A natural ice cave at the edge of Mýrdalsjökull, in the glacier that covers the Katla
volcano. Ride a super jeep across black volcanic sands, strap on crampons and walk into blue ice striped with
the ash of past eruptions.
The cave as it really isSize, ash and season, without the filters
Real guest ratingsLive GetYourGuide figures
Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, on every tour here
Reserve now, pay laterMobile ticket on GetYourGuide
Tours
Choose your Katla ice cave tour
All three leave from Vík and take about three hours. The most booked tour is in the centre;
beside it, the cheapest small-group trip and the best rated, which ends with coffee at the Vík Inn.
The cheapest way into the Katla ice cave: a 4x4 ride into the highlands and a walk of just a few minutes to a cave the operator keeps for its own small groups.
What's included
4x4 super jeep to the glacier and back from Vík
Local guide for the Katla glacier
Helmet and crampons when required
Meet at Austurvegur 20 in Vík, behind the Icewear shop
Not suitable under age 8, with heart problems or a fear of the dark
A high-clearance super jeep across the black sands to the Katla glacier, then crampons on and into the ash-striped ice. The most booked tour, with seven departures a day.
What's included
Round-trip super jeep from Vík across Mýrdalssandur
Guided glacier walk and visit to the Katla ice cave
Crampons and helmet
Vík departures at 8:30, 10:00, 11:30, 13:45 and 16:30, plus cheaper 12:00 and 15:00 slots
Not included: food and drinks; not suitable under age 6
A jeep ride through Katla Geopark past Mount Hafursey, a guided walk on Mýrdalsjökull and the ice cave, then coffee and biscuits back at the Vík Inn. The best rated of the three.
What's included
Scenic super jeep ride through Katla Geopark
Expert glacier guide and glacier walk to the ice cave
All ice cave equipment: crampons and helmet
Complimentary coffee and biscuits at the Vík Inn afterwards
Every tour visits a natural cave at the snout of Kötlujökull. What changes is the price, the
group size, how long you spend on the ice, the minimum age, and whether you start in Vík or Reykjavík.
Minimum ages: 6 with Arctic Adventures, Katlatrack and Southcoast Adventure; 8 with Gravel
Travel and Tröll Expeditions. Every tour here cancels free up to 24 hours ahead.
Where the cave really is
Not inside the volcano: at the edge of its glacier.
Katla is one of Iceland's most powerful volcanoes, but you never see it. Its caldera, about 10 km across,
lies under 200 to 700 metres of ice on the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap. The ice cave sits far below, at the
snout of Kötlujökull, one of the glacier tongues that flow down toward the black sands east of Vík.
What makes it special is the colour: blue glacier ice banded with black ash from past eruptions,
frozen in layer by layer. It is usually smaller and darker than the famous sapphire caves of Vatnajökull, and
it changes from week to week, so no two tours see quite the same cave. In return it is open all year, an
hour from Vík, and the ride there across the sands is half the fun.
1918
Katla's last confirmed eruption, which lasted 24 days. The
volcano is closely monitored, and tours stop if it stirs.
Getting to Vík, ages and fitness, the rules and what to wear: one tab each.
Vík tours start in the village; Vík is about 2.5 hours' drive from Reykjavík on paved Route 1.
Meeting points are in the centre: Austurvegur 16 and 20, or the Vík Inn at Víkurbraut 26, depending on the operator.
No car? Book a Reykjavík day tour with pickup, waterfall stops and the cave (10 to 12 hours).
Arrive 15 minutes early: departures leave on time and the drive to the glacier is part of the slot.
Minimum age 6 with Arctic Adventures, Katlatrack and Southcoast Adventure; 8 with Gravel Travel and Tröll.
No experience needed: guests report a beginner-friendly walk, with crampons doing the hard work.
Not suitable for wheelchair users, people with limited mobility, or serious heart conditions.
Not recommended if you are claustrophobic or afraid of the dark.
The cave changes week to week; the photos you see online are not real-time.
Each operator visits its own cave or route; Gravel Travel keeps its cave for its own guests.
The super jeep ride is bumpy: take motion sickness tablets if you need them.
Drones are not allowed on the FastTrack tour; Katlatrack runs a separate drone tour from Vík.
Waterproof jacket and trousers over warm layers.
Hiking boots with ankle support (crampons fit over them).
Gloves and a warm hat, even in summer.
A phone or camera that copes with low light.
Snacks and water; most Vík tours do not include food.
IncludedSuper jeepA high-clearance 4x4 from Vík across the sands and glacial rivers.
IncludedCrampons & helmetFitted at the glacier edge after a safety briefing.
IncludedA glacier guidePicks the safest cave of the day and explains the ash layers.
Tröll onlyCoffee afterCoffee and biscuits at the Vík Inn when you get back.
Extended tourGlacier canyonsAn extra hour for canyons and hidden waterfalls on the ice.
Not includedFoodEat in Vík before or after; bring a snack for the ride.
Where tours start
Meeting in Vík
Vík í Mýrdal
Austurvegur and Víkurbraut, 870 Vík, Iceland
Every Vík tour meets in the village centre, a few minutes' walk apart: Gravel Travel and Southcoast
Adventure at Austurvegur 20, Katlatrack at Austurvegur 16, and Tröll Expeditions at the Vík Inn on
Víkurbraut 26. Your voucher names the exact spot. The super jeep does the rest:
you cannot drive to the cave yourself.
About 2.5 hours from Reykjavík on Route 1
Shops, cafés and fuel in Vík
Reykjavík day tours pick up in the capital instead
4.6★★★★★ 2,605 reviews · Katla Ice Cave & Super Jeep from Vík live GetYourGuide figure
★★★★★
This was the high point of our Iceland trip! The hike up the glacier was challenging. I had never hiked on ice before. The shoe spikes provided helped tremendously. The ice caves were beautiful and we had plenty of opportunities for photo ops.
★★★★★
Since it was July, I was expecting to only see the entrance to the Katla ice cave, but we were luckily able to go deeper in to two separate tunnels as well!
★★★★★
This is absolutely a worthwhile tour! The glacier is otherworldly and unlike anything I've ever experienced. Being afraid of heights, I was a little concerned but there was no issue with that.
★★★★★
Our guide was excellent, and very knowledgable. I learned a lot more than I thought I would! The glacier and the cave were beautiful, and the scenery on the way is absolutely stunning. Well worth the trip out.
★★★★★
Helgi (our tour guide) is so awesome and made the tour so fun! The rest of the tour was fantastic too! Be warned that the super jeep is not a gentle ride whatsoever, however still fun.
★★★★★
I was hesitant because I needed 4 tickets for our family and it was expensive. What a great experience. Did it with 6 and 9 year old children and they were able to enjoy and do everything also.
★★★★★
Ebi was a super competent and funny tour guide. During the ride to and from the ice caves, she told us lots of interesting information about the formation of glaciers, what happens to the water when the glaciers melt and even folklore around Katla.
★★★★★
The 4x4 drive down was nice in that big truck. The scenery to the cave was beautiful. The hike up to the cave had a small incline but totally manageable, especially with the crampons.
★★★★★
Even though the weather was not perfect and it was foggy, we enjoyed the visit of the Katla ice cave a lot. Our guide shared with us a lot of interesting facts about the cave and the glacier.
Prefer to hike?
Walk the glacier instead
No cave and no long jeep ride: a few hours on the blue ridges of the same ice cap, with an ice axe
in hand, for a lot less money.
Sólheimajökull Blue Ice Glacier Hike near Vík
★ 4.7 · 1,486 reviews · 4 hours
If you want more time on the ice and less in a jeep, hike Sólheimajökull instead: another tongue of the same Mýrdalsjökull ice cap, with crevasses, blue ridges and the same black ash layers. A certified guide fits you with crampons, an ice axe, a helmet and a harness for a walk of about 6 km, for well under the price of a cave tour.
The Katla ice cave is the easiest natural ice cave to reach in Iceland, and the only one most
people can visit in summer. Here is what it is, what it is not, how the tours differ, and how to get the best
out of three hours on the ice.
What the Katla ice cave is, and what it isn't
The cave is a natural tunnel melted into the snout of Kötlujökull, an outlet glacier that spills off the
southern edge of Mýrdalsjökull, Iceland's fourth largest glacier. Meltwater and warm air carve it out, and it
shifts every season, sometimes every week: on one tour it is an arch, on another a winding tunnel. The ice is
striped with black ash from Katla's eruptions, laid down over centuries and folded as the glacier flows. It is
not inside the volcano, which sits under hundreds of metres of ice up on the ice cap, and it is not the
bright sapphire cave you see on postcards. Those are in Vatnajökull, in winter.
Ash from centuries of eruptions, frozen in layers inside the ice.
What the tours really cost, and what the extra buys
From Vík, a three-hour tour costs from $177 with Gravel Travel to $189 with Arctic Adventures, and from $250
to $292 with Katlatrack, Tröll Expeditions and Southcoast Adventure. Every one includes the super jeep, a
guide, crampons and a helmet. The higher prices buy smaller groups, a longer glacier walk, coffee afterwards,
extra tunnels or, on Tröll's extended tour, an additional hour among glacier canyons. The cave itself is
the same kind of cave. From Reykjavík, day tours cost $268 to $279 but take 10 to 12 hours, five of them on
the road, for the same time in the ice.
The honest small print: guests regularly describe the cave as small, and one five-star
reviewer called it "the least impressive" part of a day that won them over with the route and the scenery. Go for the
whole adventure: the super jeep, the black desert, the walk on the ice and the ash in the walls. If a big,
glowing blue cave is the goal, plan a winter trip to Vatnajökull instead.
Which tour should you pick?
For a first visit, the Arctic Adventures tour is the safe choice: the most reviews, seven departures a
day and children from 6. On a budget, Gravel Travel is the cheapest and has the shortest walk, to a cave
it keeps for its own groups. If you want more time on the glacier and a better-rated guide team, Tröll
Expeditions costs more and ends with coffee in Vík. Without a car, take a Reykjavík day tour, or better,
rent a car, sleep in Vík and book any of the three.
Glacial rivers and black sand: the reason tours use super jeeps.
Making the most of it
Book an early or late departure for smaller crowds, wear proper boots and waterproofs, and bring gloves even
in July. Take motion sickness tablets if bumpy rides bother you. Inside the cave, the light is dim and blue:
lower your phone's exposure and hold it steady. Then spend the rest of the day on the coast, at Reynisfjara,
the sea stacks of Vík or the Lava Show in the village.
Boots with ankle support are yours to bring; crampons and a helmet come with every tour.
Straight answers to what travelers ask most about the Katla ice cave.
Where exactly is the Katla ice cave?
At the snout of Kötlujökull, an outlet glacier on the southern edge of the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap, about half an hour to an hour by super jeep east of Vík. It is not inside the volcano: Katla's caldera lies up on the ice cap under 200 to 700 metres of ice. The black stripes in the cave are ash from its past eruptions.
How much does a Katla ice cave tour cost?
Tours from Vík run from $177 to $292 per person on GetYourGuide in 2026, about 3 hours, with crampons, a helmet and the super jeep included. Day trips from Reykjavík cost about $268 to $279. See the price guide for what the extra money buys.
Can you visit the Katla ice cave without a tour?
No. Access is by guided tour only: the track across the black sands needs a modified 4x4, and the glacier and cave need a guide, crampons and a helmet. You can drive yourself to Vík on paved Route 1 and join a tour there.
How long is the Katla ice cave tour?
About 3 hours from Vík: roughly an hour of driving each way, a short walk on the ice and about 30 to 60 minutes in and around the cave. The extended tour takes 4 hours. From Reykjavík it is a 10 to 12 hour day.
Is the Katla ice cave open in summer?
Yes, it is open all year, which is rare in Iceland: the ash on the ice slows the melt. In summer the cave can be wetter and change faster, and in winter daylight is short. Read the best time to visit.
Is the Katla ice cave worth it?
For most people, yes: the main tours rate 4.4 to 4.9 from thousands of reviews. Go in knowing that the cave is usually small and streaked with black ash rather than a vast hall of sapphire ice, and that the super jeep ride across the black sands is half the experience.
What is the minimum age for the Katla ice cave?
It depends on the operator: Arctic Adventures, Katlatrack and Southcoast Adventure take children from 6; Gravel Travel and Tröll Expeditions from 8. See Katla with kids.
How difficult is the walk to the Katla ice cave?
Easy to moderate. Depending on the operator and the day, the walk is anything from a few minutes to about 20 minutes over uneven, icy and sometimes sloping ground, in crampons. Some days involve a few steps or a ladder. It is not suitable for wheelchair users or people with limited mobility.
What should I wear on a Katla ice cave tour?
Warm, waterproof layers, hiking boots with ankle support, gloves and a hat. The operator provides crampons and a helmet. See what to wear.
Is it safe to visit the Katla ice cave near an active volcano?
Katla last erupted in 1918 and is closely monitored by the Icelandic Met Office; tours stop if activity rises. The guides choose a safe cave each day, since the ice changes week to week, and the cave you see may not match the photos.
Katla or Vatnajökull ice cave: which is better?
Katla is the year-round, ash-striped cave close to Vík and Reykjavík. The crystal-blue Vatnajökull caves are bigger and brighter but mostly a winter trip from Jökulsárlón, about 2.5 hours further east. Compare them in Katla vs Vatnajökull.
Can I cancel my Katla ice cave tour?
Yes. Every tour on this page can be cancelled for a full refund up to 24 hours before the start, and you can reserve now and pay later on GetYourGuide.
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