There are several ice caves in Iceland, whose shape and location change continuously with the seasons. The most famous are the "crystal caves" which look like crystals when light passes through them.

All glaciers are in constant motion. Temperature variations throughout the year cause glaciers to melt and freeze. Air pockets form, and eventually, an ice cave materializes within the glacier.

As it moves, ice absorbs different elements from the surrounding nature, giving each ice cave a different hue. The palette includes white, blue, gray, brown and even black.

Crystal Ice Caves in Iceland

Crystal cave at Jokulsarlon

The term "crystal ice cave" refers to an ice cave where the ice appears to be clear, like crystal. They sparkle under the rays of the winter sun. When cave ice contains more air bubbles, it tends to take on a whiter or crystalline appearance.

Blue Ice Caves

Blue cave

Blue ice caves are the result of a special reaction that occurs inside the ice. When snow falls on a glacier, it compacts to form a solid piece of ice. Over time, small air bubbles are compressed and the oxygen they contain is put under pressure as if trying to escape.

Oxygen tends to absorb light at the red end of the color spectrum. This means that the remaining light color is blue. It's this same process that gives the ocean its blue or green hue.

Black Ice Caves

Katla black cave

Iceland is famous for its black sand beaches, like the one at Reynisfjara, near Vík, on the south coast. This black sand is the direct result of volcanic activity. In fact, black sand, rocks and volcanic ash are found throughout the country, even inside glaciers.

During past volcanic eruptions, some of the black volcanic ash was deposited on Icelandic glaciers. Over the following millennia, the ash became an integral part of the glacier, moving with it through the landscape. Sometimes ice caves form with this ash. The black sand appears almost like the streaks you can see in marble.

Some ice caves disappear as soon as the mercury rises and others exist year-round. With a few exceptions, they can only be visited in winter from mid-November to late March generally.

Indeed, it's only around early November that the glacier stops melting, which has the effect of no longer feeding the tunnels with water. These then reveal crystalline ice caves that tourists can visit.

In summer, heat causes the glacier to melt. Water carves channels in the glacier ice where it flows to form rivers and tunnels inaccessible to tourists.

Only a few ice caves can be safely visited in summer. This is the case, for example, with the Katla ice cave near Vik in the south.

Map of ice caves in Iceland

📍1 - On the Mýrdalsjökull glacier near Vik, you'll find the black Katla cave which is the only natural cave open year-round.

📍2 and 📍3 - The main ice caves (the Crystal Ice Cave and the Blue Ice Cave) are located in Vatnajokull National Park, in southeast Iceland, about 5 hours drive from Reykjavik. Departures are from the parking lot of Skaftafell National Park or from the glacier lagoon at Jökulsárlón.

📍4 - There is also an artificial ice cave at Langjokull, closer to Reykjavik, which you can visit year-round.

There are many different ice caves in Iceland, but three of them seem to be the most popular due to their size and regular appearances.

Katla Ice Cave

Katla volcano cave

The Katla ice cave is probably the most famous in Iceland. The Katla ice cave is open year-round and is located in southern Iceland. It's located in Kötlujökull, one of the glacier tongues flowing from the Mýrdalsjökull glacier. It's a black ice cave. Some tourists are disappointed with the visit as they expected to find a blue cave like in social media photos. Departures are from the town of Vik, less than 3 hours from Reykjavik. The tour lasts about 3 hours.

Vatnajökull Ice Cave

Vatnajökull glacier cave

Vatnajökull glacier is the largest glacier in Iceland. Vatnajökull is home to some of the most popular ice caves in the country, attracting many visitors to the region. It's in this glacier that you'll find the "crystal cave" and the "blue cave". Departures are generally from Skaftafell Park for the blue cave or from Jokulsarlon for the crystal cave. If we had to choose just one cave, we would choose the crystal cave!

Langjökull Ice Cave

Langjökull glacier cave

Vatnajökull's little sister, Langjökull, is located west of the Icelandic Highlands. It's the second largest glacier in Iceland. Langjökull is the location of an artificial ice tunnel that extends over 1,260 meters long. This attraction is the ice cave/tunnel closest to the capital, and its construction took nearly a year and a half at a cost of $2.5 million. In this tourist complex, you'll find a chapel and a restaurant. In 2021, a natural cave was discovered in Langjökull but bookings for the 2022 season are not yet possible.

Jeep minibuses will take you to the caves

Via a tour

Many bus and minibus companies organize multi-day tours on the south coast of Iceland and some of them offer ice cave visits as part of their package. You can also book a Mýrdalsjökull glacier (Katla) ice cave tour as a day trip from Reykjavik.

Car / Van / Motorhome rental

The best way to explore the country is to rent a car, van or motorhome. It's also advisable to allow a large safety margin to get to your tour meeting point. Also anticipate stops at gas stations as these become scarcer after Vik. If you're late for your tour due to weather, you won't be entitled to any refund. We give you our tips and good deals in our guides on car, van and motorhome rental.

It depends on which ice caves you want to visit. If you want to visit the artificial Langjokull cave, or the Katla caves at Mýrdalsjökull, you can take a day trip from your hotel in Reykjavik.

But if you want to visit the famous Vatnajokull ice caves, on the south coast, you'll need more time, as it's too far. (Vatnajokull ice caves are 5 hours drive from Reykjavik. In perfect conditions, you would spend 5 hours driving to the tour meeting point, 3 hours on the tour and 5 hours coming back. That's 13 hours of driving and you won't even have time to stop at the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon, Vik's black sand beach or one of the many waterfalls on the way.

Unlike Northern Lights viewing which can be done without a guide, for safety reasons, it is forbidden to enter an ice cave without a professional guide.

Caves are usually on private property. And when they're not, national parks require all people going to the caves to be accompanied by professionals: you could fall into a crevasse or get lost.

Classic tour

The classic tour consists of visiting a small, easily accessible ice cave. These tours are the shortest and cheapest. Groups can be up to 30 people. The most popular sites are the Katla ice caves near Vik, or the artificial Langjokull tunnel.

Photography tour

For photography enthusiasts, there are also dedicated tours that will take you to more remote ice caves. Photography tours generally last longer. Groups are smaller and the walk to access the cave may be longer.

Glacier hike + ice cave combo

There are also tours that combine an ice cave visit with a glacier hike. You'll discover more remote and less crowded ice caves. These types of tours are longer, more expensive and generally require very good physical condition.

A classic tour typically costs at least 19900.00 ISK | 150.60 USD per person. Longer tours typically cost twice as much 39900.00 ISK | 301.96 USD. Prices vary depending on the region of Iceland where you take the tour.

As soon as possible. Ice cave tours sell out every year.

Most ice caves are easily accessible and only require a few minutes of walking on ice to reach the cave entrance. Although the ground is uneven inside, it won't be necessary to climb or crawl.

For glacier hikes, you sometimes need to walk for 3 hours. Good physical condition is then necessary.