Katla Ice Cave Super Jeep Tour: The Arctic Adventures Departure

The Meeting Point and the Drive

You make your own way to Vik and meet in the bus car park on the south side of the Icewear and Kronan building. There is no hotel pickup on this listing, which is normal for the Vik departures and the reason they cost less than the day trips from Reykjavik.

From there the super jeep runs out of town and onto the moraine that leads to Myrdalsjokull. The track is meltwater channels and loose rock, and the vehicle is the reason the tour exists at this price rather than as a private charter.

Kit and the Walk In

At the ice the guide runs a safety briefing and hands out crampons and the rest of the safety equipment. The walk onto the glacier is short but it is on ice, and crampons take some getting used to if you have never worn them.

The cave itself is dark, blue and streaked with black where volcanic ash has been pressed into the ice by past eruptions. The route inside changes through the season because the glacier moves and the meltwater re-cuts it, so the shape in the photographs is not a promise.

What the Ratio Means

One guide to every 14 travellers is the number this listing publishes, and none of the others in Vik do. On ice that ratio decides how long you wait at the narrow parts and how much explanation you actually hear.

It is not the smallest group on offer. Troll Expeditions caps the whole tour at 13 people, which is tighter, and charges $80 more for it.

Supplied and Not Supplied

Included: the super jeep, an English-speaking guide, the visit to the cave, crampons and all required safety equipment. Not included: food, drinks and every item of clothing.

The listing's own packing line is warm clothing, a waterproof jacket and trousers, hiking boots, head-wear and gloves. Some operators in Vik rent those by the item; this one does not say it does, so arrive dressed.

Age and Fitness

The minimum age is 6, which is the lowest of the Vik departures, and the listing calls the tour suitable for all physical fitness levels. That is an honest description of a short walk on flat ice rather than a glacier hike.

What it does not say, and what the other Vik listings do, is anything about claustrophobia. An ice cave is a confined space with one way out. If that is a problem, the Lava Show in Vik gives you volcanic rock at 1,100°C in a theatre seat for $55.

Afternoon Departures Cost Less

The listing sells three options: a morning departure at 8:30, a standard departure, and an afternoon slot at a discount. If the price is what decides your day, the afternoon is the cheaper way into the same cave.

Light is the trade. In winter an afternoon slot on the south coast can mean walking back to the jeep in the dark, which is atmospheric and slower.

Katla Under the Ice

Katla last erupted in 1918 and sits under Myrdalsjokull, one of the largest ice caps in the country. You will not see a crater or lava on this tour. What you see is the ice the volcano heats from below, which is a different and stranger thing.

The practical consequence is water. A glacial outburst flood ran down Mulakvisl, the river draining the eastern side of the ice cap, beginning on 18 August and taking about two weeks to subside, with the Met Office tracking conductivity and discharge and watching for gas along the river.

Why Tours Cancel on Clear Days

Floods and shifting ice, not eruptions, are what close these tours. The Met Office also warned this summer that the terminus of Solheimajokull, the glacier tongue further west, had become unstable enough that rockfall and moving ice were a risk to visitors.

An operator that cancels in good weather is usually reading the river or the ice rather than the sky. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start, and an operator-side cancellation is refunded in full.

Price, Group and Age

The cave is the same for all of them. What differs is the size of the group, the youngest age accepted and whether you have to be in Vik already. Every figure below is read from the operator's own listing.

Reading the Table

The $93 spread between the cheapest and the dearest departure buys you a smaller group and a better review record, not a better cave. Troll Expeditions at $274 has 1,512 reviews behind a 4.7 and caps the tour at 13 people. This listing at $194 has 299 reviews behind a 4.5 and publishes the ratio instead of the cap. Gravel Travel at $181 is the cheapest and carries the lowest rating of the three at 4.4.

The Reykjavik departure is the outlier and the only one worth paying for if you are not already on the south coast: $257 covers the coach down, the waterfalls on the way and the super jeep transfer, inside an 11 hour day of which 4 to 5 hours is driving.

If you are sleeping in Vik, any of the three local departures wastes less of your day than the bus from the capital, and the choice comes down to the age limit and how many people you want on the ice beside you.