Iceland has two completely different kinds of space underground: glacier caves that melt away every summer and have to be found again every autumn, and lava tubes that have sat in the same rock for thousands of years. This page sorts out six of them - the Katla ice cave near Vík, which most operators run all year, the natural blue caves in Vatnajökull, the man-made tunnel bored into Langjökull, the lava tubes Raufarhólshellir and Vatnshellir, and the empty magma chamber of Þríhnúkagígur. The question is not which one is prettiest. It is which one is open in the month you are actually in Iceland.
- TicketsAll six sites are guided-only operations with fixed departure times, and you book with the operator in advance.
- Price8,900 ISK (about $73) – Raufarhólshellir, standard tour (1 hour)
- OpenRaufarhólshellir: daily 9am to 5pm, all year, with extra evening departures in summer.
- Best timeFor natural ice caves: January and February.
- ClaustrophobiaRaufarhólshellir and Vatnshellir are wide rather than tight: up to 30 m across and 10 m high in the lava tunnel.
The six caves compared
Katla ice cave in Kötlujökull (from Vík)
A natural cave in the Kötlujökull glacier tongue, an outlet of Mýrdalsjökull above the Katla volcano. From the Icewear car park in Vík a super jeep crosses black ash flats to the glacier edge, then it is one to two kilometres on foot in crampons and a helmet. The ice is striped black and grey with volcanic ash rather than uniformly blue.
The one natural ice cave in Iceland that most operators run all year, July and August included. It lies outside Vatnajökull National Park, so the park's summer closure does not apply to it - and neither do the park's guide rules.
29,900-29,990 ISK (about $247) from Vík, $198 with Arctic Adventures; 11 hours from Reykjavík (09/2026)
Crystal cave and the ice caves of Vatnajökull (from Jökulsárlón)
Iceland's classic blue ice caves sit in Breiðamerkurjökull behind the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. They are carved out every summer by meltwater and then searched out and checked by guides in the autumn. Transfer by super jeep, then 15 to 20 minutes over uneven ice.
A different cave every year. The well-known crystal cave has formed in roughly the same spot since 2011, but it looks different every winter and can change within weeks.
23,800 ISK (about $196) with Glacier Adventure from Hali, $154 with Arctic Adventures from Jökulsárlón (09/2026)
Langjökull ice tunnel, Into the Glacier (from Húsafell)
A tunnel drilled into Iceland's second-largest glacier at 1,260 m above sea level: about 500 m long, 3 m high, 3.5 m wide, with five finished chambers, LED lighting, a small chapel and a natural crevasse crossed by a wooden bridge. You get up there in a converted glacier vehicle from Húsafell or from the Klaki base camp.
Around 0 °C whatever the season and whatever the weather - the one place in Iceland where you can reliably stand inside glacier ice in August. There are 25 m of ice above the tunnel and 200 m below it.
24,900 ISK (about $205) from Húsafell or Klaki, 38,990 ISK (about $321) from Reykjavík (09/2026)
Raufarhólshellir, The Lava Tunnel (Þrengsli)
A 1,360 m lava tube 30 to 40 minutes southeast of Reykjavík, formed about 5,600 years ago in the Leitahraun eruption. The main tunnel runs 900 m and in places the tube is 30 m wide and 10 m high. A lit walkway keeps your feet dry; daylight falls in through collapsed sections of roof, and iron and sulphur have stained the walls red, yellow and brown.
0 to 4 °C all year. Ice columns grow at the entrance in winter, which is why the lava tunnel is so often sold online as an ice cave.
8,900 ISK (about $73), with a bus from Reykjavík 14,900 ISK (about $123), Lava Falls adventure tour 27,900 ISK (about $230) (09/2026)
Vatnshellir on Snæfellsnes
A lava tube about 8,000 years old in Snæfellsjökull National Park, 200 m long. Two spiral staircases take you 35 m below the surface through three chambers, and at the lowest point the lights go out. Helmet and torch are supplied.
The cheapest guided tour of the six and the only one where children go free. There are no toilets at the cave - the nearest are three minutes away at the Malarrif visitor centre.
5,900 ISK adults (about $49), 4,600 ISK reduced, 2,600 ISK ages 12-17, free for ages 5-11 (09/2026)
Þríhnúkagígur, Inside the Volcano (Bláfjöll)
The only place in the world where you can be lowered into an emptied magma chamber. From the hut in the Bláfjöll hills about 30 km southeast of Reykjavík it is 3 km on foot each way (45 to 50 minutes), then an open cable platform takes six or seven minutes to drop 120 m. The shaft is 213 m deep in total and the chamber floor measures about 3,270 m².
The last eruption was about 4,000 years ago and the chamber is empty and cold. Safety gear, rain gear and Icelandic lamb soup are included in the price.
51,000 ISK adults (about $420), 25,000 ISK children 8-12, transfer from BSÍ 4,500 ISK (09/2026)
Tickets and prices
All six sites are guided-only operations with fixed departure times, and you book with the operator in advance. For Þríhnúkagígur, booking sites suggest one to two weeks of lead time in the June to August peak; dates for the following season only go on sale in mid-November. For the natural ice caves in Vatnajökull, book early: the national park is allowed to cap the number of departures. The Katla cave and the Langjökull tunnel can usually still be booked a day or two out, even in July.
Official prices
- Raufarhólshellir, standard tour (1 hour)8,900 ISK (about $73)
- Raufarhólshellir, standard tour with bus from Reykjavík (3 hours)14,900 ISK (about $123)
- Raufarhólshellir, Lava Falls adventure tour (3-4 hours, age 12 and up)27,900 ISK (about $230)
- Katla ice cave from Vík, 2.5-3 hours (Katlatrack Fast Track)29,900 ISK (about $247)
- Katla ice cave from Vík, 3 hours (South Adventure and Midgard Adventure)29,990 ISK (about $247)
- Katla ice cave from Vík (Arctic Adventures, listed in US dollars)$198
- Katla ice cave with drone flight and black beach, 3-4 hours (Katlatrack)41,500 ISK (about $342)
- Crystal ice cave in Vatnajökull, 3 hours from Hali (Glacier Adventure, max. 12 guests)23,800 ISK (about $196)
- Crystal ice cave from Jökulsárlón, 2-3 hours (Arctic Adventures, promotional price)$154 instead of $181
- Langjökull ice tunnel, Classic from Húsafell or Klaki (3-4 hours)24,900 ISK (about $205)
- Langjökull ice tunnel from Reykjavík (11 hours)38,990 ISK (about $321)
- Langjökull ice tunnel with snowmobile38,900 ISK (about $321)
- Vatnshellir, adults (incl. 11 per cent VAT)5,900 ISK (about $49)
- Vatnshellir, seniors 65 and over and students4,600 ISK (about $38)
- Vatnshellir, teenagers 12-172,600 ISK (about $21); children 5-11 free, under 5 not admitted
- Þríhnúkagígur, Inside the Volcano, adults51,000 ISK (about $420)
- Þríhnúkagígur, children 8-1225,000 ISK (about $206)
- Þríhnúkagígur, transfer from BSÍ bus terminal in Reykjavík4,500 ISK (about $37), hotel pickup 1,899 ISK extra
As of 09/2026 · source and direct booking: thelavatunnel.is
When everything is sold out
Vatnshellir tours regularly fill up in summer - either be there for the 10am opening or book ahead. Þríhnúkagígur is often sold out days in advance in high summer. In Vatnajökull National Park around 200,000 people took part in glacier hikes and ice cave tours over the previous winter, and the park has said visitor numbers may be limited.
Tours to ice caves and lava tunnels
There is almost no ticket window at the entrance anywhere in Iceland: every cave is a guided tour with a fixed departure time, and the operators sell online only. A reseller earns its keep here more often than elsewhere - it shows several companies running the same cave side by side, still has seats when the operator is sold out, and usually allows free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead, which on weather-dependent glacier tours is the real advantage.
From Vik: Katla Ice Cave and Super Jeep Tour
Jökulsárlón: Vatnajökull Ice Cave Guided Tour
Raufarhólshellir Lava Tunnel: Underground Expedition
Skaftafell: Ice Cave Tour and Glacier Hike
Show all 15 offers
From Vik: Katla Ice Cave & Super Jeep Tour
Reykjavik: Katla Ice Cave & South Coast Tour
From Vik: Katla Ice Cave Small-Group Tour
Jökulsárlón: The Original Ice Cave Tour on Vatnajökull
From Jökulsárlón: Vatnajökull Glacier Blue Ice Cave Tour
From Reykjavik: Raufarhólshellir Lava Tunnel Tour
From Húsafell: Into the Glacier Ice Cave Adventure
Skaftafell: Blue Ice Cave & Glacier Hike on Vatnajökull
Reykjavik: Thrihnukagigur Volcano Guided Hiking Day Trip
Snæfellsnes: Vatnshellir Lava Cave Tour
Into the Glacier: Snowmobile + Langjökull Ice Tunnel Combo
Booked through GetYourGuide (affiliate link, advertising). Most offers can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours ahead. Prices as of 20 September 2026.
Opening hours and best time
Raufarhólshellir: daily 9am to 5pm, all year, with extra evening departures in summer. Vatnshellir: all year, hourly from 10am to 6pm in summer, two or three tours a day in winter. Langjökull ice tunnel: all year, departures from Húsafell and from the Klaki base camp. Katla ice cave from Vík: most operators run it daily all year; South Adventure departs at 10:00, 11:30, 13:45 and 15:00. Natural ice caves in Vatnajökull: October to April only - inside the national park the caves are closed from May to September. Þríhnúkagígur: 5 May to 30 October, morning and midday departures.
When it is quietest
For natural ice caves: January and February. The ice is at its most stable, the caves are at their clearest, and the cancellation rate is lower than in October or April, when thaw and meltwater flood the passages. For everything else the season does not matter: Katla, Langjökull, Raufarhólshellir and Vatnshellir run all year, while Þríhnúkagígur only opens in the summer half. If you want both kinds, travel in October or the first half of May, when the ice cave season and the volcano season just overlap. Within the day, take the first departure - it is the one least often cancelled for weather.
Who it suits
With children
Vatnshellir takes children from 5 and is free up to 11 - the easiest start with kids. Most operators take children from 6 on the Katla tour; for the crystal cave the minimum is 6 or 10 depending on the company. Þríhnúkagígur has a child fare for ages 8 to 12 but asks for 3 km of walking in each direction.
Minimum age
Vatnshellir from 5, Katla ice cave from 6, crystal cave from 6 (Arctic Adventures) or 10 (Glacier Adventure), Þríhnúkagígur from 8, the Lava Falls tour in Raufarhólshellir from 12. The operator gives no minimum age for the Classic tour in the Langjökull tunnel; on the snowmobile combination the minimum is 8 as a passenger, and drivers need a licence.
Wheelchair
Not suitable. The floor of the Langjökull tunnel is uneven and permanently covered in slush, and staff are not allowed to carry anyone. Vatnshellir has two narrow spiral staircases, Raufarhólshellir a walkway over broken lava blocks, and the glacier caves are reached on foot over ice.
Pushchair
Not workable anywhere - stairs, crampons, rubble and slush. Use a carrier or leave the toddler behind.
Dogs
Not provided for at any of the six sites, and crampon tours on a glacier rule dogs out in practice.
Claustrophobia
Raufarhólshellir and Vatnshellir are wide rather than tight: up to 30 m across and 10 m high in the lava tunnel. The Langjökull tunnel is the opposite - roughly 3 m high, 3.5 m wide and over 500 m long, which is where tight spaces are most likely to bother you. Þríhnúkagígur is less about tight spaces than about heights: you ride 120 m down the shaft on an open cable platform.
What to wear
Sturdy hiking boots with ankle support are mandatory on every glacier tour, because crampons will not stay on anything else; trainers are turned away. Vatnshellir bans heels, smooth soles and flip-flops. Add warm layers, a waterproof jacket and trousers, a hat and gloves. Raufarhólshellir drips from the ceiling, so a rain jacket makes sense even on a sunny day. Rental gear is generally not available at the meeting points - in Vík explicitly not.
Photography
Allowed everywhere. Glacier caves are darker than the marketing pictures suggest, and the blue depends heavily on daylight; it can come out white or grey. The Langjökull tunnel has LED lighting, so conditions there never change.
Getting there
By public transport
No scheduled bus serves any of these caves. From Keflavík Airport the Flybus and Airport Direct coaches run to Reykjavík in about 45 minutes, and from there you need a tour transfer or a car. Raufarhólshellir sits on Road 39 (Þrengsli) about 30 to 40 minutes southeast of Reykjavík, and the operator sells a version with a bus transfer from the city for 14,900 ISK (about $123). Þríhnúkagígur has a transfer from the BSÍ bus terminal for 4,500 ISK (about $37), and Into the Glacier runs full-day coaches from Reykjavík.
By car
Every meeting point has free parking, and all of them are on or just off the Ring Road (Route 1) except Vatnshellir and Húsafell. Raufarhólshellir is directly on Road 39; Vatnshellir on Road 574 at Gufuskálar in Snæfellsjökull National Park; Vík at the Icewear car park, Austurvegur 16; Jökulsárlón at the lagoon car park; Glacier Adventure at its Hali base 13 km east of the lagoon; Into the Glacier at Húsafell or the Klaki base camp. Nobody drives onto the glacier privately - that part is done in super jeeps and a converted glacier truck. If you are self-driving between October and April, take a 4x4 with winter tyres, add the sand and ash damage waiver that Icelandic rental companies offer, and check road.is and vedur.is the morning of the tour.
From the nearest city
From Reykjavík: Raufarhólshellir about 40 minutes, Þríhnúkagígur about 30 km, Húsafell about 2 hours, Vatnshellir about 2.5 hours, Vík about 2.5 hours, Jökulsárlón about 379 km and 5 hours. From Keflavík Airport add roughly 45 minutes to all of these. Treating Jökulsárlón as a day trip out of Reykjavík means more than ten hours in the car - plan a night in Vík, Hali or Höfn instead.
Tips for your visit
- Your travel dates decide this, not your taste. From May to September only Katla, the Langjökull tunnel, Raufarhólshellir, Vatnshellir and Þríhnúkagígur are running. From November to March the natural ice caves in Vatnajökull come back, and Þríhnúkagígur drops out.
- Hiking boots with ankle support are a condition of carriage on every glacier tour, not a suggestion - crampons cannot be strapped to trainers. Meeting points generally do not rent gear, and in Vík they explicitly do not.
- Book the first departure of the day. When the weather turns during the day, it is the later tours that get cancelled.
- Jökulsárlón is not a day trip from Reykjavík: 379 km and about five hours each way. If you want the crystal cave, sleep in Vík, Hali or Höfn.
- If all you have is a free afternoon in Reykjavík, take Raufarhólshellir: 8,900 ISK, an hour in the tunnel, no glacier and no weather risk. Allow three hours if you use the bus transfer.
- Read the cancellation terms before you pay. Glacier Adventure refunds 100 per cent if the company cancels for safety reasons, but not if the weather is poor and the tour goes ahead anyway. Arctic Adventures allows free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead, Summit Adventure Guides at Vatnshellir up to 4 hours ahead.
- Blue ice is not guaranteed. The colour depends on the light, the snow cover and the weather and runs from vivid blue to grey. In the Katla cave the ice is shot through with volcanic ash and looks black and streaky.
- Driving yourself in winter: take a 4x4 with winter tyres, allow far more time than the map suggests, and check road.is and vedur.is on the morning of the tour. Operators cancel for wind and road closures far more often than for cold.
- Raufarhólshellir drips from the ceiling all year and sits at 0 to 4 °C, which is colder than the air outside in summer. Bring a rain jacket and a hat even in July.
What the internet gets wrong
Only two of the six, and neither is a natural cave in Vatnajökull. Since the summer of 2025 the national park closes its ice caves from May to September; park ranger Steinunn Hödd Harðardóttir told Iceland Review in April 2025 that the last tour of the season is scheduled for 30 April. What stays open all year is the Katla cave in Kötlujökull, which lies outside the park, and the man-made tunnel in Langjökull. Guide to Iceland's ice cave guide, updated on 18 September 2026, still explains the summer gap purely as a matter of ice stability and does not mention the closure at all.
That is the answer in Guide to Iceland's FAQ, and it is only half true. Inside Vatnajökull National Park a company has needed a contract with the park since 1 November 2024, has to carry out a daily risk assessment of the specific cave, and has to send guides holding the Jökla 3 certificate. Outside the park no such rule exists. Iceland Review reported on 3 April 2025 that no regulations apply to ice cave tours outside Vatnajökull National Park, quoting the Icelandic Tourist Board's Dagbjartur Brynjarsson: in reality there are no established rules on how ice cave tours should be conducted in Iceland. The Katla cave sold as the summer alternative sits in exactly that gap.
All Things Iceland put it that way on 3 January 2025, and it is now out of date twice over. For Vatnajökull the park defines the season as October to April, and the boundary is a rule rather than a thaw. The Reykjavík Grapevine reported on 16 September 2025 that the caves are closed from May to September, that 30 of 34 applicants received a contract for the season, that group sizes are capped at 8 to 16 guests per guide, and that the park may limit visitor numbers outright.
Arctic Adventures writes that since 2011 the cave has formed in more or less the same location, which is true of the spot and misleading about the cave. Visit Vatnajökull, the official tourism site, explains that the passages are cut anew by meltwater every summer and that rain and warm weather can flood them and make them impassable in the middle of the season. Guides go out in autumn to find and test that winter's caves; what you book is a cave, not the cave.
Reykjavík Excursions writes that you can walk as far as 550 metres (1,640 feet) into the ice, and Worldering Around repeats the same 550 m as a depth. Both numbers come from one 500 m figure - 1,640 feet is exactly 500 metres. The operator gives the tunnel as roughly 500 m long, 3 m high and 3.5 m wide, at 1,260 m above sea level, with 25 m of ice above it and 200 m below.
That is the headline on icelandtravelguide.is, and the same page then calls it the fourth largest lava tube in Iceland a few lines further down. The second version is the correct one: at 1,360 m Raufarhólshellir is the fourth-longest lava cave in the country. The same page lists 1,360 metres as an elevation, which is the tunnel's length, and it says professional guides are recommended - in fact a guide has been compulsory since the cave reopened in 2017.
That figure comes from thrihnukagigurvolcano.com, a site that states in its own disclaimer that it is not a tour operator, travel agency or seller of travel. The operator, insidethevolcano.com, charges 51,000 ISK for adults, about $420 at the xe.com mid-market rate of 20 September 2026, with the BSÍ transfer at 4,500 ISK on top. The same page gives the chamber floor as roughly 50 by 70 metres, which is about 3,500 m²; the published figure is 3,270 m².
You can, but not a glacier cave. The 100 m ice cave in Perlan's Wonders of Iceland exhibition was built indoors from more than 350 tonnes of snow trucked in from Icelandic mountains. It is a good wet-weather fallback when a glacier tour is cancelled, and it is the wrong thing to book if you came for real glacier ice.
History in brief
- Raufarhólshellir formed about 5,600 years ago in the Leitahraun eruption. The lava came from a crater some 10 km further uphill and left behind a 1,360 m tube as it solidified - the fourth-longest lava cave in Iceland, not the longest.
- Until the end of 2016 anyone with a torch could walk into Raufarhólshellir. After vandalism and smashed formations the cave was closed, and it reopened in mid-2017 with a walkway and lighting - guided tours only since then. The land belongs to the Seventh-day Adventist congregation and is leased to the tour operator.
- Vatnshellir was formed by an eruption about 8,000 years ago, which makes it one of the oldest accessible caves in the country. It now lies inside Snæfellsjökull National Park and Summit Adventure Guides is the only licensed operator.
- Þríhnúkagígur was explored in 1974 by the caver Árni B. Stefánsson. Public tours started in 2012 with a cable platform that descends 120 m through the crater opening into the magma chamber.
- The ice tunnel in Langjökull took more than four years of planning and 14 months of construction; 5,500 m³ of ice were removed. The result is about 500 m of tunnel with five chambers at 1,260 m above sea level.
- In late August 2024 ice collapsed onto a group of around 25 tourists on Breiðamerkurjökull. One American visitor was killed and his pregnant wife seriously injured. Vatnajökull National Park suspended every ice cave tour in its territory, and a government task force drawn from four ministries was set up to explain why a 2017 risk assessment warning against summer ice cave tours had led to nothing.
- New rules have applied inside the park since 1 November 2024: a daily risk assessment of each cave by a group of experienced guides, a Jökla 3 certificate for anyone leading a tour, fixed group sizes, and an expert council drawn from the park, the tourism association and the mountain guide association. For the 2025/26 season 30 of 34 applicants were given a contract; the winter before, around 200,000 people joined glacier hikes and ice cave tours in the park.
- Outside Vatnajökull National Park there are still no state rules for ice cave tours. In April 2025 the Icelandic Tourist Board's safety specialist Dagbjartur Brynjarsson put it plainly: in reality there are no established rules on how ice cave tours should be conducted in Iceland. Outside the park, responsibility rests with the operator alone - and the Katla cave, the one sold as the year-round option, is outside the park.
Frequent questions
Can you visit ice caves in Iceland in summer?
Yes, but only two. The Katla ice cave in Kötlujökull, reached from Vík, is run all year by most operators, and the man-made ice tunnel in Langjökull from Húsafell is open every month. The natural ice caves in Vatnajökull are closed from May to September, after the national park brought in new rules following a fatal collapse in August 2024.
When is ice cave season in Iceland?
For the natural caves in Vatnajökull the park gives October to April; in practice the best window is November to March, once the ice has been frozen through for long enough, with January and February the most reliable. Katla, Langjökull, Raufarhólshellir and Vatnshellir run all year. Þríhnúkagígur runs only from 5 May to 30 October.
How much does an Iceland ice cave tour cost in 2026?
The crystal cave in Vatnajökull is 23,800 ISK (about $196) with Glacier Adventure and $154 with Arctic Adventures. The Katla cave from Vík runs 29,900 to 29,990 ISK (about $247), the Langjökull ice tunnel 24,900 ISK from Húsafell (about $205) or 38,990 ISK from Reykjavík (about $321). Dollar figures use the xe.com mid-market rate of 20 September 2026: 1,000 ISK is $8.24.
Do you need a guide, or can you hike into a glacier cave on your own?
You need a guide. Visit Vatnajökull, the official tourism site for the region, says a cave should never be entered without a glacier guide and safety equipment, and inside the national park only companies under contract with certified Jökla 3 guides may lead tours at all. The lava tubes are the same: Raufarhólshellir has been guided-only since 2017 and Vatnshellir always has been. None of the six is walk-in.
Is an ice cave tour in Iceland safe after the 2024 accident?
Inside Vatnajökull National Park the rules changed because of it: every cave is risk-assessed daily by a group of experienced guides, tours are banned when the assessment comes back negative, group sizes are capped and summer visits are off. Outside the park none of that is binding - Iceland Review reported in April 2025 that ice cave tours beyond Vatnajökull remain unregulated. Ask the operator directly how they assess the cave and how many guests share a guide.
Do I need a 4x4 rental car in winter to reach the meeting points?
Every meeting point except Húsafell and Vatnshellir is on or just off the Ring Road, and it is cleared in winter. Even so, take a 4x4 with winter tyres between October and April, add the sand and ash damage waiver Icelandic rental companies offer, and check road.is and vedur.is the morning of your tour. Nobody drives onto the glacier itself - that leg is done in the operator's super jeep.
What should I wear, and what gear is provided?
Hiking boots with ankle support are mandatory on the glacier tours - crampons will not hold on trainers, and rental boots are generally not available at the meeting points. Bring warm layers, a waterproof jacket and trousers, a hat and gloves. Helmet, crampons and headlamp come from the operator, and Vatnshellir supplies a helmet and torch.
How far ahead do I need to book?
Þríhnúkagígur is the one to plan around: one to two weeks in the June to August peak, and dates for the next season only go on sale in mid-November. Vatnshellir fills up in summer. The crystal cave is worth booking early because the park may cap departures. Katla, the Langjökull tunnel and Raufarhólshellir can usually still be had a day or two out.
Can I do the crystal ice cave as a day trip from Reykjavík?
On paper yes, sensibly no. Jökulsárlón is about 379 km away and the drive alone is roughly five hours each way. If you are based in Reykjavík, take the Langjökull ice tunnel (11 hours from the city) or the Raufarhólshellir lava tunnel (3 hours with transfer) instead, and save the crystal cave for a trip with a night in Vík, Hali or Höfn.
How cold is it inside?
About 0 °C in the Langjökull ice tunnel, whatever the season. Raufarhólshellir sits at 0 to 4 °C all year with water dripping from the ceiling, and Vatnshellir stays just above freezing. In the glacier caves at Vatnajökull and Kötlujökull what actually decides how cold you feel is the wind on the walk out to the entrance.
How old do children have to be?
Vatnshellir from 5, and free up to 11. The Katla cave from 6, the crystal cave from 6 or 10 depending on the company, Þríhnúkagígur from 8, and the Lava Falls adventure tour in Raufarhólshellir from 12. For the standard lava tunnel tour and the Classic tour in Langjökull the operators give no minimum age.
What is the difference between an ice cave and a lava tunnel?
An ice cave sits in glacier ice, is a few months or years old and changes constantly. A lava tunnel is solid rock and has not moved in thousands of years: Raufarhólshellir is about 5,600 years old, Vatnshellir about 8,000. Ice columns forming at the mouth of Raufarhólshellir in winter do not make it an ice cave, however it is sold online.
How often are tours cancelled, and do I get my money back?
Cancellations peak in autumn and spring, when rain and thaw flood the passages and meltwater streams on the glacier become impassable. Glacier Adventure refunds 100 per cent when the company cancels for safety reasons but not when the weather is poor and the tour still runs. Arctic Adventures allows free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead, Summit Adventure Guides at Vatnshellir up to 4 hours ahead.
Is the man-made tunnel in Langjökull worth it?
It is if you are travelling in summer or cannot afford a cancelled day: 500 m of tunnel, five finished chambers, a crevasse with a wooden bridge and a steady 0 °C whatever the weather. If you are near Vatnajökull in January, a natural cave gives you more for the money - and it can also be called off on the morning.
Is Þríhnúkagígur dangerous - is the volcano active?
Þríhnúkagígur last erupted about 4,000 years ago and the chamber is empty and cold. You go down on an open cable platform that takes six or seven minutes to cover 120 m; the shaft is 213 m deep in total. Getting there means 3 km of walking each way over a lava field, about 45 to 50 minutes.
Sources
Show 35 sources – every figure on this page is sourced
- thelavatunnel.is/ – Raufarhólshellir: tours and prices (8,900 / 14,900 / 27,900 ISK), opening hours 9am-5pm year round, length 1,360 m, width up to 30 m, height up to 10 m, age about 5,200-5,600 years, 30 minutes from Reykjavík, walkway and lighting
- thelavatunnel.is/faq/ – Temperature 0-4 °C, minimum age 12 for the Lava Falls tour, group sizes (up to 30, or 8-10), 55-60 minutes in the tunnel, hiking boots and rain jacket
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raufarh%C3%B3lshellir – Length 1,360 m, formed 5,600 years ago in the Leitahraun eruption, closed at the end of 2016 and reopened in 2017 as guided-only, Seventh-day Adventist land, fourth-longest lava tube in Iceland, coordinates
- www.intotheglacier.is/ – Langjökull ice tunnel: tours and prices (24,900 / 31,990 / 38,900 / 38,990 / 46,990 / 280,000 ISK), departures from Húsafell, Klaki and Reykjavík, partner prices Víðgelmir 7,500 ISK and the lava tunnel 8,400 ISK
- intotheglacier.is/faq/ – Around 0 °C whatever the season, crampons provided, about 500 m of walking and roughly an hour standing, duration 3.5-4 h from Húsafell, 2-3 h from Klaki, 9-11 h from Reykjavík, minimum age 8 on the snowmobile option, not wheelchair accessible
- intotheglacier.is/blog/story-behind-man-made-ice-cave/ – Tunnel 500 m long, 3 m high, 3.5 m wide, 25 m of ice above, 200 m below, 1,260 m above sea level, 5,500 m³ of ice removed, 14 months of construction, five chambers, chapel, crevasse with wooden bridge
- adventures.is/iceland/day-tours/ice-caves/katla-ice-cave-tour-u… – Katla ice cave: $198, 3 h from Vík or 11 h from Reykjavík, meeting point the Icewear car park, minimum age 6, year round, helmet and crampons provided, 1-2 km walk, hiking boots with ankle support, no rental on site
- katlatrack.is/all-tours/ice-cave-tours/ – Katla Fast Track 29,900 ISK (2.5-3 h), drone tour 41,500 ISK, private tours 197,500 and 219,500 ISK, meeting point Austurvegur 16 in Vík
- katlatrack.is/visit-ice-caves-during-summer-iceland/ – Operator article of 19 July 2025: 'you can actually visit the Katla ice cave in summer', 'Katla is accessible all year round', daily inspection of the glacier; no mention of the national park closure or the 2024 accident
- www.southadventure.is/tours/katla-ice-cave-tour/ – Katla ice cave from 29,990 ISK, 3 h, departures 10:00 / 11:30 / 13:45 / 15:00 from the Icewear car park, daily year round, age 6 and up, helmet and crampons, packing list
- midgardadventure.is/tours/katla-ice-cave-tour-vik/ – Katla ice cave 29,990 ISK, 3 h, season given as November-May, age 6 and up, meeting point the Icewear car park in Vík, arrive 15 minutes early
- adventures.is/iceland/day-tours/ice-caves/crystal-ice-cave/ – Crystal cave: $154 instead of $181, 2-3 h, meeting point Jökulsárlón, season October to April, age 6 and up, super jeep, helmet/crampons/headlamp, 15-20 minute walk, 379 km from Reykjavík, free cancellation up to 24 h ahead, colour from blue to grey
- glacieradventure.is/tour/crystal-ice-cave-adventure/ – Crystal cave 23,800 ISK, 3 h of which about one hour inside, Hali base 13 km east of Jökulsárlón, season November to April, departures 9am and 1pm, age 10 and up, max. 12 guests, 100 per cent refund only when cancelled for safety reasons
- visitvatnajokull.is/ice-caves-in-vatnajokull/ – Official tourism site: season November to March, caves cut by meltwater, flooding in warm and rainy weather, explicit warning never to enter without a glacier guide and safety equipment
- www.vatnajokulsthjodgardur.is/en/news/ishellaferdir-og-joklagongur – Vatnajökull National Park: suspension of ice cave visits, ban on ice roofs and arches, Jökla 3 certificate for guides, new contracts from 1 November 2024
- www.icelandreview.com/news/ice-cave-tours-suspended-as-task-for… – 28 August 2024: all ice cave tours in the national park suspended after the fatal collapse on Breiðamerkurjökull, task force from four ministries, 2017 risk assessment advising against summer tours
- www.icelandreview.com/news/ice-cave-tours-unregulated-beyond-va… – 3 April 2025: no regulations apply to ice cave tours outside Vatnajökull National Park; quote from the Icelandic Tourist Board's Dagbjartur Brynjarsson that in reality there are no established rules; park ranger Steinunn Hödd Harðardóttir gives 30 April as the last tour of the season
- grapevine.is/news/2025/09/16/visitor-numbers-may-be-limited-on-… – 16 September 2025: season October to April, closure May to September, 30 of 34 applicants under contract, 8-16 guests per guide, around 200,000 participants the previous winter, visitor numbers may be capped
- www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/new-stricter-safety-rul… – New rules: daily risk assessment of each cave, entry banned on a negative assessment, expert council from the national park, the tourism association and the mountain guide association, in force by November 2024
- www.summitguides.is/vatnshellir-cave-tour – Vatnshellir: prices 5,900 / 4,600 / 2,600 ISK, children 5-11 free, age 5 and up, 45 minutes, year round, helmet and torch provided, just above freezing, no heels or flip-flops, cancellation up to 4 h ahead, address Gufuskálar, toilets at Malarrif
- www.west.is/en/place/vatnshellir-cave – Official regional site: 8,000-year-old lava tube, more than 200 m long, 35 m below the surface, summer 10am-6pm, two tours a day in winter, operator Summit Adventure Guides, coordinates
- insidethevolcano.com/the-tour/ – Þríhnúkagígur: 51,000 ISK adults, 25,000 ISK children 8-12, transfer 4,500-6,399 ISK, season 5 May to 30 October, 5-6 h with transfer, 3 km walk each way, 45-50 minutes, 120 m descent in about 7 minutes, roughly 30 minutes in the chamber, lamb soup and rain gear included
- insidethevolcano.com/book-now – Booking page: season 5 May to 30 October, dates for the following season from mid-November, BSÍ transfer 4,500 ISK, hotel pickup 1,899 ISK extra, about 4 hours for self-drivers
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrihnukagigur – Depth 213 m, floor area 3,270 m², last eruption about 4,000 years ago, explored in 1974 by Árni B. Stefánsson, public tours since 2012, operator 3H Travel, part of the Brennisteinsfjöll volcanic system
- guidetoiceland.is/nature-info/ice-caves-in-iceland – English guide updated 18 September 2026: 'Most ice caves in Iceland are only accessible in winter', Katla and Langjökull as year-round options, crystal cave October to April, 'No, ice caves can only be visited with certified glacier guides'; no mention of the 2024 collapse, the May-September closure or the Jökla 3 rules
- guidetoiceland.is/travel-iceland/drive/the-crystal-ice-cave – Updated 18 September 2026: crystal cave October to April, about a 5-hour drive from Reykjavík, 'You cannot enter on your own, as access requires a certified glacier guide'; no mention of the closure or the 2024 accident
- adventures.is/iceland/attractions/ice-caves-in-iceland/ – English overview: 'Since 2011, this cave has formed in more or less the same location', 'The traditional ice cave season in Iceland runs from November to March', two caves open all year
- www.re.is/blog/ice-caves-in-iceland-your-complete-guide/ – Reykjavík Excursions, 13 December 2023: 'You're able to walk as far as 550 metres (1,640 feet) into the ice, in the longest ice tunnel on earth'; Langjökull possible all year
- worlderingaround.com/en/nordic/iceland-ice-caves – English travel blog, last updated 9 February 2022: crystal ice cave 'around 130€', Langjökull 'walk 550 meters deep inside the glacier', season November to March
- icelandtravelguide.is/locations/raufarholshellir-lava-cave/ – Page headed 'Raufarhólshellir Lava Cave - Longest Lava Tube in Iceland' while its own fact box says 'Fourth Largest lava tube in Iceland'; lists 1,360 metres as an elevation and says professional guides are recommended; prices from 8,900 / 14,900 / 33,490 ISK
- allthingsiceland.com/katla-crystal-ice-cave-comparison/ – English blog of 3 January 2025: 'The ice cave season is usually from late November to March', Katla $216 and crystal cave $156 as of January 2025; no mention of the closure or the 2024 accident
- icelandwithaview.com/best-time-to-visit-ice-caves-iceland/ – English blog updated 24 July 2026: 'Katla is one of the few ice caves in Iceland that's open year-round', tours 'generally only available from November to March', going without a guide framed as not recommended; no mention of the closure, the 2024 collapse or Jökla 3
- thrihnukagigurvolcano.com/worth-it/ – Third-party affiliate site updated August 2026: $433 per person and $554 with pickup, chamber floor given as roughly 50 by 70 metres, season 5 May to 30 October, disclaimer 'This website is not a tour operator, travel agency, or seller of travel'
- perlan.is/exhibitions/icecave – Perlan Reykjavík: man-made ice cave, 100 m long, more than 350 tonnes of snow from Icelandic mountains, the first of its kind
- www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1000&From=ISK&To=USD – Mid-market rate 1 ISK = 0.00824453 USD, 20 September 2026, 14:22 UTC - the basis for every dollar figure on this page