Private Katla Ice Cave from Vík

by Glaciers and Waterfalls · Ice caves · Vatnajökull & Jökulsárlón

from €1,502.67 for up to 4

Next departure: Mon 26 Oct

Book Mon 26 Oct · €1,502.67 the vehicleOther dates
Private Katla Ice Cave from Vík — Glaciers and Waterfalls
Private Katla Ice Cave from Vík, photo 2
Katla Glacier cliff covered in volcanic ash
Private Katla Ice Cave from Vík, photo 4
Katla Glacier
Private Katla Ice Cave from Vík, photo 6
Private Katla Ice Cave from Vík, photo 7
Private Katla Ice Cave from Vík, photo 8
Private Katla Ice Cave from Vík, photo 9

1 / 9

  • Duration

    3 hours and 30 minutes

  • Difficulty

    Moderate

  • Season

    Sep – Apr

  • Starts in

    Vik

  • Pickup

    Hotel pickup included

  • Guide

    Guided in English

  • Departs

    11:30

  • Minimum age

    8

  • Cancellation

    Free until 7 days before

About this experience

This is a super jeep adventure with the unforgettable experience of walking through caves made from ice on he Katla glacier. To get to the glacier we use modified jeeps with huge tyres. This is part of the adventure. When we arrive at the base of the glacier in the middle of the Icelandic wilderness, we will explore ice cave, and hike around a little on the glacier. After that we drive to Hjorleifshofdi, a deserted black sand beach. 

We spend as much time as is possible on the glacier giving you the chance to really take in this once in a lifetime opportunity. Our guides know these areas very well and have been working in the area for many years. All of our guides have experience and are trained in glacial exploration and are first aid certified.

Description from the operator, Glaciers and Waterfalls. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Where you go

  1. Katla Ice Cave
  2. Hjörleifshöfði

Included

  • Katla Ice cave entrance fee
  • Transfer to/from Vík in a SuperJeep
  • English speaking guide
  • Free WiFi on the Bus

Not included

Meals

Good to know

  • Warm outdoor clothing
  • Hat and gloves or mittens
  • Rain gear
  • Camera/Phone
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Not stroller accessible
  • Not suitable for pets
  • Infants must not sit on laps
  • Infant seats unavailable
  • Not recommended for people with heart conditions

Cancellation for this tour

Free cancellation until 7 days before departure; no refund after that. If the operator cancels for weather or safety, you get a full refund or a new date.

If the weather cancels this tour

Iceland's weather is real. What usually stops this one is melt-water or unstable ice after a warm spell — the guide decides on the morning, and a cave can close for days. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.

  1. 1Glaciers and Waterfalls decides, and tells us. Operators cancel when it is unsafe or pointless, and we back that call every time — we do not ask them to run anyway.
  2. 2We contact you by email, and by phone if your tour is the same or next day. You choose: another date if there is one you can make, or a full refund. There is no fee and nothing to argue.
  3. 3The refund goes back to the card you paid with, through Stripe, usually visible within a few working days. If this tour was one of several in your booking, the others are untouched.

What you do not get is the day back. If this is the only free day in your plan, put a spare day next to it — the planner leaves days free with the rest-day option. And if you want out because the forecast looks bad, that is your own cancellation: free until 7 days before departure, the operator's policy after that.

Questions on the day: [email protected] · +354 497 1373. How cancellations work in Iceland →

Who this is not for

  • Children under 8 cannot join this one.
  • Not for last-minute planners — free cancellation ends 7 days before, longer than most tours here.

Read off the operator's own conditions. If none of it applies to you, this is a good one.

Why we list it

Glaciers and Waterfalls is one of 207 operators we work with — chosen for reliability, honest descriptions and how they treat guests when weather changes plans. We don't list everything; we list what we'd book ourselves. The six checks every operator passes →

Read before you book

Reviews from our travellers

Only people who booked this tour through us can write here. We publish every review in full — good or bad.

Reviews arrive the day after each trip — none yet for this one. After your tour we send one email asking how it was, and what you write goes here, unedited.

Ice caves — questions people ask

When can you visit an ice cave in Iceland?

Natural blue ice caves open from around November to March, when the glacier is cold enough for the meltwater tunnels to be safe. They form under Vatnajökull near Jökulsárlón, and the caves change every year. Two exceptions run all year: the Katla ice cave near Vík, which is dark ice striped with ash, and Into the Glacier at Langjökull, a man-made tunnel. If you want the glowing blue photos, come between November and March.

Can I do an ice cave tour as a day trip from Reykjavík?

Only the Katla cave. The South Coast and Katla ice cave tour (/experience/22559/) is about twelve hours from Reykjavík and back. The blue caves at Vatnajökull are five hours' drive each way, too far for a day, so operators sell them as two- or three-day tours (/experience/6131/, /experience/7358/) with a night near Jökulsárlón. If you are self-driving, stay in the Höfn or Skaftafell area and book the Crystal Ice Cave tour (/experience/17337/) from there.

Is the Katla ice cave as good as the blue ice caves?

Different, not worse. Katla's cave under Mýrdalsjökull is black and white, layered with volcanic ash, and open all year. It will not give you the glowing blue tunnel photos from Instagram; those are the Vatnajökull caves, November to March only. What Katla gives you is a shorter super-jeep drive from Vík (/experience/22558/) and availability in summer. If you are here between November and March and can reach Jökulsárlón, choose blue. Otherwise choose Katla.

Are ice caves safe?

With a guide, yes. Operators inspect the caves daily and cancel when meltwater, warm weather or ice movement makes them unsafe, which happens most often in November and March at the edges of the season. You wear a helmet and crampons and stay with the group. Never enter a glacier cave on your own. If your tour is cancelled for safety, you get a full refund or another date, and most operators try to substitute another cave first.

Hotels

Where to stay for this tour

From the cheapest to the top end of what is near Vík í Mýrdal, from our hotel partners. Rooms are booked on our hotels site.

All hotels in South Coast →

  • One checkout, any number of operators

  • Rankings are not for sale

  • 206 operators vetted, and not all of them accepted

  • If it falls short, we fix it

Pairs well with

Add any of these to this tour and 3 % comes off both at checkout. One basket, one payment, however many operators they come from.

from

€1,502.67 for up to 4

Book Mon 26 Oct · €1,502.67 the vehicle