What a Katla ice cave tour costs
Look past the number on the listing and ask what it buys. The three Katla ice cave tours we compare from Vík cost ~$188–223 per person, and seven more in these guides stretch from ~$105 for a glacier hike with no cave to ~$292 for a 4-hour extended tour. The prices sit close together, while the time you spend at the ice does not.
Ten tours in one table
Each row shows the regular "from" price per adult on the cheaper of the two booking sites. The first three are the tours on our home page, the other seven extras from these guides, and prices shift a little with the date.
| Tour | From | Length | At the cave or on the ice | Group | Starts at | Min. age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troll.is from Vík (our pick) | ~$223 | 3 h | About 1 h at the cave, plus the glacier walk | Up to 13 | Vík Inn, Víkurbraut 26 | 8 |
| Katlatrack FastTrack | ~$220 | 3 h | About 1 h at the cave with the briefing | Up to 24 | Austurvegur 16, Vík | 6 |
| Arctic Adventures from Vík | ~$188 | 3 h | 20–30 min around the cave (a reviewer) | Up to 14 | Icewear / Krónan bus parking, Vík | 6 |
| Gravel Travel from Vík | ~$177 | 3 h | About 30 min in the cave | 16 (Viator) or 19 (GetYourGuide) | Ice Cave Bistro, Austurvegur 20 | 8 |
| Troll.is from Reykjavík | ~$285 | 12 h | A 3-hour block with the jeep ride | Up to 18 | Central Reykjavík | 8 |
| Arctic Adventures from Reykjavík | ~$279 | 12 h | About 2.5 h on the glacier with the cave | Up to 14 listed | 27 pickup points in Reykjavík | 6 |
| Gravel Travel from Reykjavík | ~$268 | 10 h | About 30 min in the cave | Up to 16 | Pickup in Reykjavík | 8 |
| Troll.is extended tour | ~$292 | 4 h | A longer glacier hike before the cave | Up to 14 | Víkurbraut 26, Vík | Not listed |
| Southcoast Adventure | ~$271 | 3 h | Short, say reviewers | Up to 28 | Ice Cave Bistro, Austurvegur 20 | 6 |
| Sólheimajökull glacier hike | ~$105 | 4 h | A glacier hike, no ice cave | Up to 15 | Sólheimajökull car park | 8 |
Every one of the ten cancels free until a day ahead, with pay-later booking on both sites.
The three main tours, line by line
Troll.is from Vík, from ~$223, is our pick and, by a few dollars, the dearest of the three. The money buys a group of 13 at most and the longest stretch at the ice. About 30 minutes of Super Jeep lead to a half-hour walk across the glacier and roughly an hour at the cave, safety briefing included, before the same way back. Its value score on GetYourGuide is 4.3. The catch is footwear. If your shoes lack ankle support you rent boots for 1,750 krónur (roughly $13), according to the Viator listing.
Katlatrack's FastTrack tour, from ~$220, costs almost the same. The jeep crosses black sand and glacial rivers for about 40 minutes each way, leaving an hour at the cave with the briefing, and a headlamp comes with the helmet. Its 4.8 from 855 Viator reviews tops the three, though only 29 people have rated it on GetYourGuide. The catch is a group that can reach 24, and a few reviewers who call the price steep for a small cave while praising the walk to it.
Arctic Adventures from Vík, from ~$188, is the cheapest of the three on GetYourGuide. A Super Jeep takes you across Mýrdalssandur to a beginner-friendly glacier walk, in a group of up to 14 with crampons and a helmet provided. One reviewer timed about an hour of walking in all and 20–30 minutes around a cave smaller than they had pictured. It holds 4.6 from 2,631 GetYourGuide reviews, and the usual wish is more time inside.
One tour, two prices
The two booking sites often sell the same trip for different amounts, and the gap can cover a lunch in Vík. These are the figures we found when we compared them.
- Troll.is from Vík. ~$223 on Viator against about $268 on GetYourGuide;
- Katlatrack. ~$220 on Viator against about $250 on GetYourGuide;
- Arctic Adventures from Vík. ~$188 on GetYourGuide against about $225 on Viator;
- Gravel Travel from Vík. ~$177 on GetYourGuide against about $181 on Viator;
- Troll.is from Reykjavík. ~$285 on GetYourGuide against about $303 on Viator;
- Troll.is extended. ~$292 on GetYourGuide against about $297 on Viator.
Viator came out cheaper for the Troll.is and Katlatrack 3-hour tours, GetYourGuide for everything else. Check both for your date, since the order can flip.
The most time at the ice for the money
Troll.is keeps its groups to 13 and gives you about an hour at the cave between two glacier walks, from ~$223 on Viator. Coffee and biscuits follow at the Vík Inn, and you can cancel free until 24 hours before.
What the listing price leaves out
- Food and drink. No tour here includes a meal. Troll.is serves coffee and biscuits afterwards, and reviewers mention hot chocolate and cookies before the start, but bring your own snack for the glacier;
- Boots. Troll.is rents hiking boots for 1,750 krónur, and the Sólheimajökull hike charges 1,500 krónur for its pair. Our guide to what to wear in the Katla ice cave helps you decide whether your own shoes will do;
- Getting to Vík. The 3-hour tours start in the village, so driving from Reykjavík adds fuel for about 360 km (220 miles) there and back, plus a rental car if you do not already have one;
- A night in Vík. Optional, but 5 hours on the road around a 3-hour tour makes a long winter day;
- A tip. Not expected in Iceland, though a guide who made your day will appreciate one.
Price against minutes at the ice
Set each price against the minutes you spend at the glacier and the order shifts. Gravel Travel from Vík, from ~$177, is the cheapest cave tour we list, and its listing says the cave is its own, not shared with other operators. Its catch is the clock and the crowd, with about 30 minutes in the cave after an hour's drive each way, in groups of up to 16 on Viator or 19 on GetYourGuide. Its value score of 4.0 is the lowest of the lot, and one reviewer rode in a regular vehicle instead of a Super Jeep.
Arctic Adventures costs only a little more and gives a similar 20–30 minutes around the cave, with an hour of glacier walking on top. Troll.is and Katlatrack each set aside an hour-long block for the cave and the briefing, so a few dozen dollars more than Gravel Travel buys about twice the time at the ice.
A family of four
A Gravel Travel reviewer paid about $780 for two adults and two children, and felt the value fell short of the quality. Ages change the sum. Troll.is and Gravel Travel take no one under 8, while Katlatrack and Arctic Adventures accept children from 6 and show child rates on Viator, which brings a family's bill below four adult fares. The Katla ice cave with kids has the age rules tour by tour.
From Reykjavík the bill grows quickly. Arctic Adventures' Katla and South Coast day, from ~$279, collects you in the capital and adds two waterfalls, but its catch is a 12-hour day that some guests find rushed, with food not included. A family with a car can spend less by driving to Vík for a 3-hour tour.
Driving yourself, and booking
For one traveler without a car, a day trip is the simplest purchase, since it costs only somewhat more than a Vík tour and the transport comes with it. Two or more people sharing a rental car usually pay less by driving to Vík. Day trip or a night in Vík compares the two plans, and getting to Vík and the meeting points shows where each tour starts.
Free cancellation and pay-later booking let you hold a seat while the Icelandic weather makes up its mind. Book early for summer, because Viator shows Troll.is booked on average about 68 days ahead; the best time for the Katla ice cave covers the seasons, and Katla or Vatnajökull weighs this cave against the ice caves farther east.