What to wear in the Katla ice cave
Inside the cave the air hovers around freezing and meltwater drips from the ceiling, while the walk up crosses open ground where the wind has nothing to stop it. Every operator lends you crampons and a helmet, so the rest of the kit is up to you. This guide covers the layers and boots that work, and what each tour hands out.
Two kinds of cold
A Katla ice cave tour packs two climates into three hours. Outside, the Super Jeep leaves you on dark ash at the foot of Kötlujökull, where wind coming off the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap sweeps across open sand with nothing to break it. Inside the cave the air is still but sits around freezing, and meltwater drips from the ceiling and runs across the floor. You warm up on the walk in, then cool down fast once you stand still to listen to the guide.
Vík itself is milder than most people expect and wetter than they hope. Summer highs reach around 12–14 °C (54–57 °F) and winter days hover around 0–3 °C (32–37 °F). Rain can turn up in any month. Up on the glacier the wind makes it feel colder than the village. Dress for the ice, not for the café where you check in. For the month-by-month picture, read our seasonal guide.
Layers that work on the ice
Several thin layers beat one thick coat, because you can open one up as the walk warms you and close everything again once you are in the cave. Troll.is and Arctic Adventures both ask guests to bring warm clothing and rain gear, and the Troll.is list on Viator names a waterproof jacket and waterproof pants. A sensible stack from the skin out looks like this.
- A thermal base layer. Wool or a synthetic top with leggings to match. Skip cotton, which stays cold once it is damp;
- A fleece or a light wool sweater. The warm middle, easy to stuff in a bag if the walk heats you up;
- An insulated jacket. Down or synthetic fill for winter departures and windy days. In summer a lighter one usually does;
- A waterproof shell and rain pants. The layer that matters most inside, where drips find your shoulders and wet ice finds your knees when you crouch for a photo.
Jeans are the usual mistake. They soak up meltwater and then stay cold for the whole ride back to Vík. Hiking pants with thermal leggings under them, plus rain pants on top when it is wet, travel far better.
Boots with ankle support
Footwear is the one item the operators are firm about. Troll.is asks for hiking boots with ankle support, because the crampons strap onto your boots and the path to the cave runs over gravel and uneven ice. If you did not pack any, its Viator listing offers rental boots at 1,750 krónur (roughly $13), so nobody has to buy a pair for one afternoon. Arctic Adventures and Gravel Travel ask for hiking shoes, and the Arctic Adventures day trip from Reykjavík rules out open-toed shoes. Light sneakers with mesh uppers let cold water in within minutes.
Wet feet are the complaint that comes up most in reviews. Meltwater pools at the entrance and across the cave floor. One reviewer of the Troll.is day trip recommends rubber boots, and another guest came back soaked to the ankles. Waterproof boots with wool socks solve most of it. A spare pair of socks in the day bag costs nothing and makes the drive back far more pleasant.
On the Troll.is day trip from Reykjavík, from ~$285, hiking boots are mandatory, and you can rent a pair at the cave if you have none. The catch is a 12-hour day, so whatever you wear at the first waterfall stays on your feet until you are back in the city, wet socks included. From Reykjavík: day trip or a night in Vík? sets that long day against driving down yourself.
Boots to rent, coffee afterwards
Troll.is keeps its Vík tour to 13 guests and puts crampons and a helmet on everyone, from ~$223. If your boots stayed at home you can rent a pair, and coffee with biscuits waits back in Vík to warm your hands.
A hat that fits under the helmet
Every operator hands you a helmet before the cave, so pick a thin wool or fleece beanie that sits underneath it rather than a thick one with a bobble on top. A buff or neck gaiter keeps the wind off on the walk and pulls up over your ears. Gloves matter more than people think, since you steady yourself on cold, wet ice and bare fingers go numb quickly. Thin liner gloves under waterproof ones let you peel off the outer pair to use a phone.
Southcoast Adventure is the one operator that includes gloves and headwear along with the helmets and crampons. Its 3-hour tour from Vík, from ~$271, helps anyone who flew in with a light bag. The catch is the group size of up to 28, and reviewers find the time in the cave and on the ice short. It is sold on GetYourGuide only.
What each tour hands out
Crampons and a helmet come with every Katla tour on this site. The rest varies, as the listings show.
| Tour from Vík | Included | Bring yourself |
|---|---|---|
| Troll.is | Crampons, helmet, glacier guide | Waterproof jacket and pants, hiking boots (or rent for 1,750 krónur), hat, gloves, snacks |
| Katlatrack | Helmet, headlamp, crampons | Clothing for the weather, food and drinks |
| Arctic Adventures | Crampons, helmet | Warm clothing, hiking shoes, rain gear |
| Gravel Travel | Helmet, crampons when needed | Hiking shoes |
| Southcoast Adventure | Helmet, crampons, gloves, headwear | Warm layers and sturdy boots |
Katlatrack is the only operator to list a headlamp. It frees both hands in the darker corners of the cave, and on the other tours the guide's light and your phone do the job. A small headlamp of your own weighs almost nothing if you like having one. Crampons strap over your own footwear, so all you need is a boot firm enough for them to grip.
The day bag
A small backpack leaves your hands free on the ice. No tour includes food, and Troll.is puts snacks on its bring list, so carry a bar or two with a bottle of water. Three hours sounds short, but with check-in and the jeep ride it is a long stretch since lunch, and the walk burns more than you expect in the cold.
Keep your phone in a zip-top plastic bag or a small dry bag between shots, because the drips inside land on everything. Cold drains batteries, so a phone in an inside pocket lasts longer than one in a hip belt. On a bright day the snow throws back a lot of glare, and sunglasses help on the walk even in winter, when the sun stays low. Photographing the Katla ice cave covers the camera side, and the Katla ice cave with kids lists the extras children need.
Before you leave the hotel
Get dressed before you walk to the meeting point, since check-in moves quickly. Troll.is asks guests to arrive 20 minutes early and Katlatrack 15 minutes, while Gravel Travel warns that its tours leave promptly. The exact addresses are in our guide to the meeting points. Visit the bathroom before you board, then save the warm jacket for the glacier rather than sweating in it on the drive. How hard the walk to the cave is compares the effort on each tour.