South Shore & Katla Ice Cave One-day tour

Description

Think you don’t have time to visit an ice cave during your visit to Iceland? Think again! Our South Coast and Natural Ice Cave Tour is the perfect way to experience an ice cave. We’ll whisk you away to a secret glacier area where you’ll have the chance to explore one of these magnificent natural wonders for yourself. This is a unique experience that you won’t soon forget, and one that any visitor to the South Shore should have on their bucket list.

We start the day from Reykjavik on our bus joining travelers on our other south coast tours as the magnificent stops on this tour are the same as on both our South Shore Adventure tour as well as our Glacial Lagoon tour. Our first stop is at Lava Centre where you find seven monitors directly connected to all earthquake information over the last 48 hours. There you can also learn about the many volcanoes in Iceland and how many are active.

From there we stop at the gorgeous Skógafoss waterfall before we head to Vik. Skógafoss, another famous Icelandic waterfall, is the starting point of the Fimmvörðuháls hike over to Þórsmörk. Skógafoss has been used in the films Thor: The Dark World and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and in The Game of Thrones series. You will have free time for lunch at Vík from approximately from 11:00-12:30. Then you meet up with our partners and climb into a super jeep for an exhilarating ride through the local landscape. Once at the glacier area, your expert glacier guide will provide you with a full safety briefing. They fit you up with the proper equipment, including a helmet, headlamp, and crampons. From there, it’s a fun 5 - 10 minute hike across the glacier to the ice cave. Once inside you’ll have plenty of time to explore the cave, admire the amazing tones and wild shapes, and learn all about these incredible structures. Your local guide will explain how the ice caves are constantly changing, so that the cave you explore this season may never exist again, making this truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. After a full 45 to 60 minutes of exploration, the tour hikes back to the super jeep and takes another exciting ride back to Vik. The glacier guides bid you a warm farewell as you continue on to your next adventure!

After the visit to Katla Volcano Ice Cave you have plenty of free time to explore Vik independently, approximately from 15:30-19:00. We recommend going to the black sand beach and see the Reynisdrangar rock formations and columnar basalt. You can then, for example, go and relax in the local swimming pool, go horseback riding, hiking, visit the Icelandic Lava show at 17:00, Skaftfellingur museum or even more thrilling adventures like Paragliding or the Zipline ride. Please note that the cost of these tour options is not included in this tour and some require pre-booking.

On the way back we stop at Seljalandsfoss which is part of the Seljandsá river, which has its origins in Eyjafjallajökull glacier. What makes Seljalandsfoss so famous and interesting is that you can walk behind it. We recommend you bring either a raincoat or a waterproof coat along if you want to walk behind it. 

Where we will stop during the tour:

• Lava Centre
• Skógafoss
• Vík í Mýrdal  
• Katla Ice Cave
• Seljalandsfoss
• Plus additional comfort stops

What you will see along the way (weather permitting):

• Volcanoes: Hekla, Eyjafjallajökull, Vestman Islands and Katla. 
• Glaciers: Langjökull, Mýrdalsjökull and several glacier snouts. 
• Waterfalls: Skógafoss, Seljalandsfoss and several others. 
• Sandy plains: Skógasandur, Sólheimasandur and Mýrdalssandur.
• Coastlines: In Vik and view towards the south coast in several places. 
• Fertile farmland and mossy lava fields.

Please note that this tour is partially unguided.

What´s Included

• Professional Local Guidance
• Superjeep tour from Vik to the Katla Ice Cave
• 45-60 minutes in the glacier Ice Cave area
• All necessary safety gear (helmet, headlamp, and crampons)

What to bring

• Remember to dress according to weather
• Warm clothes, waterproof jacket, and sturdy shoes are recommended
• We recommend bringing thermal layers, a winter hat, scarf, gloves, and wearing warm socks for colder days 

Additional information

Guidance: 

English: Monday, Wednesday & Saturday (all year).

Please note that this tour is partially unguided.