In shortThe ice caves near Jökulsárlón form inside Breiðamerkurjökull and change every winter, so you can only visit them with a glacier guide. Tours run from October to March and start at the main Jökulsárlón car park. The classic tour takes 2–4 hours, with up to 5.5 km of walking, from age 10; a longer 5.5-hour version adds a big glacier hike to a remote cave, from age 14.
Oct–Marice cave season
2–4 hclassic tour, from age 10
5.5 hlong hike version, from 14
from $195per person, 4 Oct 2026
What an ice cave is, and why you need a guide
The blue ice caves near Jökulsárlón are not a fixed attraction you can drive to. Meltwater carves them inside the glacier, and each winter's caves are different from the last. Guides check the ice daily and choose the safest, most impressive feature of the day: sometimes a cave, sometimes an ice tunnel or a canyon.
Going in on your own is not an option: the ice shifts, caves flood after rain, and the approach crosses crevassed glacier.
Two tours compared
| The Original Ice Cave Tour | Blue Ice Cave and a Long Glacier Hike |
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| Length | 2–4 hours | 5.5 hours, incl. about 40 min by 4x4 each way |
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| On the ice | up to 5.5 km of walking | 3–3.5 hours on the glacier and in the caves |
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| Minimum age | 10 | 14 |
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| Gear provided | spikes and helmet | harness, crampons, helmet and headlamp |
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| Meeting point | bus parking area, main Jökulsárlón car park | the operator's 4x4 minibus, main car park |
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| From | $195 | $310 |
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| Rating on Viator | ★ 4.8 (203 reviews) | ★ 5.0 (51 reviews) |
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The Original Ice Cave Tour
The classic: 4x4 to the glacier and a guided walk to the day's best blue ice; from age 10.
2–4 hours · from $195 · ★ 4.8 (203 reviews)
Blue Ice Cave and a Long Glacier Hike
For fit hikers: 3–3.5 hours on the glacier and a remote cave away from the crowds; from age 14.
5.5 hours · from $310 · ★ 5.0 (51 reviews)
How the day works
- Meet at the car park
The classic tour lists meeting times at 10:00 and between 13:30 and 14:15, depending on the day; arrive with time to park and pay. - Gear up
The guide fits your spikes or crampons and helmet. Boots can be rented at extra cost if yours are not suitable. - Drive to the ice
A modified 4x4 takes the group towards Breiðamerkurjökull. - Walk to the cave
On foot across the glacier to the day's feature; the long version continues to a remote cave about 200 metres long. - Back to the lagoon
The same drive back to the car park, where the café is open until 5 pm in winter.
Group size and how the guides decide
Local Guide, the operator of the classic tour, keeps its public winter groups to a maximum of 12 people per guide and times its departures to avoid the busiest periods at the caves. The walk on the ice is 1.4–5.5 km over uneven ground, depending on which feature is chosen.
That choice is made on the day. The caves are formed and reshaped by the glacier, and their accessibility changes with temperature, rain, snow, wind and the glacier's movement, so the guides adapt the route to the best feature that is safely available. The national park's rangers at Breiðamerkursandur are responsible for the ice caves in Breiðamerkurjökull.
When you can go
The classic tour runs from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027. Outside that window the ice is too unstable, and the same glacier is visited on summer glacier walks instead. Even in season every trip depends on the weather: after storms or heavy rain a cave can flood or become unsafe, and the operator then offers a glacier hike or a full refund.
If your whole trip hangs on seeing an ice cave, keep a spare day in the south-east and book the tour early in your stay.
What to wear and bring
- Warm, waterproof layers: the tours run in most weather.
- Proper hiking boots that support your ankles; rent them if you have none.
- Gloves and a thin hat that fits under the helmet.
- Food and water: neither tour includes lunch.
- Cash or card for parking: the fee at the car park is not part of the tour.
Fitness and who should not go
No glacier experience is needed for the classic tour, but you should be reasonably fit; the long version asks for at least moderate fitness. The operators do not recommend these tours for pregnant travellers or people with spinal injuries or poor cardiovascular health.
Ice cave or summer glacier walk?
They are two trips on the same glacier in different seasons. From October to March you go to the blue ice feature itself; from May to September the guided walk crosses the glacier surface with crampons, helmet and harness. The month you travel decides which one you can do.
Glacier hikes in summer →
Why you never go in alone
- Ice falls from cave roofs and walls without warning.
- Gases can build up quickly inside a cave.
- Meltwater floods caves after rain, sometimes within hours.
- The approach crosses crevassed glacier where a guide reads the ice.
Make a winter day of it
Daylight is short in midwinter, around four hours in late December, so the cave usually fills the light part of the day. After dark, a clear sky can bring the northern lights over the lagoon.
Jökulsárlón in winter →
Questions about the ice caves
Can I visit an ice cave without a tour?
No. The national park warns that ice falls are frequent in unstable caves and that gases can build up quickly; the caves also flood after rain and lie inside a crevassed glacier. Only a glacier guide can judge which feature is safe on the day.
Are the ice caves open in summer?
The tours run from October to March. In summer the same glacier is visited on guided glacier walks instead.
How old do children have to be?
10 on the classic tour and 14 on the long glacier hike version.
What if my tour is cancelled for weather?
On the classic tour the operator offers a glacier hike instead if conditions allow, or a full refund. You can also cancel for free up to 24 hours before.
Do I need my own crampons?
No: the classic tour provides spikes and a helmet, and the long version harness, crampons, helmet and a headlamp. You only need suitable boots, which can be rented.
How big are the groups?
On the classic tour, at most 12 participants per guide on the public winter tours, according to the operator.
Tour details from the operators' Viator listings 57360P1 and 448393P1 (season, length, ages, gear, meeting points, cancellation); café hours from icelagoon.is. Read 4 October 2026.
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