Katla Ice Cave Tour - Meet in Vík

by Southcoast Adventure · Ice caves · Vatnajökull & Jökulsárlón

4.70· 300 Google reviews of the operator

Beginners welcome
Fine on your own

from €215 per person

Next departure: Thu 22 Oct

Book Thu 22 Oct · €215 Other dates

Katla Ice Cave Tour - Meet in Vík — Southcoast Adventure

Katla Ice Cave Tour - Meet in Vík, photo 2

Katla Ice Cave Tour - Meet in Vík, photo 3

Katla Ice Cave Tour - Meet in Vík, photo 4

Katla Ice Cave Tour - Meet in Vík, photo 5

Katla Ice Cave Tour - Meet in Vík, photo 6

Katla Ice Cave Tour - Meet in Vík, photo 7

Katla Ice Cave Tour - Meet in Vík, photo 8

Katla Ice Cave Tour - Meet in Vík, photo 9

Katla Ice Cave Tour - Meet in Vík, photo 10

Katla Ice Cave Tour - Meet in Vík, photo 11

1 / 11

11 photos from Southcoast Adventure. Tap any one for the full-size original.

Duration
3 hours
Difficulty
Easy
Season
Sep – Apr
Pickup
Meet at the start point
Starts at
Ice Wear Parking Lot in Vík
Icewear / Vík Wool, Austurvegur, Vik, Iceland, Vík
Guide
Guided in English
Departs
08:30, 10:00, 11:30, 12:00 …
Minimum age
6
Cancellation
Free until 2 days before

About this experience

Looking for something off the typical tourist track? This is the tour for you.

It’s time to jump in a super jeep, strap on your crampons, and step onto the mighty Myrdalsjokull glacier on this Katla Ice Cave tour – Meet at Vík.

Mother Nature has really outdone herself with this one. Everywhere you look, you see the movie-like surroundings and glaciers. Grandiose ice walls tower over you as you walk among them to enter the magical blue and black ice dome of the outlet glacier named after the powerful volcano Katla. Prepare to have your breath taken away.

Mýrdalsjökull

Mýrdalsjökull glacier is one of the best-known in Iceland, from which the alluring Kötlujökull glacier originates. Kötlujökull is named after the robust Icelandic Volcano Katla, which is covered by the glacier. As the enormous mass of ice slowly crawls down from the volcano mountain, it creates some of Iceland’s most impressive natural ice caves. On this exhilarating Super Jeep tour, you will get to explore the wonders of this stunning natural phenomenon. You will see why as soon as you step in.

The Katla Ice Cave tour – Meet at Vík

On this Katla Ice cave tour – Meet at Vík, we will stop near the roots of the Kötlujökull glacier, and the view that greets us is otherworldly. We will put on our crampons and helmets and take a short walk to the opening of the ice cave. We might need to climb a few steps on ladders to the entrance of the cave. As the natural ice cave is constantly changing, conditions can differ from one tour to the next. The climb is, however, not difficult at all, and anyone in an average physical condition should be able to climb these steps. It might look adventurous, but it is not demanding at all.

Beautiful layers of differently colored ice and volcanic ash unfold as we approach the cave, painting impressive stripes across the glacier. Your guide will tell you all about the history of the glacier, the ice cave, and the surrounding area, making the tour both educational and exciting.

This tour is a meet-on location from Vík.

Outside Ice Cave Bistro, in the parking lot on the ocean side

Description from the operator, Southcoast Adventure. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Included

Helmets and crampons

Not included

Appropriate hiking boots/shoes

Waterproof jacket and pants

Good to know

Warm outdoor clothing,
Waterproof jacket and pants
Head-wear
Gloves
Appropriate hiking boots/shoes.

Not wheelchair accessible
Not stroller accessible
Not suitable for pets
No public transportation nearby
Infants must not sit on laps
Infant seats unavailable
Not recommended for pregnant travelers

Cancellation for this tour

Free cancellation until 2 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.

1Southcoast Adventure 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 2 days before departure, the operator's policy after that.

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

Why this one and not the cheaper one?

The nearest cheaper Ice Cave Sólheimajökull Experience - Meet on location from Glaciers and Waterfalls is €131 — €84 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.

	Southcoast Adventure · €215	Glaciers and Waterfalls · €131
How long it runs	3 hours	4 hours
Changing your mind	Free until 48 h before	Free until 24 h before
How hard it is	Easy	Challenging

The €84 buys you free cancellation up to 48 h before. Whether that is worth it is your call — but that is what the difference is.

Who this is not for

Children under 6 cannot join this one.
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

Southcoast Adventure is one of 204 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 Southcoast Adventure

Read all 300 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 4.7/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

Andreea Avaşi
★★★★★ · 3 months ago
The super jeep tour in Thorsmörck delivered exactly what was promised and was worth every penny. Our guide, Jakob, was fantastic—super nice, easy to talk to, and he made the hours pass by so quickly. The lunch provided was also delicious. Thank you for a memorable day!
Joshua Kost
★★★★★ · 5 months ago
We did the 5hr buggy buggy tour today, by far the best day in Iceland so far. Alejandro was an absolute amazing guide, seen waterfalls, caves, and a glacier that we would have never seen otherwise. Alejandro also took us on an incredible hike to one of the falls. He’s knowledge of the area was superb. Highly recommended over all the other tours.
David Graybeal
★★★★★ · 4 months ago
Absolute number 1 excursion we have ever done! Our Eyjafjallajökull Snowmobiling Tour with Southcoast Adventures was an absolute highlight of our trip to Iceland—and we travel a lot! We spent about 2 hours on the snowmobiles and covered a huge portion of the glacier. Riding all the way to the top to experience the intense wind and the breathtaking views was unforgettable. Our guides, Ale and Martin, were phenomenal. Ale was incredibly patient and helpful while teaching us how to operate the machines. Even when we managed to tip our snowmobile over, they handled it perfectly. Their attitudes throughout the entire tour were tremendous. This truly felt like a once-in-a-lifetime outing. I cannot recommend this adventure and this team highly enough!
Veronica
★★★★★ · 4 months ago
We’ve been coming to Iceland for years, and this was hands down the best experience/tour we’ve ever done here. Our snowmobiling tour with Magnús and Steinar was incredible from start to finish. They were fun, kind, knowledgeable, and clearly true experts at what they do. This was our first time snowmobiling, and they made us feel completely comfortable while still making the whole experience exciting and memorable. The location was awesome, the views were breathtaking, and we were lucky to have great weather. But what really made the tour special was Magnús and Steinar. We had so much actual time on the snowmobiles, learned a lot about Iceland, and genuinely enjoyed the conversations along the way. You can tell when guides love what they do and care about giving people a great experience. This was our first snowmobiling tour, but it definitely will not be our last. Huge thank you to Magnús and Steinar!!!

Reviews from Google · updated 21 Oct 2026

Read before you book

Best Ice Cave Tour in Iceland (2026): 5 PicksThe ice cave tours we would book ourselves, from the Vatnajökull caves near Jökulsárlón to Katla near Vík, with real prices and meeting points.
Iceland in June: what tours runJune is when the Highlands open and the sun barely sets. Almost everything runs, but Landmannalaugar waits for mid-June and the lights are over.
Iceland in May: what tours runMay is light and quiet: puffin boats and rafting start, the lights season is over, and the Highland roads stay shut until June.

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 Skaftafell, from our hotel partners. Rooms are booked on our hotels site.

All hotels in Vatnajökull & Jökulsárlón →

One checkout, any number of operators
Rankings are not for sale
203 operators vetted, and not all of them accepted
If it falls short, we fix it

from

€215 per person

Southcoast Adventure's own price. 3% off the whole trip when you book two or more tours together, in one checkout.

Your date

The next departure we can see — change it if this tour is for another day.

Pick a date to check departures.

Departs08:3010:0011:3012:0013:4515:0016:30

Skaftafell: light 08:16–17:28, 9 h 12 min of daylight.

✓ Free cancellation until 2 days before
✓ Instant confirmation by email
✓ If Southcoast Adventure cancels for weather or safety: a full refund, or another date
✓ Card — Apple Pay or Google Pay where your device offers it — through Stripe; the charge is made in Icelandic krónur
✓ Price promise: Southcoast Adventure's own price, or we refund the difference
✓ One checkout, even with tours from several operators
✓ Vetted operator — the six checks every operator passes

Pairs well with

Add any of these to this tour and 3 % comes off both at checkout — about €13 on the cheapest pair. One basket, one payment, however many operators they come from.