Blue Ice Cave Exploration from Jökulsárlón (Small Group Tour)
by Marina Travel · Ice caves · Glacier hiking · Vatnajökull & Jökulsárlón
- Beginners welcome
- Fine on your own
- Adults only
- Good with teenagers
- Eco-certified
from €167.86 per person
Next departure: Sat 24 Oct
1 / 37
Duration
3 hours
Difficulty
Easy
Season
Sep – Apr
Pickup
Meet at the start point
Starts at
Jökulsárlón, Höfn í Hornafirði
Guide
Guided in English, Chinese
Departs
09:00, 09:30, 10:00, 10:30 …
Minimum age
6
Cancellation
Free until 24 hours before
About this experience
You will get the opportunity of a lifetime to enjoy one of the world’s greatest wilderness, Iceland’s largest glacier. You are driven in a specially modified car to the glacier, where you get to explore the glacier environment, enjoy a view out of this world, go into and underneath the glacier, and experience the glacier’s beauty from the inside. The Blue Ice Cave Exploration is truly a unique experience.
An experienced local guide leads the way and shares a wealth of fascinating information about glaciers, icefields, and their impact on our environment during our journey, making sure everyone enjoys themselves to the fullest.
Our guides provide you with safety equipment (helmet and crampons) and the fun begins.
We also offer the option for guidance in Chinese (based on availability).
Looking for a private tour of the Ice Cave? Click here.
Disclaimer:
Please note that the images provided are for reference only. As the ice cave is a natural phenomenon, its appearance changes constantly throughout the season. Therefore, the actual ice cave this year may differ from the images shown. Sometimes, the colour of the cave might be darker due to lack of sunlight or there might be small flood in the cave due to rain, these are natural occurance and cannot be basis of refund dispute.
The 3 hour tour duration includes driving time to and from the glacier, hiking time to and from the cave, and time inside the cave.
Description from the operator, Marina Travel. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.
Where you go
- Blue Ice Cave Exploration
Included
- Professional glacier guide
- Two-way transportation to and from Jokulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and the glacier
- Safety equipment necessary for the expedition.
Not included
- Transfer to and from Jokulsárlón Glacier Lagoon from other places in Iceland
- Trekking/Hiking shoes
Good to know
- Warm, wind and waterproof clothes
- Hiking/Trekking shoes
- Camera
- A sense of adventure
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
- The cave is in continuous change all throughout the year therefore the pictures shown above might differ from the actual state of the cave at the moment of your trip
- For all departures, no cancellations or changes can be made within 24 hours from departure. In the event of bad weather, if the road to Jökulsárlón is open and our tours are departing as normal, we are not obligated to reschedule or refund if you are not able to make your way to Jökulsárlón. You can claim from your travel insurance in those cases.
- Small Group Tour (max 14 pax)
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.
- 1Marina Travel 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 →
Why this one and not the cheaper one?
The nearest cheaper Ice Cave Sólheimajökull Experience - Meet on location from Glaciers and Waterfalls is €130 — €37 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.
| Marina Travel · €168 | Glaciers and Waterfalls · €130 | |
|---|---|---|
| How long it runs | 3 hours | 4 hours |
| How hard it is | Easy | Challenging |
On everything we can measure, the Glaciers and Waterfalls tour is the better buy. The €37 is not buying anything we can point to, so unless you want this operator in particular, take the cheaper one.
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 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
Marina Travel is one of 207 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 Marina Travel
Read all 115 reviews on Google →Operator rating 4.6/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.
★★★★★ · a month ago
Mikala was an exceptional guide whose deep knowledge of Iceland's geology, local legends, and stories brought every stop to life. Instead of following the standard tourist traffic, she navigated a smart route that successfully avoided both the crowds and active construction zones. Traveling in a smaller group made a massive difference—we loved the efficiency and intimacy of not having to wait for 40 people to load back onto a massive tour bus at every destination.The sights were absolutely amazing, and we lucked out with outstanding weather as a bonus! A true highlight of the trip was visiting small, local family farms. It was wonderful to see how they operate and to have the opportunity to support their businesses directly. Highly recommended if you want a seamless, insightful, and (mostly) crowd-free tour!
★★★★★ · 8 months ago
I traveled to Iceland with five friends, and our guide was Josip. I love traveling and have visited many destinations, and among all the guides I have met so far, Josip was the best guide. He spoke slowly and clearly for us, knowing that our English was not very good, and he truly made an effort to help us fully experience and enjoy Iceland. Thanks to him, our memories of Iceland will stay with us for a lifetime. Throughout the entire trip, we felt comfortable, joyful, and genuinely happy. Because of Josip, Iceland has become a country we truly want to visit again. Josip was not only the best guide, but also a protector who took great care of us. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the travel agency for introducing us to Josip.
★★★★★ · 9 months ago
We had an amazing holiday, thanks to Marina Travel and Goran! Goran was with us for full 5-6 days for our golden circle tour.! He was always on time, planned the day well, communicated the time and plan very well. He understood our needs well and guided us accordingly. He is knowledgeable and shared the history of all the sites. He is wonderful to talk to and he is an amazing photographer! Highly recommend Marina Travel for a Personalized and enjoyable experience! And if Goran is assigned to u as a guide, it would make a huge difference to the quality of your holiday!
★★★★★ · 11 months ago
Our guide Agnieszka was so kind and thoughtful. Thanks to her, we had a very happy and fruitful time. I was impressed by the efforts to consider appropriate responses and requests depending on the weather and circumstances. Tours often vary in many ways depending on the guide, but we were so lucky to meet the best guide and make good memories. Thank you.
Reviews from Google · updated 23 Oct 2026
Read before you book
- Best Glacier Hike in Iceland (2026): 5 PicksThe glacier hikes we would book ourselves in Iceland, on Sólheimajökull and in Skaftafell, with real adult prices, departure points and who each one is not for.
- 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.
- Boat tours in Iceland: the five kinds explainedWhale 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.
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.
One checkout, any number of operators
Rankings are not for sale
206 operators vetted, and not all of them accepted
If it falls short, we fix it
Pairs well with
Add any of these to this tour and 3 % comes off both at checkout — about €12 on the cheapest pair. One basket, one payment, however many operators they come from.
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