Private Katla Ice Cave from Vík
by Glaciers and Waterfalls · Ice caves · private · Vatnajökull & Jökulsárlón





Would this be cheaper direct? No — we sell at Glaciers and Waterfalls's own price and take our commission from them, not from you. What you get here is one checkout across operators, one confirmation, and one place to change or cancel it. If you ever find it cheaper on their own site, tell us and we will match it or explain why we cannot.
More photos of Private Katla Ice Cave from Vík
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Duration
3 hours and 30 minutes
Difficulty
Moderate
Season
Sep – Apr
Starts in
Vik
Meeting
Hotel pickup available
Languages
EN
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
- Katla Ice Cave
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 →
Sold out on your date?
Seats come back — a cancellation, or the operator adding a vehicle. Tell us the date and we will check once a day and email you if one opens. One email, then we delete the address; nothing else is ever sent to it.
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 154 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
- Boat tours in Iceland sort into five kinds, and only two of them are sightseeingWhale boats, aurora cruises, glacier-lagoon zodiacs, island ferries and sea angling. What each one actually is, what it costs, and which are worth a slot.
- Five days in Iceland works better from a Reykjavík base than behind the wheelWith five days you can base in Reykjavík and take three day tours, or rent a car and move every night. We explain why we'd usually stay put.
- Sólheimajökull, Skaftafell or Vatnajökull — which glacier hike to actually bookThree glaciers sell almost the same walk at different prices and distances. Which one fits your route, what 'easy' means, and what blue ice really requires.
Reviews from our travellers
Only people who booked this tour through us can write here. We publish every review in full — good or bad.
No reviews yet from our travellers on 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.
One checkout, any number of operators
Rankings are not for sale
153 operators vetted, and not all of them accepted
If it falls short, we fix it
Pairs well with
Everything here goes into the same basket and the same single payment, however many operators it comes from.
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