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The Crystal Ice Cave - Ice Caving Tour - GG20

Glacial blue ice in Vatnajokull Glacier - South East Iceland

Blue ice and crystal caves, are you ready for this ice caving adventure? We pick you up at Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon and we go to Iceland's largest glacier and explore it from the the inside. Walking around the ice cave is a once in a lifetime experience, be sure not to miss it.

crystal ice cave iceland ice cave iceland photo ice cave iceland ice cave formations

Duration: 2-3 hours

Pick-up: 15 minutes before departure

Group maximum: 16 persons

Available: Nov - Apr

Age limit: 6 years

Difficulty: Easy

Tour Highlights:
  • Naturally formed glacier ice cave
  • Vatnajokull - largest glacier in Europe
  • Super truck ride to the glacier

Pick-up location:

By the Icelagoon Café at Jokulsarlon Lagoon (click for a map). South East Iceland.

Included:

  • Guided tour in English
  • All ice caving equipment
  • Super Jeep Ride

Bring with you:

Warm waterproof clothes, sturdy shoes. A camera is also a good idea.

Please note:

It's strongly recommended that travelers accommodate near the Jökulsárlón. Driving in the winter from Reykjavik all the way to the lagoon, in one stretch, can be hazardous, and it pressures the driver to speed up in order to be on time. The drive from Reykjavik takes around 5 hours.

Photo gallery: The Ice Queen tour

Please select the type of request, and then fill out the rest of the fields.

from:
19 990 per adult

Children (6-16): 15 993

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Reviews on TripAdvisor

5

"Simply incredible. Collected from the café at Jokulsarlon at about 9:15am and I guess no more than 20 to 30mins to the glacier. At the time I went it was an easy 10 minute walk to the ice cave. We had loads of time to explore and the guide was very helpful. We were treated to a walk up to the edge of the glacier and there were incredible opportunities for photo's. If you go to Iceland you MUST do this tour."

More on tripadvisor

The Ice Caving Tour

blue ice cave iceland

Blue ice and crystal ice cave

This tour starts from the Glacier Lagoon Jökulsárlón, where you will be picked up by your tour guide, and he'll collect your voucher. He will drive the passengers in a super jeep closer to the glacier, where the hike starts.

We will stay inside the ice cave up to 45 minutes. You'll be thankful you've brought very warm winter clothing. You'll be wearing a helmet, so your winter hat should not be too bulky, as it needs to fit under the helmet.

After this blue ice experience, we head back to the location where you were picked up, hoping that this tour will bring you memories that you treasure for a long time.

Why only in winter? ...

crevasses ice cave iceland

You might encounter magnificent glacier crevasses

It's not always safe to enter ice caves in spring or summer, the season when the ice begins to melt and glaciers move faster. Ice caves or part of them can collapse during that time. New caves are found in the beginning of autumn. The only exception to this is the Katla Ice Cave, which we can visit all year.

What makes Ice Caves blue?

The color and transparency of the ice caves has everything to do with time, pressure, and secrecy. The weather and sun with its damaging ultra violet rays transforms the outer surface of glacial ice into whitish ice.

ice cave surroundings

The landscape on the way is breathtaking

As the glacier travels and winds its way down the slopes of mountain ridges, the air bubbles trapped in the ice are squeezed out, and the size of the ice crystals increases, making it clear. The real beauty of the centuries old compressed ice of a glacier lies underneath the damaged outer surface.

This intense blue color can be seen for example in ice caves and on floating icebergs that reveal their lower side when they have recently rolled over or split in two.

Your expectations ...

hiking shoes iceland

Sturdy shoes are required. Shoes can also be rented when booking online

Your tour guide is a highly qualified mountain guide expert, and ice cave expert. It's in his hands to decide each time which cave is best to visit depending on weather conditions and other issues.

New caves are searched for and discovered each autumn, to be visited in the winter. They are normally found in various different locations on the south side of glacier Vatnajokull and its outlets.

Sometimes the caves are very special, sometimes not as special, but become very special in the right light and conditions. Some caves we find are very stable and we can go in there in any weather, but others are less safe and we might not even go there at all, even if they are very beautiful.

Some of the caves are only accessible in temperatures below zero, such as when there is water on the ground that needs to be frozen all over in order for us to walk into the cave.

Read customer reviews

The Crystal Ice Cave - Rated 4.7/5 based on 43 customer reviews

Great Tour!

5 by David April 6, 2019
The crystal ice cave tour is absolutely incredible. It is such a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You walk in to this cave and you're just awed by it. The ice cave is where I got the best pictures of my trip. The tour guide was amazing. He was knowledgeable, funny and overall a very cool guy. The only comment that I have is that I felt rushed through the cave. The cool part was that there was only one other tour group there, so we basically had the whole cave to ourselves. It was very cool. Overall, an amazing experience - one that I will certainly never forget.

Spectacular tour

5 by Tanya Winter April 4, 2019
The ice caves were incredible and our tour guide was great - even told us how to take the best photos and helped the kids out

Really cool experience!

5 by Tim April 3, 2019
The ice cave tour was worth every penny. Our guide was very knowledgeable and very friendly. We went at the end of March so still winter time in Iceland. It was raining/snowing and was very windy (waterproof jacket is a must). The cave itself had shallow streams running through it so proper mid-or hi waterproof hiking boots were a must (plus the provided crampons). This is something that you need to experience in person. Pictures do not do it justice.

Magical!

5 by Zoe April 1, 2019
We did the Ice Cave Tour and it was just absolutely beautiful. All safety procedures were taken, and the guide was amazing. He told us a lot of information, had a good sense of humour and allowed time for photos/questions etc. The cave itself is truly magical and so interesting. Would highly recommend to anyone :)

Luxury Experience of a lifetime

5 by William March 31, 2019
Our tour guide was personable and entertaining. He was more than happy to help us make the most of the ice cave tour. We rode in a monster Mercedes van which was very comfortable unless you're tall and forced to fit in the very back. My friend who can't fall asleep during car rides was sound asleep. The cave is dangerous but our tour guide ensured we would be safe. Plus there was plenty of background feedback on the landscapes history.

Amazing Tour

5 by Antonio Ballester March 26, 2019
Highly recommended. Everything as expected, and our guide made the tour even more interesting with some extra information about glaciers and Iceland. Thank you. We definitely will repeat next time we are in Iceland!

Amazing Tour. A Must Do!

5 by David March 18, 2019
The Ice Cave Tour is a must add to your list of things to do in Iceland. Seeing the caves in person is unlike anything else. Worth every penny!

Nice tour

4 by Bas March 18, 2019
Very nice tour, very friendly and funny guide, you have all the time you need!

Awesome tour

5 by Aaron March 18, 2019
While the tour was expensive, it was great. We had a tour guide that was fun and energetic. He was full of knowledge and made the tour great. Would absolutely use this company again.

Amazing experience!

5 by Abby Underwood March 16, 2019
If you want to experience walking on top of a moving glacier and then go under it into a very cool ice cave, I can recommend this tour! We also explored a beautiful blue crevasse. Our tour guide, Andrew is passionate about all things glacier-related and was a wealth of knowledge and answered all my questions. He even made good recommendations for other things to do and see in Iceland. Getting to/from the glacier in a super jeep was also an interesting and fun experience. Ours was the last tour of the day and the weather turned gorgeous just in time to get some breathtaking views out on the glacier! Everyone needs to do this at least once in a lifetime! Thanks so much!

Ask to see blue ice

4 by Kim Fisher March 16, 2019
Tour was great but by the end it was obvious that everyone was a little disappointed with the cave we saw had little or no blue ice. (They really can't guarantee blue ice as the caves change year to year, and some are bluer than others.) That being said, and it being the last tour of the day, our guide very kindly took us to a part of the glacier that was brilliantly blue! Other tour operators were already there and it was so magnificent we had to wonder why this was not originally thought to be included on our tour. Everyone had a GREAT time there such that they had to drag us away! If it's blue ice that you are after, I would suggest that you request that from the start.

First Tour Experience

4 by Jonathan Vega March 11, 2019
The overall experience was pleasant, though I had hoped we'd tour more than one ice cave. The tour guide was informative, though it was hard to understand what he said due to the accent. Nonetheless he was very helpful and answered any questions we had.

Amazing tour!

5 by Isuf Abazi March 10, 2019
Amazing tour that lasted long enough to justify the money spent. We rode the super jeep quite high up the glacier and then had a very short hike to the ice cave, so you got to experience a bit of everything. The only thing that would make it better is to let us know the different options of caves that we will be visiting (I understand that it’s weather dependent, but it would be nice to know that you will either visit ‘Cave A’ or ‘Cave B’ depending on the weather.

Ice Cave

4 by RAJESH KHATRI March 1, 2019
The place is good. It would have been great if managed to spot some more blue spot in the cave.

Great time

5 by Hajar February 5, 2018
Really great day, wished it was longer, but our guide was great and the staff were really friendly. Still wish we had seen a little more and stayed inside the glacier a little longer. thanks to all the team for being so friendly and showing us a great time.

Cave Tour on a Snowy Day

4 by JMB February 4, 2019
We had a great experience. Our tour guide was fantastic and even though the weather was a bit intense the tour went off without a hitch. Would recommend Arctic Adventure/Extreme Iceland to anyone wanting a solid experience.

Beautiful Caves, can be run better

3 by Evin February 23, 2019
"It started off well, and it was informative during the drive to the glaciers. However, we only spend 15 Mins inside the caves (which was the main highlight) and we couldn’t take enough photos as the guide with the lights was not very enthusiastic to assist. We took a quick look around the caves but was rushed and thus, couldn’t appreciate it enough. Simply more time in there would be perfect."

Outstanding Adventure

5 by James February 23, 2018
One of the best tours / experiences. Its a must see and the guides are outstanding.

Ice Cave Tour

5 by Melissa February 23, 2018
Traveling with kids so we opted for the short tour which was great. We loved the ride out to the glacier and exploring the cave. Our guide Bee was fantastic. We look forward to coming back one day to do a longer tour!

Hello From Michael

5 by Michael February 22, 2018
Good day to you all. Thank you so much for this amazing experience with you guys. It was great to meet you Steve, Mike and Bee( not sure about the spelling) Iceland is just awesome and you are very lucky to be there ( a little bit too expensive though) Have a wonderful day and hopefully to see you again one day. Kind regards Michael and Lucja

Ice Cave Tour

5 by Petr February 22, 2018
The whole Ice Cave tour was an enjoyable experience, all of the tour guides were very pleasant and helpful. We had a great time.

Ice Cave

5 by Sophy February 21, 2019
The ice cave was amazing and the guide was lovely. Only thing that was a little dissappointing was the cave looked more black than blue. That is no fault of extreme iceland just due to the time of day and the amount of sunlight. Other than that the tour was magical.

Crystal Ice Cave

5 by Paolo February 20, 2019
Crystal Ice Cave Tour and Glacier was an amazing experience in one of most beautiful location I ever been. Guides really friendly and professional drove us to fully enjoy this adventure. Thanks a lot and continue in this way. Ciao!

Awesome Experience!

5 by Kevin F. February 19, 2019
Our guide Palli was great and really went there extra mile to make the experience enjoyable and memorable.

Amazing tour at crystal Ice cave!

5 by Noelle February 18, 2019
Had an amazing day, great your guide. Amazing tour! Worth the money for sure!!! Would definitely recommend. One of the best experiences I had!

Great experience

5 by Angel Maldonado February 12, 2019
Really great experience, the driver(guide) it was very communicate and explain everything.

GREAT GUIDE AND TOUR

4 by KEE TWUAN TEE December 29, 2018
"This was a great ride with the super jeep and the “rock and roll” thrill ride and the guide was awesome. We had the lava cave and another crevass that is amazingly blue. The only setback was that we were supposed to go into a Blue Cave (that has enough light at the opening) to be dazzled by the Blue Cave. Not sure why we had the changes but it was still amazing!!!"

Best experience in Iceland

5 by Carlos Sadovnik December 2, 2018
We had a great time with our tour guide (Ziggy), pretty sure I got his name mispelled. He was really nice and we were extremely lucky with the weather. Will do it again without hesitation! Is worth every penny invested in!!!

Highly Recommend...

5 by Johnny Iceland December 2, 2018
"I've travelled a respectable 40 or so countries and Iceland is now among my favorites. Such a naturally beautiful country with friendly people and a visit to Iceland wouldn't be complete without a glacier tour...and Extreme Iceland is a wonderful provider...with friendly, knowledgable, and punctual guides and staff and an efficient, easy website for booking. I'm working on driving most of the coastlines of the world and a south coast drive from Reykjavik to Hofn is among the prettiest. Make sure you drive yourself because you'll be wanting to stop to enjoy something beautiful every 15 minutes... Enjoy! - Johnny Iceland"

Amazing blue cave exploration

4 by Wendy Kwok December 13, 2018
"The blue cave was so amazing even not as big as anticipated. According to the description on web, we can expect staying inside the blue cave at least for about 30 min, having time enough for appreciating the amazing ice in depth. But we were only allowed to stay inside for a very very short time, just after taking a few photos, the guide immediately urged us to leave as the next tour was waiting outside. Before we entered the cave, we also need to await the prior tour leaving first. So, u can imagine how limited time we had in the cave. However, the super jeep ride was great. The black cave was lovely. We prefer being allocated more time in blue cave to the black one. Overall, it was a great exploration."

ice cave

5 by olivier December 12, 2018
"real nice tout with a lot of good information, the caves were nice and the way to get there really fun. Really nice tour not to many people so real good expericence and even better when we saw the big big group coming, happy to have choose extreme ! ps : the guide was super nice and interesting and proffessionel but maybe he has to strong accent for foreigners ;-)"

Good Service

4 by ML13140 November 26, 2019
"I am very grateful to the tour guide for taking care of my mum and my mum this year already 60+ years old. Without the careful care of the tour guide, I believe that my mum is not able enjoy it. Thanks for the caring!"

Great tour through a black ice cave and a beautiful blue crevice

5 by Ryan November 22, 2018
As the main crystal cave has been out of action for a few years due to flooding, our guide took us to two sites - a grey/black and dark blue ice cave and a large crevice which was a brilliant bright blue. The drive in the super-jeep 4x4 was enjoyable as well, our driver had no troubles getting us over the big hills and glaciers. We felt that the price was very reasonable for the 2.5hrs tour, and as we took the 9:30am tour it was a great start to the day to get us energized. I never got our guides name but he was very informative but also more importantly, very patient and allowed all of us to get the most out of the cave and crevice by looking around and getting enough pictures. I highly recommend anyone to take this tour if you have 3 hours to spare and are in the Jokulsarlon/Hofn area.

Awesome on many levels

5 by Maridee Bell November 19, 2018
"I'm always a bit skeptical of organized tours fearing that they will be hokey. This was not the case with the Ice Cave Tour. We went to two different ice caves learning a lot about how they are formed and also a lot of information about the glacier itself. More surprising was the ride up to the ice caves. It was an interesting and exciting art of the tour and worth the addition price in and of itself. Spend the money on this tour - you will really get great value for it."

Amazing experience

4 by Patricia Fdez November 18, 2018
We decided at the very last moment to book an ice cave tour and all the good reviews we saw about this company were the responsibles of booking with them. Our experience was really nice and our tour guide was amazing (Thorstein, or Thor as he was calling himself hahahaha). If we go back again we'll probably repeat the experience with them. Highly recommended!

Ice Cave Tour

5 by Shauna Redmond November 17, 2018
Nico, Daniel and the driver were absolutely brilliant. The driver was very funny and interactive with everyone and both tour guides were very informative and friendly. There was even a secret added extra included. Would highly recommend this tour.

Crystal Ice Cave Tour

5 by Laura Baker November 13, 2018
My friends and I took the Crystal Ice Cave tour on November 6. We had Andrew as a tour guide. He was amazing! I enjoyed the small tour group size. We ended up going to three different caves. The tour was approximately 3 hours. I would highly recommend Artic Adventures!

Ice cave tour

5 by Tom January 8, 2019
Vicky was our tour guide, she was friendly and knowledgeable. The drive to the glacier was not as rough as I thought it would be, this might be due to the careful and delicate driving done by Vicky. Overall a great trip and I would highly recommend it. We were able to see an ice cave and a crevasse on our trip.

Once in a lifetime experience

5 by Kathleen K January 29, 2019
Our guide, Thor, was from Southern Iceland and knew the area intimately. He took us to an additional open air cave that was spectacular. He also had many fun and interesting stories about life in rural Iceland.

Awesome

5 by DiBiasie Family January 27, 2019
All tour guides were great. They had so much knowledge about the glaciers and ice caves. VERY GOOD!!

Everything is super !!!

5 by Victor January 17, 2019
Magnificent glacier tour with Extreme Iceland team. Liked everything. We felt safe and enjoyed.

Amazing ice caving tour

5 by Anna January 16, 2019
We were so glad we booked the ice caving tour. This ended up being the highlight of our trip ! We felt very safe with our tour guide and we got to spend a lot of time in the caves. The drive out on the glacier was insane ! Highly recommend.

Crystal Ice Cave Tour

4 by ND Merritt January 16, 2019
The cave was great... but not the blue ice that I was hoping. Of course, I don't fault the tour company - they don't have that control over Mother Nature. But they included a wonderful crevasse further up the glacier that showed the brilliant blue I had hoped to see. The tour guide was informative and amiable. I will certainly use Extreme Iceland for future tours when I return to Iceland - which I can't wait to do.
All reviews displayed on our site are collected from customers via our post-tour review system.
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Disclaimer: Please note that ice caves are an ever changing natural phenomenon and, therefore, unpredictable. We will visit one ice cave during the tour and the choice of a cave is based on conditions and safety.
Please note: There is no guarantee that our group will be alone in the cave, as the same cave is used by more tour operators. If you are looking for a more exclusive experience we recommend the Inside Vatnajokull Glacier tour.

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