Katla Ice Cave Tours From Vík

Fifteen minutes east of Vík the green fields give way to black sand, and somewhere ahead, under the white dome of Mýrdalsjökull, the ice has opened into a cave striped with the ash of old eruptions. Nobody drives there alone. Of all the Katla ice cave tours on GetYourGuide and Viator we kept three, each a 4x4 Super Jeep trip of about three hours from the village: a small group that walks up the glacier, a busy little outfit with several departures a day and the most reviewed tour of them all. What each one costs, how long you really spend at the ice, and what the listings keep quiet about.

  • Open all yearUnlike the winter-only caves farther east, the tours to Katla run in summer too
  • Book ahead in summerSmall groups fill first; Viator shows travelers booking our pick about two months out

In a hurry? Our top pick is the Troll.is Super Jeep tour with a walk up the glacier: from ~$223, thirteen people at most, rated 4.7 by 2,700+ travelers across both sites. Book it here.

Book on Viator Book on GetYourGuide Compare all 3

Katla ice cave tours at a glance

  • About 3 hours from VíkSuper Jeep out and back, a guided walk on the ice and somewhere between half an hour and an hour at the cave
  • A glacier on top of a volcanoThe cave sits in Kötlujökull, an outlet of the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap that covers Katla, one of Iceland's most watched volcanoes
  • 180 km from ReykjavíkRoughly 2.5 hours each way on the Ring Road. Day trips exist, but a night in Vík makes the cave an easy morning
  • Never the same cave twiceMeltwater reshapes it every week. Some visits find long blue tunnels, others a small chamber where an arch used to be

Inside the glacier, photographed

Scalloped ice and a plank bridge
Bands of ash in the blue
A photographer at the cave mouth
The roped path to the entrance
Below the ice wall
Looking up in the tunnel
Daylight through the ice
Deep blue ripples
Winter light on the ridges
Meltwater frozen mid-fall

If you only have a minute

Which Katla ice cave tour should you book?

If a friend asked us over a coffee in Vík which jeep to climb into, this is what we would say.

For most people the Katla ice cave tour to book is the Troll.is Super Jeep trip from the Vík Inn, from ~$223. It keeps the group to thirteen, and the half-hour walk up the glacier is part of the outing rather than a few steps from the car. Afterwards you get coffee and biscuits back in the village. It holds 4.7 out of 5 on both booking sites from more than 2,700 reviews in total, and Viator sells it for about $45 less than GetYourGuide.

Traveling with a six-year-old, or want a later start? Katlatrack runs several departures a day from ~$220, takes children from six and scores 4.8 from 850+ Viator reviews, though its groups can reach two dozen. Watching the budget, Arctic Adventures starts at ~$188 on GetYourGuide with fourteen people at most and the largest pile of reviews of any Katla tour.

None of them can promise a big cave, because the ice decides that. Read what a Katla ice cave tour really costs and whether to come from Reykjavík in a day, see how long each group spends at the ice, then check what the ice cave listings play down before you pay.

Our pick

The Katla ice cave tour we would book: Troll.is by Super Jeep

Not the cheapest seat in a jeep. It is the trip that gives you the most glacier for one booking: a small group, a proper walk on the ice up to the cave and a guide with time for questions on the way.

A visitor standing on a wooden plank at the bright mouth of the Katla ice cave under arches of blue and ash-gray ice Our pick

Katla Ice Cave & Super Jeep Tour from Vík, Troll.is

4.7 / 5 from 1,500+ reviews on GetYourGuide · 4.7 / 5 from 1,200+ on Viator

You meet in the lobby of the Vík Inn, a small hotel on the main road through the village, and climb into a lifted Super Jeep with oversized tires. The drive east takes about half an hour, first along the Ring Road and then out across the black sands of Mýrdalssandur with the green-capped mountain Hafursey ahead. Several recent guests mention a stop at a viewpoint before the glacier, which is where most of the photos of the jeep with the ice behind it come from.

At the edge of Kötlujökull the guide hands out helmets and crampons and gives a safety talk. Then comes the part that sets this tour apart from the quick ones: a walk of about thirty minutes over gravel, ash and ice to reach the cave, and about an hour in and around it, with time for photos and for the guide to explain why the ice is striped black. The same walk takes you back to the jeep, and the tour ends at the Vík Inn with free coffee and biscuits.

Price
from ~$223 on Viator, about $268 on GetYourGuide
Duration
About 3 hours, Vík to Vík
At the ice
About 2 hours on foot and in the cave
Rating
4.7 / 5 on GetYourGuide and on Viator
Meeting point
Vík Inn hotel lobby, Víkurbraut 26, Vík
Group
Up to 13 people
Ages
8 and up
Cancellation
Free up to 24 hours, pay later on both sites
Viator GetYourGuide

Live availability and prices on GetYourGuide

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How the three hours run, step by step

Departure times change with daylight and the season. The order below follows the listing and what recent guests describe:

In Vík

  • Check in at the Vík Inn lobby, 20 minutes before the start
  • About half an hour by Super Jeep across Mýrdalssandur toward Hafursey

At the glacier

  • Safety talk, then helmets and crampons on
  • A walk of about 30 minutes onto Kötlujökull
  • About an hour in and around the ice cave with the guide
  • The same walk back to the jeep
  • The drive back to Vík, with coffee and biscuits at the Vík Inn

What the price covers

The ticket buys the jeep, the guide and the ice gear. Lunch, boots and anything warm to wear are up to you.

Included
  • Super Jeep from Vík and back
  • An expert glacier guide
  • Helmet and crampons for the ice
  • Coffee and biscuits at the end
Not included
  • Food and drinks on the way
  • Hiking boots (for rent at 1,750 krónur)
  • Transport to Vík from Reykjavík
  • Children under 8

Between us, before you go

A word from one cave beginner to another. The photos on every Katla listing were taken on good days in good caves, and the ice does not care what you saw online. A few recent guests wished someone had warned them that the cave can be small, especially late in summer when meltwater has eaten away at it. The walk over the ice is the steady part of the trip: you will remember the crampons crunching up Kötlujökull whatever the cave looks like that week.

Wear real hiking boots with ankle support or rent a pair, bring gloves and a hat, and pack a snack, since nothing to eat is included. Our guide to dressing for the ice cave goes through it layer by layer.

Why it beats the quicker tours

On the shortest Katla trips the jeep parks a few minutes from the ice and the cave is the whole show. Here the glacier itself becomes part of the morning: you cross it on foot, the guide reads the ice as you go, and the group is small enough that nobody waits long for a photo spot. With thirteen people at most, it also keeps one of the tightest caps of any Katla tour. How hard the walk is spells out who will find it easy.

Who we would not send on it

Families with children under eight, who will be welcome on Katlatrack or Arctic Adventures from age six. Anyone who cannot manage half an hour on uneven ice in each direction. And travelers who want the lowest price for a look inside, who should read our cost guide for the cheaper options.

Book it if

You want a small group and a walk on a real glacier as well as the cave, you are spending the night in or near Vík, and you can handle an hour of walking on ice in crampons. The guides are the reason reviewers keep giving it five stars, and the coffee at the end is a kind touch on a cold day.

Skip it if

Ready for the ice?

Viator lists it for about $45 less than GetYourGuide, and both let you cancel for free up to 24 hours before and reserve now, pay later. Book the cheaper one unless you already collect points on the other.

Viator GetYourGuide

The trip itself

How a Katla ice cave tour works

Every listing on this page comes down to two questions. Will you sleep near Vík and join a three-hour trip, or ride down from Reykjavík and back in one long day? And which month, with daylight anywhere from four hours to almost twenty-one?

Style · meet in Vík

Three hours from the village

Troll.is, Katlatrack, Arctic Adventures

3 ha Super Jeep from Vík, a guide, the walk and the cave

You drive or take the bus to Vík, check in at the meeting point and leave the rest to the jeep. The cheapest way in, and the one with the most time at the ice, as long as you have a way to reach the village.

Style · from Reykjavík

A long day down the South Coast

Day trips with pickup

10–12 hhotel pickup, waterfalls on the way, a Super Jeep in Vík

A minibus or coach does the five hours of driving, stops at Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, and hands you over to a jeep in Vík. You pay for the transport and give up the choice of time.

Vík weather, daylight and crowds, month by month

  • How busy the tours get
  1. Jan5h daylight2 °C · 36 °F

    Short days, snow on the black sand

  2. Feb9h daylight2 °C · 36 °F

    Winter visitors, storms can cancel

  3. Mar12h daylight3 °C · 37 °F

    Longer days, firm winter ice

  4. Apr15h daylight6 °C · 43 °F

    Quieter weeks before summer

  5. May18h daylight9 °C · 48 °F

    Bright evenings, the melt begins

  6. Jun21h daylight11 °C · 52 °F

    Near-endless light, groups fill fast

  7. Jul19h daylight13 °C · 55 °F

    The busiest weeks of the year

  8. Aug16h daylight13 °C · 55 °F

    Most meltwater, the cave shrinks

  9. Sep12h daylight10 °C · 50 °F

    Fewer people, autumn colors on the hills

  10. Oct10h daylight7 °C · 45 °F

    Cooling ice, first northern lights

  11. Nov7h daylight4 °C · 39 °F

    The quietest month on the sands

  12. Dec4.5h daylight2 °C · 36 °F

    Holiday groups in the half-light

Temperatures are rough daytime highs in Vík, and daylight is for the middle of each month; out on Mýrdalssandur the wind makes every month feel colder. The bars show roughly how busy the tours get. Highlighted months are the ones we would pick for daylight, stable ice and free seats. The year in detail.

How long you spend at the ice

  • On foot and in the cave
  • May run longer

Times at the ice come from the itineraries and from what recent guests describe, and the dashed end shows where reviewers report walking farther than the listing promises. The jeep ride adds about an hour to an hour and a half in total.

  1. Decide where you sleep firstA night in Vík turns the cave into a relaxed morning. From Reykjavík it is a twelve-hour day. Day trip or a night in Vík?
  2. Check the group sizeThirteen at Troll.is, fourteen at Arctic Adventures, up to twenty-four at Katlatrack. It changes how long you wait for every photo.
  3. Mind the minimum ageTroll.is takes children from eight, Katlatrack and Arctic Adventures from six. Nobody takes toddlers onto the ice.
  4. Dress for wind and wet iceWaterproof layers, hiking boots, gloves and a hat. Crampons and helmets are provided. What to wear.

The best time for the Katla ice cave walks through summer meltwater and winter storms, the shoulder months and how far ahead to book.

How to choose

How to pick the right ice cave tour

The jeeps and the helmets look alike in the photos. What differs is how many people share your cave, how far you walk and where you meet.

Group size

Troll.is caps its group at thirteen and Arctic Adventures at fourteen. Katlatrack allows up to twenty-four. Photos in a crowded cave.

Walking

From a stroll of a few minutes on the cheapest tour to an hour on foot with Troll.is. Crampons make the ice easy for most. How hard is it?

Where it meets

All three start in Vík, within a few hundred meters of each other on the main road. The meeting points, one by one.

Who is coming

Six is the youngest any of them takes, at Katlatrack and Arctic Adventures. The jeep ride is bumpy and the cave is dark. The cave with kids.

Season

Katla is the ice cave you can visit in July. In winter you trade daylight for firmer ice and snow on the sands. Month by month.

Price

From ~$188 with Arctic Adventures to ~$223 for Troll.is, per person. The same tour can cost $30 to $45 more on the other site. Every price in one table.

Everything else to do around Vík

The 3 tours

Three Katla ice cave tours, side by side

We read every Katla ice cave listing for Vík on both booking sites and kept only the three we would book ourselves. Price, rating, operator and the catch for each, with a button for each site that sells it.

A white Troll.is Super Jeep with guests climbing aboard on black sand and patches of snow with flat-topped mountains behind Our pick

Katla Ice Cave & Super Jeep Tour from Vík, Troll.is

The one we would send our own family on, as long as they are eight or older.

A Super Jeep from the Vík Inn across the black sands, a walk of about half an hour up Kötlujökull in crampons, an hour in and around the cave with a glacier guide, and coffee and biscuits back in the village.

  • DurationAbout 3 hours, roughly 2 at the ice
  • OperatorTroll.is (Troll Expeditions)
  • RatingGetYourGuide 4.7 (1,500+) · Viator 4.7 (1,200+)
  • MeetsVík Inn hotel, Víkurbraut 26
  • StrengthsA small group and a real walk on the glacier
  • Ideal forCouples, friends and families with children of 8 or more

Good to know: About $45 dearer on GetYourGuide than on Viator, boots cost extra to rent, nothing to eat is included and children must be 8. What to wear.

~$223per person
Viator GetYourGuide
A visitor in a red jacket and helmet raising both arms inside a deep blue ice tunnel Highest rated

Katla FastTrack Ice Cave Tour from Vík, Katlatrack Adventures

For families with young explorers and anyone who wants to pick their own start time.

Forty minutes off-road across black sand deserts and glacial rivers, a short hike to the cave with helmet, crampons and a headlamp, then an hour at the ice with a local guide. Several departures a day from the Katlatrack base in Vík.

  • DurationAbout 3 hours, about 1 at the cave
  • OperatorKatlatrack Adventures
  • RatingViator 4.8 (850+) · GetYourGuide 4.9 (25+)
  • MeetsAusturvegur 16, Vík (Katlatrack base)
  • StrengthsChildren from 6, child rates on Viator, flexible times
  • Ideal forFamilies and travelers on a tight Ring Road schedule

Good to know: Groups can reach 24, the jeep ride is not for anyone with back problems or motion sickness, and a few reviewers found the cave small and quickly done. The cave with kids.

~$220per person
Viator GetYourGuide
A visitor in crampons walking toward the light through a rippled blue ice tunnel Best value

Katla Ice Cave and Super Jeep Tour from Vík, Arctic Adventures

For budget travelers who still want a small group and a proper jeep.

A high-clearance Super Jeep from the bus parking behind the Icewear and Krónan building, a beginner-friendly glacier walk with crampons and helmet, and the cave with a guide who knows the Katla stories. On GetYourGuide no Katla tour has more reviews.

  • DurationAbout 3 hours, about 1.5 at the ice
  • OperatorArctic Adventures
  • RatingGetYourGuide 4.6 (2,500+) · Viator 4.5 (300+)
  • MeetsBus parking behind Icewear and Krónan, sea side
  • StrengthsThe lowest price of the three, groups of 14 at most
  • Ideal forFirst-timers on a budget, families with children of 6 or more

Good to know: About $37 dearer on Viator, the Super Jeep ride is rough, and recent guests spent only 20 to 30 minutes around a smaller cave than they had pictured. What it all costs.

~$188per person
GetYourGuide Viator

A small heads-up. These are GetYourGuide and Viator affiliate links, so when you book through one we earn a little commission and you pay exactly the same. It keeps this guide going and never touches our ranking or the catches we point out.

Before you go

Eight things about Katla ice cave tours that no listing puts in big letters

None of these sits at the top of a booking page, and each one decides whether you come back thrilled or wondering where the big blue tunnel from the photos went.

What you should know

  1. The photos are not of this week's cave. Meltwater reshapes the ice constantly, and operators move to a new cave when the old one gets unsafe. Recent guests found a collapsed entrance dome and a small chamber. How the seasons change it.
  2. "Small group" means different numbers. Thirteen at Troll.is, fourteen at Arctic Adventures, twenty-four at Katlatrack and up to twenty-eight on one Vík tour we left out. Read the cap, not the label.
  3. The cave is the short part. Three hours in total, of which half an hour to an hour inside the ice. The jeep ride and the walk fill the rest, and they are half the fun.
  4. Super Jeeps are not smooth. The track to Kötlujökull crosses rivers and lava. Reviewers call the ride bumpy, and Katlatrack warns off people with back problems or motion sickness.
  5. It is in the Katla Geopark, not a show cave. No lights, no railings beyond a rope, water underfoot. Crampons and helmets are standard on every tour. Is it safe?
  6. Prices differ by site. The same Troll.is tour costs about $45 more on GetYourGuide than on Viator, and Arctic Adventures is cheaper the other way round. Check both before you pay.
  7. Boots matter more than a jacket. Wet, cold feet ruin the walk. Troll.is rents boots for 1,750 krónur, and its day trip from Reykjavík will not take you in sneakers. What to wear.
  8. Weather can cancel it. Storms close the track in winter. Every tour here lets you cancel for free up to 24 hours before, so book early and keep an eye on the forecast.

Everything in one table

Three ice cave tours, catch included

The three tours side by side, with the strength and the catch of each one in the same row.

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns →

Tour Ideal for Price At the ice Group and ages Operator and rating Strength and catch Book
Troll.is Super Jeep (our pick) A small group, a real glacier walk ~$223 About 2 h, 3 h in all Up to 13, ages 8+ Troll.is
GetYourGuide 4.7 (1,500+)
Viator 4.7 (1,200+)		 Walk up the ice, coffee after. Not under 8, boots extra.
ViatorGetYourGuide
Katlatrack FastTrack Families, flexible start times ~$220 About 1 h, 3 h in all Up to 24, ages 6+ Katlatrack Adventures
Viator 4.8 (850+)
GetYourGuide 4.9 (25+)		 Top rated, kids welcome. Bigger groups, bumpy ride.
ViatorGetYourGuide
Arctic Adventures Super Jeep Budgets, first-timers ~$188 About 1.5 h, 3 h in all Up to 14, ages 6+ Arctic Adventures
GetYourGuide 4.6 (2,500+)
Viator 4.5 (300+)		 Cheapest, most reviewed. Short time inside the cave.
GetYourGuideViator

About the numbers. Prices are per-person "from" rates in US dollars (the lower one when a tour is on both sites), and ratings are what each site showed when we compared. Dates, group size and offers move them a little, so peek at both. The booking page has the final word.

Who went

Reviews from travelers who walked into the ice

Eighteen travelers, some who found long blue tunnels and some who squeezed into a small chamber in the rain, on what won them over and what they would do differently.

★★★★★Troll.is Super Jeep

We stayed at the Vík Inn, so the meeting point was the hotel lobby and I walked down in my socks to check in. Ten of us in the jeep, a guide who stopped twice on the black sand so we could photograph the glacier from below, then crampons on and half an hour up the ice. The cave itself was smaller than the pictures, and our guide said so before we got there, which I liked. Inside, the black bands in the ice were the part I keep looking at in my photos. Coffee and biscuits afterwards, still damp, very happy.

ELEleanor L. · Bath, EnglandClear skies on the sands
★★★★★Troll.is Super Jeep

The walk on the glacier was the best hour of our whole Ring Road trip. Rent the boots if yours are not waterproof.

MTMarco T. · Turin, ItalyRain on the glacier
★★★★☆Troll.is Super Jeep

Good guide, small group, beautiful ice. I took off one star only because the cave in late August was more of a short tunnel than the hall we saw online. The walk up and the views back over the sands made up for it, and I would still pick the same company.

SNSofie N. · Aarhus, DenmarkClear skies on the sands
★★★★★Troll.is Super Jeep

Thirteen people, one guide who knew every crack in that glacier. Worth the early alarm.

JWJames W. · Auckland, New ZealandRain on the glacier
★★★★★Troll.is Super Jeep

I am not a hiker and was nervous about crampons. The guide showed us how to walk flat-footed, waited at every steep bit and took a photo of me inside the cave that is now my phone background. Booked on Viator because it was cheaper than the other site for the same tour.

PRPriya R. · Pune, IndiaClear skies on the sands
★★★★★Troll.is Super Jeep

Rain all the way across the sands and wind that pushed us sideways on the ice, and still I would book it again tomorrow. Our guide turned the weather into a lesson: why the meltwater was so brown, why the glacier had pulled back so far, how the floods from Katla built the plain we had just crossed. Inside the cave it was suddenly still. Bring waterproof trousers, not just a jacket. I had only a jacket and my legs were soaked by the time we were back at the hotel for coffee.

HKHenrik K. · Hamburg, GermanyRain on the glacier
★★★★★Katlatrack FastTrack

Our kids are 6 and 9 and they did every step, including the short climb into the cave with headlamps on. The guide treated them like real explorers, let them go first through the narrow part and played Icelandic music on the drive back. Viator had a child rate, which helped.

ACAmanda C. · Austin, TexasClear skies on the sands
★★★★★Katlatrack FastTrack

Several departures a day, so we could fit it in after driving from Skaftafell. Easy.

YCYu-Chen C. · Taipei, TaiwanClear skies on the sands
★★★★☆Katlatrack FastTrack

Great guide and an amazing ride over the black desert, rivers and all. Our group was big, over twenty, so there was a queue at the narrowest part of the cave and the photos took patience. If you can, choose an early or late departure when it is quieter. The ice itself was the bluest I have seen.

RBRyan B. · Glasgow, ScotlandRain on the glacier
★★★★★Katlatrack FastTrack

I came for the cave and stayed for the drive. Our guide put on Icelandic rock as we bounced across the sand toward the glacier, stopped at a river crossing so we could watch the jeep in front go through, and told the story of the 1918 eruption on the way. At the ice, he waited until each of us had a clear shot inside the tunnel with nobody else in the frame. The cave was not huge, but the stripes of ash in the blue were exactly what I had hoped for. Check in at the pizza place on the main street fifteen minutes early.

LMLucía M. · Valencia, SpainClear skies on the sands
★★★★★Katlatrack FastTrack

Bumpy, wet, freezing and absolutely the highlight of our week. Go.

ODOlivier D. · Montréal, CanadaRain on the glacier
★★★★★Katlatrack FastTrack

We booked the afternoon slot on a day when the morning had been stormy, and it cleared just as we reached the glacier. The guide explained how they look for a new cave almost every year because the old one melts away, which made the visit feel like a privilege rather than an attraction. My husband has a bad back and found the jeep ride hard going; Katlatrack does warn about that on the listing, so read it before you book. Helmets, headlamps and crampons all included and well fitted.

KAKirsten A. · Utrecht, NetherlandsClear skies on the sands
★★★★★Arctic Adventures Super Jeep

Cheapest of the three on GetYourGuide and still a small group. Super Jeep, glacier, cave, done in three hours.

TGTomasz G. · Kraków, PolandClear skies on the sands
★★★★☆Arctic Adventures Super Jeep

The jeep ride is not gentle, hold on to something. The walk to the cave took about half an hour each way and the cave was smaller than I imagined, maybe twenty minutes inside. But the layers of black ash in the blue ice were incredible up close, and our guide was funny and full of stories about the volcano and the woman it is named after. Good value for what we paid.

BHBethany H. · Denver, ColoradoRain on the glacier
★★★★★Arctic Adventures Super Jeep

My first time on a glacier and my first time in snow. I could not stop laughing in the crampons.

FNFatima N. · Casablanca, MoroccoClear skies on the sands
★★★★★Arctic Adventures Super Jeep

Found the meeting point easily behind the Icewear shop on the sea side, there is a sign. Fourteen of us with one guide who kept the pace easy on the ice and answered every question about how the cave forms. Well organized.

GSGustav S. · Uppsala, SwedenRain on the glacier
★★★★☆Arctic Adventures Super Jeep

Solid tour at a fair price. The drive out across Mýrdalssandur was a highlight on its own, the mountains around the glacier looked unreal in the low winter sun. We only had about twenty minutes around the cave, which was smaller than the photos, so I would have liked a bit longer there. Still, the guide made sure everyone got in, got photos and got out safely, and we were back in Vík with plenty of daylight left to drive on to the black beach. Dress warm, the wind on the sands is something else.

DPDaniel P. · Chicago, IllinoisClear skies on the sands
★★★★★Arctic Adventures Super Jeep

We nearly cancelled because the forecast looked awful, and I am so glad we went. The rain eased as we drove out, and walking up onto the ice with the whole black plain behind us felt like being somewhere no one had been before. Inside, water dripped from the ceiling and the ice glowed blue wherever the light came through. The guide checked our crampons twice and kept a close eye on an older couple in the group without making them feel slow. Waterproof everything, and bring a snack because nothing is included.

IOIsabella O. · Sydney, AustraliaRain on the glacier

Been already?

Tell the next traveler how it went

Share your Super Jeep ride, the walk up the ice and what the cave looked like on your day. We read every review before it goes up, and we publish the critical ones too.

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Crampons on

Book Troll.is for your morning on the ice

If you have a night in Vík and want one glacier outing you will still be talking about on the drive home, we would book the Troll.is Super Jeep tour. A small group, a guide who reads the ice as you walk, half an hour on foot across Kötlujökull, the cave at the end of it and hot coffee back in the village.

More than 2,700 travelers rate it 4.7 out of 5 across the two sites, and both let you hold a place now, pay nearer the day and cancel until 24 hours before. Pack waterproofs and good boots.

~$223

per person · about 3 hours · meets in Vík

Viator GetYourGuide
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
  • ✓ Reserve now, pay later on both sites
  • ✓ Helmet, crampons and glacier guide included
  • ✓ Thirteen people at most

Good to know

Why there is an ice cave on a volcano, and what you are looking at

Five minutes of reading, and the black sand, the striped ice and the guide's talk about floods will make a lot more sense.

Picture the road east of Vík a little over a century ago, on an October day in 1918. Under the ice cap to the north, Katla has just broken through hundreds of meters of glacier, and a wall of meltwater, ice blocks and ash is rolling down onto the plain you will cross by Super Jeep. The black desert under your tires is that flood's leftovers, and the cave you are heading for sits in the same ice that sent it.

01A volcano with a lid on

Katla lies under Mýrdalsjökull, Iceland's fourth largest ice cap, which covers close to 600 km² (230 sq miles) of high ground north of Vík. Its crater is buried under ice hundreds of meters thick, so nobody sees it. What visitors see instead are the glacier tongues that slide off the dome, and Kötlujökull, on the eastern side, is the one with the cave.

02The floods that built the sand

When Katla erupts, the heat melts the ice from below and the water escapes in a sudden glacial flood, a jökulhlaup. Over centuries these floods spread the gravel and ash of Mýrdalssandur across the coast east of the village. A smaller flood in 2011 washed away a Ring Road bridge, which is why the guides talk about the volcano with respect. The volcano in more detail.

03Why the ice has stripes

Every eruption, here and at neighbors like Eyjafjallajökull, dusts the glacier with ash. Snow falls on top, turns to ice and is buried by the next winter's snow, so the ice carries a record of old eruptions in dark bands of tephra. Inside the cave you see the layers in cross-section, blue ice with black seams running through it.

The moment most visitors remember is not the first sight of blue. It is the quiet inside the ice, broken only by dripping water and the crunch of crampons.

04A cave made by water

An ice cave in a glacier is carved by meltwater running through and under the ice. That makes it beautiful and also temporary: the passages widen in summer, sag and collapse, and a new channel opens somewhere else. Operators scout the snout of Kötlujökull and move their groups when one cave becomes unsafe, which is why no two seasons look alike.

05A park of rock and ice

The whole region, from the cliffs at Vík to the edge of the glacier, belongs to the Katla Geopark, a UNESCO Global Geopark built around the volcano and its landscapes. The mountain Hafursey that you pass on the way and the headland Hjörleifshöfði toward the sea stood above the floods as the sand piled up around them, and still rise out of the black plain like ships.

06Manners on the ice

Stay behind the guide, keep crampons on until you are told otherwise and never touch or climb on overhanging ice. Take nothing from the cave, leave the drone at home and give others a turn at the best spots. One Vík guide asks every group for a few minutes of silence with phones away; it turns out to be the part many people describe afterwards. Taking photos in the cave.

1918Katla's last eruption to break the ice

~600 km²Mýrdalsjökull ice cap

180 kmReykjavík to Vík on Route 1

3 hoursA tour from Vík and back

Wondering whether Katla is the right cave at all, or whether to drive on to the crystal caves near Jökulsárlón? Our guide Katla or Vatnajökull: which ice cave? weighs the two.

Questions and answers

Frequently asked questions about Katla ice cave tours

Fourteen questions we hear again and again, with the full answer.

How much does a Katla ice cave tour cost?

The three tours on this page run from ~$188 per person with Arctic Adventures to ~$223 with Troll.is, for about three hours from Vík with the Super Jeep, guide and ice gear included. The same tour can cost more on the other booking site, and day trips from Reykjavík cost more again. Every price and extra is in our cost guide.

Which Katla ice cave tour is the best?

For most travelers, Troll.is: thirteen people at most, a half-hour walk up the glacier to the cave and a 4.7 rating on both sites from more than 2,700 reviews. With children aged six or seven, Katlatrack, rated 4.8 on Viator, or Arctic Adventures.

Is the Katla ice cave open in summer?

Yes. Katla is the ice cave you can visit all year, which is why it is so popular. The famous caves under Vatnajökull mostly open in the colder months only. In late summer the Katla cave can be smaller and wetter, because meltwater keeps reshaping it. The best time to go.

How long is a Katla ice cave tour from Vík?

About three hours from the meeting point and back. The Super Jeep ride takes 30 to 60 minutes each way, and you spend between half an hour and two hours on foot and in the cave, depending on the operator. Day trips from Reykjavík last 10 to 12 hours.

Can I visit the Katla ice cave without a guide?

No, and you should not try. The cave changes constantly, the ice can collapse, and the last part of the way is a rough track built for the Super Jeeps. Guides check the cave every day, bring crampons and helmets, and know where it is safe to stand.

How hard is the walk to the Katla ice cave?

Easy to moderate for anyone used to walking on uneven ground. Troll.is walks about half an hour each way on gravel and ice, Arctic Adventures about an hour in total, and the cheapest Vík tour only a few minutes. Crampons keep you steady on the ice. How hard is it?

How old do children have to be?

Six at Katlatrack and Arctic Adventures, and eight at Troll.is. Viator lists child rates for Katlatrack and Arctic Adventures. The jeep ride is bumpy and the cave dark and cold, so think about how your child copes with both. The cave with kids.

What should I wear in the Katla ice cave?

Waterproof jacket and trousers over warm layers, hiking boots with ankle support, gloves and a hat. It is around freezing in the cave and wet underfoot. Crampons and a helmet are provided on every tour. What to wear.

Can I do the Katla ice cave as a day trip from Reykjavík?

Yes. Troll.is, Arctic Adventures and Gravel Travel all run 10 to 12-hour day trips with hotel pickup, waterfall stops on the way and a Super Jeep from Vík. It is a long day, and you pay more for less time at the ice. Day trip or a night in Vík?

Where do the tours meet in Vík?

All on or just off the main road through the village. Troll.is meets in the lobby of the Vík Inn, Katlatrack at its base at Austurvegur 16, and Arctic Adventures in the bus parking behind the Icewear and Krónan building, on the sea side. The meeting points, one by one.

Is the Katla ice cave better than the Vatnajökull ice caves?

They are different. Katla has black ash running through the ice, is open all year and lies within a day of Reykjavík. The Vatnajökull caves near Jökulsárlón are often bluer and larger, but mostly winter-only and about two and a half hours farther east. Katla or Vatnajökull?

Is it safe to visit a cave on an active volcano?

With a guide, yes. The Icelandic Met Office watches Katla around the clock, and access is closed if the volcano shows unrest. The everyday risks are falling ice and slippery ground, which is what the helmets, crampons and daily checks are for.

Can I cancel a Katla ice cave tour for free?

Yes, all three tours cancel for free up to 24 hours before the start, and both GetYourGuide and Viator let you reserve now and pay later. Late cancellations and no-shows are charged in full.

What happens if the weather is bad?

Light rain and wind are normal, and tours go ahead in them. In a real storm the operator cancels or reschedules for safety, and you get a refund or a new date. Check the forecast and the road conditions before you drive to Vík.

Read before you travel

Guides to the Katla ice cave

Ten questions that keep coming up, each with the long answer instead of the short one.