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Experience one of Iceland’s most unique day trips with a guided visit to a natural ice cave in Vatnajökull Glacier. Departing from Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, this tour takes you by super jeep to the glacier’s edge, followed by a short walk to reach the cave. Formed by meltwater and winter freeze, each season’s cave is different—filled with deep blue ice, smooth walls, and surreal textures. It’s an easy, safe, and fascinating way to see the natural forces shaping Iceland up close!
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Can’t book your date? Crystal Ice Cave runs seasonally. Try Katla or Into the Glacier instead!
This unforgettable day tour begins at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon in Southeast Iceland. From there, you’ll hop into a modified super jeep and head out with your expert glacier guide to one of Vatnajökull’s outlet glaciers. After a short walk, you’ll arrive at the entrance to a naturally formed ice cave.
Once inside, you’ll explore the shimmering blue ice up close—layers that have been compressed over centuries, creating vivid colors and otherworldly textures. These caves form anew each winter, so the one you visit will be entirely unique. Your guide will explain how these formations develop and share fascinating insights into Iceland’s glacial landscapes.
After the cave visit, we return to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, where the tour ends. Don’t forget your camera—this is one of the most photogenic experiences you’ll find in Iceland!
The stunning blue color inside ice caves comes down to time, pressure, and nature’s own filtering process. Over centuries, as glacial ice compresses and travels downhill, air bubbles are pushed out and the ice crystals grow larger. This creates incredibly clear, dense ice beneath the surface.
While the outer layers of the glacier may look white due to exposure to sunlight and weather, the older ice hidden beneath is where the deep blue hues appear. You’ll often see the same effect on freshly flipped icebergs, where the underside glows with that same striking color.
Every ice cave is different—and that’s part of the magic. Your guide is a certified glacier expert who carefully chooses which cave to visit each day, based on conditions, safety, and accessibility. Most caves are found on the southern side of Vatnajökull and its outlet glaciers, and their shapes, colors, and size change from year to year.
Some caves are massive and open; others are smaller and shine in the right light. Certain caves require below-freezing temperatures to be accessible, especially when the ground inside needs to be fully frozen. While we can’t promise a specific cave in advance, every visit reveals something unique.
Keep in mind: ice caves are natural wonders. What you see may differ from photos depending on the season, light, and weather—but that’s exactly what makes each visit special!
Meeting Point
What to Wear
Safety & Conditions
Other Notes
Iceland is known for unforeseeable weather. It is likely that you can see all 4 seasons in one day.
Dressing for that kind of weather can always be demanding, so we suggest dressing in layers. 3 or 4 upper layers are highly recommended, for example, a light t-shirt (preferably wool) next to the skin, then a fleece or heavy wool garment topped off with a waterproof windbreaker.
Jeans are not recommended for our trips as they are not suitable for the weather conditions, they become very heavy, cold and uncomfortable to wear when they get wet.
Lightweight hiking pants, track pants or long cotton pants are convenient and wear wind/waterproof pants over them. There is high UV and sunlight reflecting off on the glacier so we highly recommend using sunglasses and sunscreen even if it is cloudy.
You will need sturdy hiking boots that fit crampons for the glacier hiking tours. If you do not own a pair then we rent out suitable hiking boots as well as a waterproof raincoat and trousers.
It is good to bring your own backpack on our full-day or half-day tours. It’s the best carry-on for a small lunch, extra clothes, and other necessary items.
The scenery on the tour is full of stunning, breathtaking views that you’ll almost definitely want to capture forever, so you should definitely bring your camera along. Your tour guide will also be happy to take your photo.
This is surely a personal choice, we do not deny pregnant women on our glacier trips but we highly recommend you to take a closer look at our trip description and difficulty ratings, they will hopefully give you a better idea. We also recommend you to contact your physician, as pregnant women’s health can be quite different. If you have any further questions or concerns then feel free to contact us.
Crampons enable you to walk on the glacier ice without slipping. They are metal spikes that we attach to the soles of your hiking shoes.
Yes, we have specially trained and certified glacier guides on every glacier tour that we offer. And for our 3rd party tours we only partner with operators that meet our quality and safety standards.
Yes, we provide you with all the necessary glacier gear for our glacier hiking tours. Ice axes, crampons, harnesses, and helmets are provided. This will help you to complete the tour safely. The minimum shoe size to attach crampons is EU 35.
Iceland is known to have a lot of snow and when the snow stays long enough in one place than it turns to ice. Over long periods of time, the ice layers up becoming huge blocks called glaciers. It forms to create ginormous glaciers that sweep across huge masses of land. Iceland is home of the largest glacier in Europe that is called Vatnajökull. The Glacier Guides can tell you more about and everything you need to know about the Glaciers.
Rain is common in Iceland but we never let the rain be in our way to go forward with our tours.
That’s why we highly recommend appropriate clothing so you can stay warm and dry.
Nature is out of our control and therefore we need to adapt to the weather. Your safety is our priority so if your safety is compromised by going on the tour then we will cancel it and you will get full reimbursement.
