From Vík, a super jeep crosses the black floodplain of Mýrdalssandur to a blue ice cave beneath Mýrdalsjökull, the glacier that caps the Katla volcano. Two compared tours, small groups, and the ash-striped ice that makes this cave unlike any other in Iceland.
The Katla ice cave is the cave you can see before you enter. Black ash bands from the volcano beneath Mýrdalsjökull stripe the blue ice like tree rings, a record of eruptions locked into the glacier. Iceland's fourth-largest ice cap hides Katla, one of the country's most closely watched volcanoes, and the trip to its cave crosses the outwash plain the volcano built, a desert of black sand that regular cars cannot cross.
Both tours compared here depart from Vík, the south coast's southernmost village, which makes this the closest ice cave experience to Reykjavík that still enters natural glacier ice. Departure slots run from morning to late afternoon, and both operators provide the super jeep, the glacier gear and the guide. The cave itself changes week to week with the ice, and both operators are candid about that.
Arctic Adventures runs the larger operation with the most departure times, while Gravel Travel runs a small-group trip to a cave its guests share with no other operator. Both include transport from Vík, gear and guide, and both can be cancelled free up to 24 hours ahead.
Our Top Pick
The established Vík departure with slots from morning to late afternoon, a high-clearance super jeep across Mýrdalssandur and volcano stories from the guide.
from €168 Free cancellation
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Exclusive Cave
Gravel Travel's small-group trip to a cave the operator shares with no other company, meeting behind the IceWear Mall in Vík.
from €158 Free cancellation
Book NowArctic Adventures' Katla trip is the version of this cave most travellers should book, for one practical reason above all: departure times. Where most ice cave tours leave once or twice a day, this one runs from the 10:00 departure through the 16:30 slot, which means it fits around the south coast's waterfalls, black beaches and road schedule instead of dictating them.
The experience itself earns its reputation. A high-clearance super jeep takes the group off the pavement and across the volcanic floodplain toward Mýrdalsjökull, a ride travellers consistently describe as half the fun, and the guide narrates the volcano's geology and the region's history on the way. At the glacier edge you gear up with helmet and crampons and walk into a cave striped with ash from the eruptions above it. The operators are candid that the cave changes from week to week, and travellers this autumn reported that part of the chamber had broken off, which is the nature of ice under a volcano.
Who it suits and where it trades off: families from age 6, photographers chasing a cave that looks like no other, and south-coast itineraries that cannot stretch to the lagoon. The trade-offs are a compact chamber that reshapes week to week, a vehicle-first format with little hiking, and photos from earlier seasons that may overstate what stands today.
from €168 · 4.6 traveller rating · Free cancellation
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The route is a loop out of Vík and up onto the glacier's edge.
Check in at the departure point in Vík village, where the super jeep and guide are waiting.
The vehicle leaves the road and crosses the black volcanic outwash plain toward Mýrdalsjökull, with mountain and sandflat views the whole way.
Helmet on, crampons fitted, and a safety briefing from the guide before the ice.
A short walk to the cave entrance and time inside the ash-banded blue ice, while the guide explains how the cave forms and changes.
Back across the floodplain to the village, with photo stops as conditions allow.
No other ice cave in Iceland looks like this. Bands of black volcanic ash run through the blue like pen strokes, each layer an eruption the glacier swallowed. The five frames below are from the recommended tour's route.
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The drive sets this tour apart before the cave does. Mýrdalssandur is a desert of black sand and gravel washed out of the volcano, empty of everything except the track, the mountains and the weather, and a super jeep is the only sane way across it. Travellers describe the crossing as unlike anywhere else they have been in Iceland, which is exactly what it is.
Inside the cave, the ash stripes do the storytelling. Your guide points out the layers and explains how meltwater and volcano together carve and repaint the chamber, sometimes week to week. Because the cave sits lower and closer to Vík than the Vatnajökull caves, the walk from vehicle to entrance is short, which makes this the most accessible natural cave trip compared on this site. It suits families from age 6, photographers who want a cave that photographs unlike any other, and anyone whose south-coast itinerary cannot stretch to the glacier lagoon.
Central Vík, near the village parking by the shops
The tour meets in Vík village, and the meeting point varies with the departure option booked. Options include the standard departure times from late morning to 16:30, an 8:30 departure and a discounted 15:00 slot, all from the same area of the village. Gravel Travel's smaller trip meets behind the IceWear Mall. Confirm your exact option address on the booking page before you travel.
Several departure options share this one meeting area, so the map shows a single point for all of them.
Open in Google MapsThe recommended tour takes children from 6 years old, among the younger age floors of the natural cave tours compared across this site.
The operators are explicit that the Katla cave changes from week to week with weather and ice movement, and travellers in autumn 2026 reported that part of the chamber had broken off. Photos indicate the experience, not a fixed room.
The recommended tour carries a likely-to-sell-out flag on its listing, and a live listing does not guarantee your date. Check the booking calendar for your day, then reserve before building the rest of the south coast around it.
Warm clothing, hiking shoes and rain gear are on the operator's bring list, and only food and drinks are excluded from the ticket.
The village sits roughly three hours from Reykjavík on the south coast, with the cave reached by vehicle rather than a long hike from the meeting point.
The reviews below repeat a pattern: the super jeep ride across the black plain lands as a highlight in its own right, and the ash-striped ice inside exceeds what photos suggested. Some travellers note the cave is smaller than imagined, usually in the same breath as recommending it anyway.
Traveller feedback, summarized by our editors.
September 16, 2026
A traveller from the United States enjoyed the whole excursion, finding the rugged drive and the short climb to the entrance part of the adventure, the cave itself stunning and the day a unique sample of Iceland's natural beauty.
A traveller from the United StatesSeptember 9, 2026
A traveller from Germany calls the super-jeep ride out awesome and the guiding genuinely fun, with one frank note: a section of the original cave has broken away, leaving that much less to see. That, they say, is simply nature.
A traveller from GermanySeptember 18, 2026
A traveller from France describes the cave as beautiful but very small, which they had expected in advance, so no disappointment there, and the surrounding landscapes as breathtaking. The small group meant no jostling inside, there was no rush to leave, the guide friendly and the minivan comfortable.
A traveller from FranceAbout 3 hours from Vík on the Arctic Adventures departure, and Gravel Travel's smaller trip is also listed at about 3 hours (both verified on the live listings on 21 September 2026). Individual departures can run longer with conditions, so keep a half-day window around your slot and reconfirm timing when booking.
No. The cave sits on a glacier under an active volcano, reached across a black-sand floodplain that requires a high-clearance 4x4 and a guide who checks the ice. Both compared tours include the vehicle, the gear and a certified guide, which is the only practical way in.
Katla's ice is striped with black ash from the volcano it covers, while the crystal and blue caves under Vatnajökull glow in cleaner, uninterrupted blues. Katla also departs from Vík, much closer to Reykjavík than the glacier lagoon. The homepage comparison shows the Vatnajökull side.
Yes. The recommended tour offers a departure option from Reykjavík that adds roundtrip transport and sightseeing stops at the Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls, which turns the cave into a full south-coast day.
Yes. Both operators list Katla departures year-round, verified on the live listings on 21 September 2026. The cave is reached by super jeep in every season, though weather and ice conditions can still alter or cancel a particular departure. The ice cave season guide explains the full calendar.
Pick Arctic Adventures for the widest choice of departure times and the established large-operator polish, or Gravel Travel for a small-group trip to a cave its guests share with no other operator. Both compare closely on price and rating.
Super jeep, ash-striped blue ice and a volcano's story, from Vík with departure times that fit your day. The recommended tour books from €168, free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
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