The Katla ice cave with kids

Minimum ages, tour by tour

Each operator sets its own lower limit, and two numbers keep coming up, 6 and 8. The table covers every tour on this site, including the day trips from Reykjavík and a nearby glacier hike without a cave.

For a child of 6 or 7, Katlatrack and Arctic Adventures are the two main tours that say yes, and Southcoast Adventure also starts at 6. A Katlatrack reviewer who brought children of 6 and 9 said both of them did everything the adults did. Southcoast Adventure asks families with anyone younger to contact it first rather than book blind.

Child rates and the family bill

Viator lists child rates for Katlatrack, from ~$220, and for Arctic Adventures, from ~$188. On the other tours, check the total for every child before you pay, because a family of four adds up fast on any glacier tour.

Gravel Travel from Vík, from ~$177, is the cheapest Katla tour on this site, which tempts families. It is not for children under 8, though, and one family of four found a bill of about $780 steep for three hours. Groups run up to 19 on GetYourGuide (16 on Viator), with about 30 minutes in the cave. What a Katla ice cave tour costs adds up the family total on each tour.

The bumpy ride out

The Super Jeep is the part many children talk about afterwards, and it can also be the part that unsettles them. The last stretch to the glacier is a rough track, and Katlatrack says its tour is not for anyone with motion sickness or back problems. An Arctic Adventures reviewer described the jeep as anything but a gentle ride. A child who gets carsick does better near the front with a view out of the window, after a light snack rather than a big meal.

The drive takes about 30 minutes each way with Troll.is and about 40 with Katlatrack, so bring the car sickness remedy you already use at home, if any. A small toy or a game of spotting the mountain Hafursey through the window passes the time.

The walk and the crampons

The walk to the cave crosses gravel and black ash before you reach the ice, where everyone wears crampons. They strap over ordinary boots, and children soon learn to walk with their feet a little apart and to lift each foot clearly. The distance depends on the tour. Troll.is walks about 30 minutes each way across the glacier, and an Arctic Adventures reviewer counted about an hour of walking in total. Gravel Travel needs a walk of only 2–8 minutes, the gentlest of the lot for short legs. Our safety and fitness guide compares the walks in detail.

Small, dark spaces

Inside, the cave can be dim and low in places. Troll.is and Gravel Travel both say their tours are not for anyone with claustrophobia or a fear of the dark, and that applies to children as much as adults. Talk it through before the day, and show them photos while explaining that the real cave will look different and may be smaller. Ice caves change all the time, and recent reviewers mention a small cave and a collapsed entrance dome.

Katlatrack hands every guest a headlamp, which lets a nervous child point the light wherever they like. On other tours, a small headlamp from home does the same job, and a child who holds the light tends to feel in charge of the dark.

Packing for small explorers

Children cool down faster than adults when they stand still, and the cave is around freezing and wet. Pack for them with more care than for yourself.

• A warm base layer and a fleece. Wool or synthetic, never cotton next to the skin;
• Waterproof pants. Children end up kneeling or sitting on wet ice, and dry knees keep the mood up;
• A thin hat and two pairs of gloves. The hat must fit under a helmet, and the spare gloves replace a soaked pair;
• Boots they can walk in. Crampons need a firm boot, and new boots on the day can rub;
• Snacks and a drink. No tour includes food, and three hours is long for a hungry child.

Take everyone to the toilet before the jeep leaves, since the trip out and back is long for small bladders. What to wear in the Katla ice cave covers the adult kit.

Long day trips, or a glacier without a cave

The day trips from Reykjavík run 10–12 hours, which is hard on young children even when the age limit allows them. A night in Vík with a 3-hour tour the next morning is far gentler on a family. Choosing between a day trip and a night in Vík compares the plans for families, and getting to Vík and the meeting points explains where each jeep leaves from.

For a child who mainly wants ice and crampons, the Sólheimajökull glacier hike with Arctic Adventures, from ~$105, costs less and comes with an ice axe and a harness. The catch is that it has no ice cave and runs on a different glacier, about half an hour west of Vík. It is also not for children under 8. The best time for the Katla ice cave helps with the season, since long summer days make any family trip easier.