There are two iconic and naturally formed ice caves in Iceland that have taken social media by storm. The pictures and videos have people from all over the world flocking to Iceland during winter to winter their beauty.

Katla Ice Cave and The Crystal Ice Cave are relatively close to each other (2.5 hour drive apart) but they provide much different experiences. In this episode I will give a little insight about when to see naturally forming ice caves in Iceland (meaning ones that are not man-made).

I will also share the temperature inside of an ice cave, how to dress for an ice cave tour, the pros and cons of each ice cave tour based on my personal experience. I thought it would also be helpful to share the cost as of January 2025  for each along with what will be included, and which one I preferred after taking both tours.

Please know that both are absolutely stunning and worth checking out. Time in the country, daylight hours, the season, and cost play a huge factor for most people so I did my best to take that into account.

Before I jump into that, I would like to thank the sponsor of this episode, Arctic Adventures. I partnered with them to recently see these ice caves in two days. So, one ice cave each day because of limited day light hours and it was such a fun experience. You can use my code ALLTHINGSICELAND10 to save 10% with Arctic Adventures on either of these ice cave tours, and use mu code Iceland10 to save 10% on glacier hikes, and northern lights tours with the same company.

If you do use my code, you get a % off and I get a small commission, which allows for me to keep making fun and helpful content like this.

In terms of stability, safety, and stunning colors of the ice caves, winter is the best time to explore naturally formed ice caves. The ice cave season is usually from late November to March.

The time frame can change based on weather conditions for that year. Sometimes we have a cooler or warmer months, so the season might vary slightly from year to year for naturally formed ice caves.

I keep saying naturally formed because there are man-made ice caves here that pretty much keep the same shape and access throughout the year. I did an episode on the largest man-made Ice Tunnel in the world in 2024 called 7 Fascinating Facts I Learned Inside Iceland‘s Langjökull Glacier. Feel free to check that out if you are looking to explore a stable ice cave in a glacier anytime of year. As mentioned before, you can use my code Iceland10 to save 10% with Arctic Adventures for that experience too.

The temperature inside ice caves typically hovers around 0°C (32°F) and remains relatively constant regardless of external weather conditions. That often shocks people because the expectation is that naturally formed ice caves will be extremely cold but during winter they can often be warmer than outside the cave.

Additional Tips:

Be fully prepared for winter in Iceland with my free ultimate packing checklist that has all the essentials you need for winter and summer. There are two separate lists and some non-essentials you can pack, if you have the space.

Katla Ice Cave Tour is located in Katla Volcano and glacier, which is near the town of Vík in South Iceland. Vík is about a 2 hour and 30 minute drive straight from Reykjavík. Of course that can vary a little due to the weather, especially during winter. If the roads are clear, you can expect to arrive to that small town in that time frame. In order to access Katla Ice Cave, the tour includes a ride in a modified car with gigantic tires and other special aspects so that the car can drive onto the glacier.

The duration of the tour is 3 hours, if you meet at the meetup point in Reykjavik or 11 hours if you are transported from the city.  The drive from the meetup point in Vík to the start of the Katla ice cave tour is about 40 minutes. It is a gorgeous area away from crowds and the landscape covered in snow in incredible to see.

The cost for one person for the Katla Ice Cave Tour is $216. This price includes:

The Crystal Ice Cave is located in south east Iceland near Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. Weather permitting, it is a 5 hour and 6 minute drive from Reykjavík without stops. In order to access the Crystal Ice Cave, you have to ride in a modified van because the road to Breiðamerkurjökull glacier is very rough and can not be done in a normal car. I woudn’t even try it in a regular 4×4 car. The duration of the tour is about 2-3 hours.

The price of the Crystal Ice Cave tour for one person is $156. The price includes:

I thought long and hard about which one I prefer because I honestly enjoyed both of them so much. If seeing both fits in your budget and time while traveling in Iceland, I say go for it. Based on what I experienced this time around in November, Katla Ice Cave edged out Crystal Ice Cave.

Here are my reasons that tipped Katla Ice Cave over as the winner:

As I mentioned, I truly enjoyed both ice cave tours and would do both again in a heartbeat, but I this is my honest opinion. Before I move onto the random fact of the episode, I want to thank Arctic Adventures again for this partnership and for them being open to me doing an ice cave tour showdown. To save 10% on each ice cave tour on their website, use my code ALLTHINGSICELAND10.

Breiðamerkurjökull glacier is the name of the glacier where the crystal ice cave is located. While the location of the cave can vary on the glacier, the biggest ice cave that I was talking about in this episode is not technically on the glacier because it is in something called dead ice.

As a glacier recedes, it might leave behind big chunks of ice. In this case, those chunks of ice where along a mountain ridge and covered in gravel and ash from previous eruptions. The gravel and ash kept the ice from melting away during summer and warmer days. A huge mass of ice is considered a glacier if it is continuously accummulating over time from compacted snow and is slowly moving downhill due to its own weight and gravity. Dead ice is not moving downhill and is no longer connected to the glacier that it originally was formed with.

There are ice caves being found on actual Breiðamerkujökull but the one I visited this time was in dead ice. The name of the ice might not sound appealing but ice cave is otherworldly when it comes to beauty and scale.

Breiðamerkurjökull – wide, woodland glacier

I hope the breakdown of the Katla and Crystal ice cave tour has been helpful. 

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