting an ice cave and wear sturdy shoes.
The ice caves can only be visited in the wintertime, from November until the end of March, when it is cold enough and safe to enter them.
The Sapphire ice cave in Breiðamerkurjökull glacier
Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon, from where the ice cave tour started, is located some 390 km east of Reykjavík in southeast Iceland, or 375 km depending on where you begin your journey in Reykjavík city.
You can rent a car and drive to the ice caves yourself, or join guided tours.
Here you can check out the top ice cave tours in Iceland.
You might also want to try the Zip Line + Ice Cave Adventure.
Inside the Sapphire ice cave
When you visit Iceland in the winter, the beautiful Northern Lights can often be spotted. You may also want to check out the Northern lights tours.
Also, check out the Katla Ice Cave Tour | Departure from Reykjavík, which is an ice cave open year-round, and much closer to Reykjavík (187 km).
