23 day tours compared on GetYourGuide
For most people the best pick is the Skaftafell hike and ice cave: ★ 4.6 from 2,031 reviews, 4 hours, from €140 . Caves open only in winter, roughly November to March.
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Quick answer
Hike first, then the cave
The Skaftafell hike and ice cave gives you both halves for the lowest price: a guided walk on Falljökull with crampons and ice axe, then a natural cave, all in 4 hours, from €140 . The minimum age is 8.
Check dates — from €140
Key takeaways
23 tours
enter a Vatnajökull ice cave; most group tours cost €140–175 per person
2.5–3.5 h
short super jeep tours from Jökulsárlón
4 h
hike-and-cave tours from Skaftafell, from €140
May–Sep
caves closed to tours; Katla's cave near Vík runs all year
370–390 km
Jökulsárlón from Reykjavík, roughly 5 hours each way
5–14 years
minimum ages, depending on the tour
Our picks
Pick by how much walking you want and where you sleep, not by the cave: every operator chooses the safest cave on the day, so the cave itself is not something you can book. Six picks cover most travelers, from a first glacier walk to a family trip or a two-day tour from Reykjavík.
Best valueSkaftafell★4.6 · 2,031 reviews
Short and simpleJökulsárlón★4.6 · 976 reviews
Most reviewedJökulsárlón★4.2 · 2,197 reviews
For familiesJökulsárlón★4.9 · 46 reviews
Fewer people, more iceJökulsárlón★4.9 · 273 reviews
No car in Reykjavíkfrom Reykjavík★4.7 · 265 reviewsSource · GetYourGuide product pages, EUR "from" prices per person, November 2026
Check dates
Check dates for the Skaftafell hike and ice cave on GetYourGuide.
By situation
The right tour depends on four things: how far you can walk, how old the youngest traveler is, where you are sleeping, and whether you want a crowd-free cave. Each situation below has one tour that fits it best and a page that compares the alternatives.
The Skaftafell hike and ice cave gives you both halves of the experience for the lowest price: a guided walk on Falljökull with crampons and ice axe, then a natural cave, all in 4 hours. Troll calls its base at Hof the closest meeting point to the ice; parking there is free, and gear is fitted indoors. The minimum age is 8.
7,700 km²
Vatnajökull — about 8% of Iceland, around 30 outlet glaciers
The caves
The Vatnajokull ice caves Iceland is known for are natural tunnels that summer meltwater carves through the outlet glaciers of the ice cap, and they harden enough to enter only in the cold months. Guides scout the caves every autumn, and each winter's caves are different, so no tour can promise the cave in its photos.
The caves visited on tours sit at the edges of Breiðamerkurjökull, reached by super jeep from Jökulsárlón, and Falljökull, reached on foot from Skaftafell. Every operator has a park contract; since autumn 2024 every cave has been assessed daily, and unsafe ones are closed.
Every tour on this site enters a natural cave. Man-made tunnels exist elsewhere — Into the Glacier on Langjökull — and are covered on the Vatnajokull vs Katla ice cave comparison.
Source · Visit South Iceland; Vatnajökull National Park; Visit Vatnajökull; USGS; checked November 2026
Formats and prices
There are five ways to book a Vatnajokull glacier cave tour, and the price tracks the hours you spend on the ice, not the cave. Short super jeep tours and Skaftafell hikes cost about the same; long hikes cost €70–130 more; multi-day tours add transport and hotels from Reykjavík.
| Format | Time | Walking effort | From, per person | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super jeep from Jökulsárlónoff-road ride to Breiðamerkurjökull | 2.5–3.5 h | short walk | €145–175 | Super jeep tours → |
| Glacier hike and cave from Skaftafelllowest price · a real glacier walk | about 4 h | crampons on Falljökull | €140–147lowest | Hike-and-cave tours → |
| Long hike and cave from Jökulsárlónseveral caves when conditions allow | 5–6 h | up to 8 km | €217–269 | Hike-and-cave tours → |
| With professional photos2–3 photos up to 15, by a guide-photographer | 3 h and up | varies by tour | €154–485 | on this page |
| Multi-day from Reykjavíkhotel nights and the South Coast included | 2–4 days | short walk | €592–1,260 | Tours from Reykjavík → |
Walking effort: ● short walk · ●● glacier hike with crampons · ●●● up to 8 km with uphill sections · highlighted row: the tab selected above
What changes the total, from season to group size, is worked through in the Vatnajokull ice cave tour price guide.
Source · GetYourGuide, EUR "from" prices per person, November 2026
On the day
A standard Vatnajokull ice cave tour takes about 3 hours from the meeting point and back, and often less than half of that is spent inside the cave. Most of the time goes on the off-road drive to the glacier edge, putting on gear and the walk in.
Meet at the car park
Jökulsárlón, where the super jeeps wait.
Drive · 20–40 min
A bumpy track toward Breiðamerkurjökull.
Gear up
Helmet and crampons or micro-spikes.
Walk · 5–35 min each way
Arctic Adventures: 30–35 min, about 2 km; Ice Explorers: 1–4 km in total.
Inside the cave
Every tour is led by a certified glacier guide because caves should never be entered without one and the right gear (Visit Vatnajökull). In August 2024 an ice arch collapsed on a summer tour on Breiðamerkurjökull and killed a visitor; since then each cave is assessed daily and summer tours inside the park have stopped.
Season
The Vatnajokull ice cave season is winter: Visit Vatnajökull gives November to March, and operators open on 1 October and run until 15–30 April when the ice allows. From May to September no tour enters a cave inside the park; that is the time for glacier hikes.
Any cave tour; book midday starts for light
Any cave tour
Any cave tour; longer hikes have more light
Early-April dates; caves begin to melt
Glacier hike at Skaftafell
Glacier hike; Katla cave from Vík
Glacier hike; Katla cave from Vík
Glacier hike; Katla cave from Vík
Glacier hike; guides scout new caves
Early-season caves; the wettest month
Any cave tour
Book early; holiday weeks fill up
☀ Daylight at Höfn on the 15th; the yellow line fills toward 21 h, the June maximum · °C: average low / high · ★ steadiest ice
If summer is your only window, the summer guide lists what you can book.
Source · Visit Vatnajökull; Local Guide and Arctic Adventures (2026–27 dates); Iceland Review; daylight for Höfn, 15th of each month; Höfn 1991–2020 normals; checked November 2026
Start point
Pick the start point by where you sleep: Skaftafell is about 327 km from Reykjavík and Jökulsárlón about 370–390 km, and the two are about 56 km apart. Tours from Skaftafell include a real glacier hike; tours from Jökulsárlón are mostly short super jeep rides with a brief walk.
327 km from ReykjavíkStart A
Falljökull outlet glacier, reached on foot
Best if you sleep near Skaftafell or Kirkjubæjarklaustur
370–390 km from ReykjavíkStart B
Breiðamerkurjökull, reached by super jeep
Best if you sleep near Höfn or are driving east
Verdict
Yes, if you are in southeast Iceland between November and March: for €140–175 you walk inside a natural glacier cave that exists for one winter, with a certified guide and all safety gear. It is less worth it if you expect the cave from the photos or travel in summer.
Worth it
You are already driving the Ring Road east; you can give it half a day; you accept that the cave is chosen on the day.
With a longer hike
You are fit and the walk on the ice matters as much as the cave; the 5–6-hour tours rate ★4.7–4.9.
Think twice
Based in Reykjavík with one free day? Katla's cave near Vík is a 10–12-hour day trip from €239.
Skip
May to September, when the park's caves are closed; book a glacier hike.
The honest downside: on the two most-reviewed super jeep tours, value for money rates only 3.7 and 3.8 out of 5, and their review summaries mention waiting at the cave and caves that differ from the photos. The other tours score 4.1 to 4.8.
Reviews
Guests rate the guides highest and the value lowest. On the twelve most-reviewed cave tours the guide score runs 4.6 to 5.0, while value for money runs 3.7 to 4.8; the gap is widest on the busiest tours, where reviewers mention waiting at the cave entrance.
Value for money vs guide
Big number and bar: value for money · yellow tick and small number: guide · out of 5
Dark bar: value 4.0 and up · grey bar: below 4.0
"We wore helmets and crampons [and] walked for about 2km to reach the ice cave over loose rocks then ice. The cave itself was huge with arches and hollows."
"They operate at a time when most other activity providers do not. As a result, the cave was almost empty after more than 100 tourists came after us."
"They took us to 4 different locations, each one better than the last. … what we saw on our day may be completely different within a matter of weeks."
"High-top boots are required. Low-top trekking shoes aren't suitable, since you have to put crampons on them."
"It was the first day of the season and also had lots of rain … Nature wins. Still worth doing."
"Our guide Robert was excellent, and the site was magnificent! A wonderful experience despite the caves being far too crowded."
Source · GetYourGuide reviews and sub-ratings, read November 2026; quotes as shown in English on GetYourGuide
Checklist
Check four things before you pay: the minimum age, the walking distance, the cancellation terms and how you will reach the meeting point. These differ more between tours than the price does, and they decide whether the day works for your group.
FAQ
Eleven questions travelers ask before booking, answered from operator pages, the national park and GetYourGuide data.
They can be, which is why every tour is led by a certified glacier guide with helmets and crampons. In August 2024 a collapsing ice arch killed a visitor on a summer tour on Breiðamerkurjökull. Since then the park assesses every cave daily, closes unsafe ones and stops cave tours in summer. Never enter a cave without a guide.
We don't summarize forum threads because they can't be checked; the review numbers can. The two most-reviewed super jeep tours have 2,197 and 1,773 reviews at ★4.2, with value for money at 3.7–3.8. The best-rated hike has 273 reviews at ★4.9.
Not on GetYourGuide: no listing pairs a snowmobile ride with a Vatnajökull cave. The snowmobile-and-ice-cave day tours from Reykjavík go to Langjökull instead. In southeast Iceland the closest combination is a glacier hike plus a cave, from €140 .
Between 2.5 and 6 hours at the glacier. Super jeep tours take 2.5–3.5 hours, Skaftafell hike-and-cave tours about 4 hours, the longer Jökulsárlón hikes 5–6 hours. Add about 5 hours of driving each way from Reykjavík.
As soon as your dates are fixed, especially for December and for small-group tours with 8–10 places. Every tour here has free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead, and most let you reserve now and pay later.
No. Only contracted operators may take groups into the caves, and they should never be entered without a glacier guide. You can see the outlet glaciers from the Jökulsárlón and Skaftafell car parks, but not the caves.
Vatnajökull's caves are natural winter caves 370–390 km from Reykjavík; Katla's cave near Vík is about 187 km from the city and runs all year, with black ash layers in the ice. Katla day trips cost from €239 .
From age 5 on the family tour, which keeps the walk to about 10 minutes and allows an hour in the cave. Most other short tours take children from 6 to 10, the Skaftafell hikes from 8, the long hikes from 12 to 14.
You need stiff boots that cover the ankle so crampons fit. Several operators rent boots at the meeting point. Moon boots and fashion boots are not accepted on at least one listing.
Not on the tour itself, which runs in daylight. The 2- to 4-day tours from Reykjavík stay overnight in the south and look for the aurora when the sky is clear; the lights cannot be guaranteed.
"Crystal Ice Cave" is the name used for the most popular cave of recent seasons, after the clearness of its ice. It is one of Vatnajökull's caves, and the cave carrying the name can change from winter to winter.
For a first visit, book the Skaftafell hike and ice cave: the second most-reviewed cave tour, from €140 , with a glacier hike as well as the cave. Check the minimum age and the boots rule on the product page before you pay.
Check dates on GetYourGuideKeep reading
Four guides answer the questions this page only touches: what the tour really costs once boots, photos and transport are added, what you can book in summer when the caves are closed, how the year-round Katla cave compares and where the meeting points are.
What a tour costsEvery format, every add-on, a worked budget.
Vatnajökull in summerWhy the caves close and what to book instead.
Vatnajökull vs KatlaThe year-round cave near Vík, compared.
Where the caves areMeeting points, map and facts.
Every number on this page comes from a source you can check; prices and ratings were read on GetYourGuide in November 2026.
Check a date now
Live availability for the Skaftafell hike and ice cave.