The main points
- The tour meets at Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon rather than in Reykjavík, with a jeep or SUV transfer out to the glacier and back.[1]
- Ice caves in the Vatnajökull region are only accessible during the winter months, from November and usually throughout March, depending on the weather.[2]
- The recommended tour lasts 3 hours and runs as a small group limited to 14 participants with a live English speaking guide.[1]
- Costs from US$195 per person, with free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund and the option to reserve now and pay later.[1]
- Jökulsárlón is 236 miles (380 kilometers) east of Reykjavík along Route 1, a five-hour direct drive or seven to eight hours with South Coast stops.[3]
| Blue Ice Cave | Original Ice Cave | Super Jeep Tour | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From | from US$195[1] | from US$161[4] | from US$173[5] |
| Duration | 3 hours[1] | 3 hours[4] | 2.5 hours[5] |
| Rating | 4.64 from 961 reviews[1] | 4.61 from 1,129 reviews[4] | 4.21 from 1,751 reviews[5] |
| Group size | Limited to 14 participants[1] | Not stated | Not stated |
| Guide | Live tour guide: English[1] | Live tour guide: English[4] | Live tour guide: English[5] |
| Cancellation | Free cancellation 24 hours ahead[1] | Free cancellation 24 hours ahead[4] | Free cancellation 24 hours ahead[5] |
The ice caves are only accessible during winter months, from November and usually throughout March, depending on the weather.
The ice cave tour worth choosing from Jökulsárlón
Booking basics
What an ice cave tour from Jökulsárlón really is
An ice cave tour from Jökulsárlón does not begin in Reykjavík. You meet at the lagoon itself, climb into a jeep or SUV, and ride out onto Breiðamerkurjökull, the glacier tongue that feeds the lagoon.[1][6] From the drop off you walk with your guide to the cave mouth, duck through an opening that may be no wider than your shoulders, and stand in a tunnel of ice that meltwater has been carving since the first thaws of winter. The colour is not a trick of the light. Ice squeezed free of air bubbles takes in red wavelengths and throws blue back at you, and the densest, oldest ice is the deepest blue.
The caves are seasonal. Ice caves in Vatnajökull are only accessible during the winter months, from November and usually throughout March, depending on the weather.[2] Guides open new entrances each season and abandon the old ones, so the cave you walk into is not the one that was photographed last winter. That is part of what makes a winter visit to this coast worth the drive: the glacier is a working landscape, and a cave tour is a short visit to something that will not look the same by spring.
Blue is not the only colour in the ice. Look for bands of grey and black running through the walls, which are ash layers from eruptions past, frozen into the glacier and exposed as the tunnel is cut. Some caves also show a dark roof of sediment and a floor of rounded stones, a reminder that this land was shaped by water long before the ice took hold.
Why start from Jökulsárlón instead of Reykjavík
The lagoon is 236 miles (380 kilometers) east of Reykjavík along Route 1, a five-hour direct drive or seven to eight hours with South Coast sightseeing stops.[3] Doing an ice cave as a day trip from the capital means a very long day in a coach with the glacier somewhere in the middle of it. Full day tours do make the run, including the Reykjavik: Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach Tour at 14 hours from US$232,[7] and they are a good way to see the coast if you would rather not drive. Meeting the guide at the lagoon is the other option, and it keeps your hours on the ice rather than on the road.[1]
Staying a night nearby makes an early start simple. Hotel Jokulsarlon is an accommodation option in the Icelandic countryside nestled near the world-famous Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon.[8] Public toilets and a café are available at Jökulsárlón,[9] which is worth knowing after a drive through lava fields and single lane bridges. Sleeping close by also means you can watch the light change over the icebergs in the evening, once the day coaches have gone.
Blue ice, black sand and a glacier that never looks the same twice.
How the ice cave tours compare
The From Jökulsárlón: Vatnajökull Glacier Blue Ice Cave Tour costs from US$195 and lasts 3 hours, with a live English speaking guide and a small group limited to 14 participants.[1] It is rated 4.64 from 961 reviews.[1] You can reserve now and pay later, and free cancellation is available up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.[1] The group size matters more than it sounds on paper: a smaller party moves faster on the ice and gives everyone a turn at the front of the tunnel.
Other ice cave trips leave from the same area and cost less. The Original Ice Cave Tour on Vatnajökull is from US$161 and is rated 4.61 from 1,129 reviews.[4] The Vatnajökull Ice Cave Guided Tour is from US$164 and rated 4.25 from 2,171 reviews.[10] The Crystal Blue Ice Cave Super Jeep Tour is from US$173 and rated 4.48 from 604 reviews.[11] If you want more time on the glacier, the Blue Ice Cave Tour and Glacier Walk runs 6 hours from US$242.[12] Compare duration and group size rather than price alone, and pick the one that fits the day you have.
What you see on the ice and around the lagoon
Underneath the ice the layers read like a ledger: clear blue bands, grey silt, and black lines of volcanic ash laid down long before anyone was counting eruptions. The glacier above is Breiðamerkurjökull, an outlet of Vatnajökull and the glacier that feeds Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon.[6] Ice that calves from it drifts out through the lagoon and washes up on Diamond Beach, a black volcanic sand beach in Southeast Iceland scattered with clear glacial ice.[13] On a calm morning the beach looks like a jewellery shop after a break in.
The lagoon is 248 meters (814 feet) deep and is the deepest lake in Iceland.[14] Seals are sighted on a regular basis at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon on Iceland's south coast,[15] usually as a dark head surfacing between the bergs and then gone again. Bring a cloth for your lens. Spray, drizzle and sudden squalls are normal on this stretch of coast, even when the forecast for Reykjavík looks settled.
from US$195
That is the from price for the From Jökulsárlón: Vatnajökull Glacier Blue Ice Cave Tour, a 3 hour trip limited to 14 participants.[1]
Getting there, where to sleep and what to eat
The approach from the west is straightforward on paper. The drive from Vík to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon is 192 kilometers (118 miles) one way along the Ring Road.[16] From Reykjavík the run is 236 miles (380 kilometers) along Route 1, a five-hour direct drive or seven to eight hours with South Coast sightseeing stops.[3] Fuel up when you can, and do not count on finding an open petrol station east of Vík late in the evening. Winter road conditions can change the timing of any drive on this coast, so leave room in the plan.
Public toilets and a café are available at Jökulsárlón,[9] and Hotel Jokulsarlon is an accommodation option in the Icelandic countryside nestled near the world-famous Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon.[8] Booking a room close by for the night before your ice cave tour turns a rushed morning into an unhurried one, and it puts you at the lagoon for the quiet hours at either end of the day.
Weather, clothing and comfort on the glacier
Icelandic weather turns quickly and the glacier makes its own wind. Wear a waterproof outer layer over warm mid layers, take gloves and a hat, and choose boots with ankle support; the ground at a cave mouth is a mix of bare ice, gravel and meltwater. A buff or a thin balaclava earns its place in a pocket even when the car park feels mild. Tight jeans and smooth soled trainers are the two things people regret most.
Keep your phone in a pocket that closes, carry a spare pair of gloves, and wipe your lens before you go in rather than inside the cave, where the air is damp and the light is low. A live English speaking guide leads the trip,[1] so ask about the ash layers, the age of the ice and how the cave has shifted since last winter. There is no such thing as a silly question on a glacier.
Eat before you go, since the café at the lagoon is where you will be heading afterwards.[9] If you feel the cold badly, say so at the start. Guides on glacier trips are used to adjusting pace, and once you are out of the wind a cave walk warms you up surprisingly fast.
Boats, kayaks and the rest of your lagoon day
Once you are at the lagoon there is more to do than the cave. At Jökulsárlón, the amphibian boat tour season runs May-Nov and the trip takes 30-40 minutes.[17] The Zodiac Boat Tour is priced from 16,900 ISK, and the boat tour lasts 1 hour 15 minutes, with total duration about 2 hours.[18] Kayaking is allowed on Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon during the summer season.[19] None of those run in deep winter, the season when ice caves in Vatnajökull are accessible.[2]
The lagoon has had a film career as well: Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon was used as a filming location for A View To A Kill, Die Another Day, and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.[20] Leave time to walk the narrow strip between the lagoon and the sea, where bergs drift out on the tide and the surf pushes them back onto the black sand. Then find the café, warm your hands around something hot, and let the day finish slowly.
From prices for ice cave tours starting at Jökulsárlón
US dollar from prices for ice cave tours that start at Jökulsárlón, on GetYourGuide.[1][4][5][10][12]
Ice cave tour prices from Jökulsárlón
US dollar from prices for these GetYourGuide ice cave listings.[1][4][10][12]
When to book which side of the lagoon
Plan your ice cave day
Pick your base
Decide whether you will stay near Jökulsárlón or drive in from Vík. A night close to the lagoon makes a winter morning much easier.
Choose the tour
Compare duration, group size and price across the ice cave listings from the lagoon, then book the one that fits your day.
Dress for the ice
Waterproof shell, warm layers, gloves, hat and boots with ankle support. The glacier is colder and windier than the car park.
Meet at the lagoon
Arrive with time to spare, use the facilities at the lagoon, and check in with your guide before the jeep transfer.
Add the beach
After the cave, cross to Diamond Beach or take a boat on the lagoon while you are already parked there.
Walk into blue ice beneath Breiðamerkurjökull
from US$195
