Private Ice Cave Helicopter Tour from Skaftafell
by Atlantsflug · Ice caves · Helicopter & flightseeing · private · Vatnajökull & Jökulsárlón
- Beginners welcome
- Luxury
Would this be cheaper direct? No — we sell at Atlantsflug'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 Ice Cave Helicopter Tour from Skaftafell
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Duration
2 hours and 30 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Season
Sep – Apr
Starts in
Skaftafell
Meeting
Meet on location
Languages
EN, IS
Departs
09:30, 10:30, 11:00, 13:00
Minimum age
12
Cancellation
Free until 24h before
About this experience
Take off from Skaftafell Terminal on this private helicopter tour in Iceland and travel across Vatnajökull to a natural ice cave hidden within the glacier. This experience combines a scenic flight over glacier landscapes with a guided visit inside the ice cave, led by a professional glacier guide accompanying you throughout the journey.
This tour is offered as a private experience only. Please contact us to plan your flight and ice cave adventure.
What to ExpectAfter departure, your pilot and glacier guide will plan the route based on weather and visibility, flying across Vatnajökull’s outlet glaciers toward a more remote ice cave location.
Upon landing near the glacier, your guide will lead you on a short walk to the ice cave entrance. Inside, they will guide you through the cave, where natural ice formations, textures, and shades of blue are shaped by light and time within the glacier.
After the exploration, you’ll return together to the helicopter for the scenic flight back to Skaftafell, with views over glaciers, valleys, and the surrounding terrain.
You may experience:- A helicopter flight over Vatnajökull’s glacier landscapes
- Landing near a natural ice cave
- Guided exploration inside the glacier
- Aerial views on the return flight
This experience combines helicopter access with guided glacier exploration in a private setting. It’s ideal for those who want to reach a natural ice cave without a long hike and explore it with a qualified guide, away from the more frequented cave locations
Description from the operator, Atlantsflug. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.
Where you go
- Skaftafell Terminal
Included
- Up to a 150-minute private helicopter tour
- Landing near the ice cave (conditions permitting)
- Guided ice cave visit with a professional glacier guide
- All necessary safety equipment
- Free parking at Skaftafell Terminal
Good to know
Proper winter clothing is required. Conditions on the glacier can be cold and change quickly, and participants must be appropriately equipped.
Dress as you would for winter hiking:
- Thermal base layers (wool or synthetic)
- Warm mid layers (fleece or insulated jacket)
- Waterproof outer layers
- Hat, gloves, warm socks
- Sturdy hiking boots (no sneakers)
- Small backpack for essentials
Note: Jeans are not suitable for this tour.
- This tour is offered as a private experience and arranged on request. Departure time is confirmed based on the guide and helicopter availability.
- Maximum group size: up to 9 passengers.
- Recommended age: 12+ (younger on request).
- Difficulty: Easy to moderate.
- Routes and landings are always dependent on weather and safety conditions.
- Landings are only performed when deemed safe by the pilot.
- Ice caves are natural formations that change over time. Each visit is unique, shaped by conditions at the time of your tour.
Cancellation for this tour
Free cancellation until 24 hours 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.
- 1Atlantsflug 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 1 day 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
- Not for families with children under 12 — the operator will not take them, even with a parent.
- Not available in summer; the operator runs it roughly September to April.
Read off the operator's own conditions. If none of it applies to you, this is a good one.
Why we list it
Atlantsflug 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 →
What travellers say about Atlantsflug
Read all 440 reviews on Google →Operator rating 4.9/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.
★★★★★ · a month ago
I truly think this was the best experience/activity that we did on Iceland. It was a gift for my Wife on her birthday and I think this was a bullseye! Absolutely phenomenal experience and breathtaking views. We did not get a proper weather, it was a bit windy, cloudy and pouring some light rain - due to those circumstances we had a risk of cancelling the flight, but at least after 1-2h wait as they suggested us, the sky got a bit better and we got an opportunity to fly for a smaller package of 30 minutes as Atlantsflug suggested us the day before the trip (with a refund from the package that we have chosen, which was also super nice! ❤️). On top of that I'd like to thank you again Palmi - our great pilot that just make our flight experience absolutely stunning. Safe and enjoyable flight! I do think this activity should be an obligation on the Iceland to-do list. Definitely recommend!
★★★★★ · 4 months ago
This was an amazing experience all round. We chose to see the Vatnajokull Glacier from the air and were not disappointed. The welcome on arrival from Malina was great with a free drink. We were in a Cessna plane with 3 others and all of us had window seats. Magnus the pilot was knowledgeable regarding the glacier and its formation. We were lucky with the weather as visibility was superb. Later that day we saw part of the glacier up close on a glacier hike. A great time with a professional & friendly organisation. I would highly recommend this experience.
★★★★★ · 6 months ago
The day after our engagement, we took a helicopter flight with landing at Atlantsflug, and it was truly unforgettable. Wera was incredibly helpful and made everything smooth and easy for us from the start. The whole experience felt perfectly arranged. Our pilot, who was from Sweden, was outstanding. Calm, professional, and knowledgeable. We felt completely safe the entire time, and he showed us the very best the glacier had to offer. The views were breathtaking and the glacier landing was simply magical. Highly recommended. A once in a lifetime experience.
★★★★★ · 3 months ago
A highlight of our trip! Unforgettable experience! Very helpful and polite lady at the desk in the terminal and super pilot. Beautiful views, lovely people- I can recommend enough! Must do! Just got off the scenic view and can’t stop smiling :)
Reviews from Google · updated 13 Sept 2026
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.
- 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.
- How tour cancellations work in Iceland, and what we backOperators cancel when the weather makes a tour unsafe, and we back that every time. Here's what happens to your money, and what counts as a cancellation.
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.
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