Iceland Ice Cave in Summer – Unique Tour close to Vik
The ice caves in Iceland are one of the most popular winter highlights. Unfortunately, most of the ice caves are not safe to visit during summer. This is especially the case for the so-called crystal ice caves in Vatnajökull National Park. There, the caves get flooded plus there is a high risk of collapsing ice when being in a cave during summer.
Therefore, we were really excited when we heard about a newly found ice cave close to Vik. This ice cave is possible to visit all year round and we simply had to have a look at it.
We had no idea what to expect but when we met our guide in Vik and saw the huge super jeep, we instantly got really excited. The 40-minute drive to the glacier was already a very special experience. We followed a very rough mountain road and the surrounding was simply amazing. We went through a black sand dessert surrounded by green shimmering mountains. It is a landscape, you normally do not see when only following the famous and most popular ring road around Iceland.
Helmets and ice crampons were provided and from the parking place, it took approximately a 20-minute walk, to reach the ice cave. The walk was pretty easy but there were a few streams we had to cross. Therefore, we highly recommend hiking shoes for this tour. We also suggest wearing waterproofs as you might get a bit wet and dirty (ash) in the cave. Also, gloves are a good idea since the ice is cold.
On our tour, we visited two different caves. They were quite unique with layers upon layers of ice and ashes, all carved in beautiful shapes. As you can see on the pictures, the ice in the caves is not blue, but black because of the high content of ash in it. The ash is from former eruptions from volcano Katla. When I read about it before, I was a bit skeptical but honestly, it does not take away anything from the experience.
In the end, our guide collected even some pure Icelandic water from a freshwater stream just out of the glacier that we could taste. We know the tour is not cheap, but all of us enjoyed this tour a lot. We saw already a lot of beautiful and unique places all around Iceland but we all agreed that this was a very special and unforgettable tour.
Do not miss the chance of visiting a natural ice cave in summer
When traveling on a self-drive tour, you can book the tour with departure from the center of Vik (Vik is the Southernmost village of Iceland). The meeting place is easy to find – just look out for a super-jeep on the parking lot next (or behind) the Iceland Wool shop (the big building that also contains a supermarket).
If you do not want to drive on your own, we recommend the guided day tour from Reykjavik. On this 11 hours trip, you will go by minibus to Vik. After the exciting ice cave tour by super jeep, you will also visit two very impressive waterfalls on the way back to Reykjavik. The first waterfall is Skógafoss, one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland, with a drop of 60 meters and a width of 25 meters. The second waterfall is Seljalandsfoss. Its cascading wall of water is best observed from behind, thanks to a path that provides a great photo opportunity.
Book your Summer Ice Cave Tour from Reykjavik
Christina Degener
Visited and posted in May 2018
