Experience an ice cave on Vatnajökull glacier!
This is an early season chance to visit one of the stunning blue ice caves that starts to form in the summer months in the outlet glaciers of the biggest glacier in Iceland. This is an incredible experience that many people won´t have in their lifetime and we are excited to take you to this ice cave.
It is more difficult to access and more adventurous then on our normal ice cave tour so we can only take max 8-9 clients per guide on this departure.
On this trip we will drive to a glacier in the local area to visit the ice cave. From the parking area we hike across glacial moraine and then on gravel or glacier**, depending on conditions, until we reach the glacier ice cave. Once at the ice cave you will have time to explore, take in the deep blue ice and to take photos.
* This tour does involve walking on uneven terrain and is reasonably physical, so we rate this trip moderate to difficult. It depends on the conditions, you can expect to hike up to 1 – 1 1/2 hour each way to the ice cave location**.
As for the ice cave we visit on this tour, we do not only look at the size of the ice cave but the beauty and colours, the ice caves are normally from 30-100 meters long.
*We cannot guarantee that other independent companies will not be operating in the same location.
What to bring:
Good boots or hiking shoes are essential, as we sometimes need to put on crampons and sometimes the ground can be very muddy in or on the way to the ice cave.
You can rent hiking boots from us on location for 1,000 ISK.
Please wear warm and waterproof outdoor clothing, hat and gloves.
Your safety is of the utmost importance. Ice Cave tours are weather dependent. Sometimes tours have to be cancelled with short notice due to weather conditions or other safety concerns. After periods of adverse weather, the caves can become flooded or unsafe to enter. If this happens we will always do our best to offer an alternative such as a glacier hike if weather conditions allow. However if this is not suitable we will also always offer a full refund or a rescheduled date for your tour.
Please contact info@localguide.is if you feel like you need more information about this tour or any of our other tours.
About travelling in Iceland in winter:
We are located 370 km east of Reykjavík, which is just under a 5 hours drive (in good conditions) via road number 1.
Please note that in icy and wintery conditions (snowy, windy and stormy) the travel time can be much longer. We recommend that you stay in a hotel or guesthouse in southeast Iceland the night before the trip.
ATT! Always make sure to follow current weather conditions when travelling in Iceland during the winter – http://en.vedur.is/
In addition to current road conditions – http://www.road.is/
Some more up to date travelling tips – https://safetravel.is/
they also put some updates on their facebook “Safe Travel Iceland”.
And if you are concerned about the short winter days, you can look up the hours of daylight here – https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/iceland/hofn
Try www.visitvatnajokull.is or www.south.is for any further general information.
Here are some accommodation suggestions in the area of
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon / Diamond Beach:
– Hali country hotel www.hali.is
– Guesthouse Gerði www.gerdi.is
– Skyrhúsið Guesthouse www.skyrhusid.is
– Vagnstaðir HI hostel http://www.hostel.is/hostels/vagnsstadir-hi-hostel
– Lækjarhús Farm holidays, mobile +354-8666242
– Hótel Smyrlabjörg www.smyrlabjorg.is
Some more options not too far away, before arriving at the Glacier Lagoon (if coming from Reykjavík direction):
Fosshótel Glacier Lagoon, 30km or a half hour drive
http://www.fosshotel.is/hotels/fosshotel-in-the-south-east/fosshotel-glacier-lagoon/
Hof, 40km or a 35 minute drive
– Litla-Hof guesthouse, phone: +354-4781670
– Vesturhús www.vesturhus.is
– Nónhamar www.nonhamar.is
– Hof 1 Hotel www.hof1.is
Freysnes, close to Skaftafell, 50km or a 45 minute drive
– Hótel Skaftafell www.hotelskaftafell.is
– Tourist service in Svínafell www.svinafell.com
Good to know:
The nearest town to the glacier lagoon is Höfn (2.000 habitants), which is another 80km, or an hour drive further east, where there are also many different accommodation options.
The nearest town before arriving to the glacier lagoon is Kirkjubæjarklaustur (500 habitants), 125km to the west or a one hour and 45 minute drive, where there are also other accommodation options in the area.
This means we are in one of the most remote areas in Iceland with over 200km of no towns resulting in limited service, petrol stations and shops options.
Ideally, travel with a card with a four digit pin number to use at automatic petrol stations. In general, cards with a four digit pin number is accepted everywhere in Iceland (swiping and signature should also work, just not at ATM’s and automatic petrol stations).
Locals usually don’t carry cash due to very easy card machine access everywhere. If you still feel like having some cash along you can exchange it at the international airport on arrival, or at any bank or money exchange in Reykjavík city.
