Katla Ice Cave ToursKatla Ice Cave Tour From Reykjavík: What the Day Involves
A Katla ice cave tour from Reykjavík is a twelve-hour day, and roughly six of those hours are spent on Route 1. You are collected in the dark, driven along the south coast with stops at Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, transferred into a super jeep at Vík, walked into the ice, and delivered back to the capital in the evening. Two operators sell that day, at $287.69 and $293.46, and the difference between them is the vehicle and the stops rather than the cave. If you have a car, meeting the guide in Vík costs about a hundred dollars less and takes three hours; both routes appear on the Katla ice cave tour comparison.
About the Day Tours
Pickup from about 08:00, back in the capital around 20:00
Per person, against $182.55 to $276.13 if you meet the guide in Vík
27 designated points on one tour, hotel pickup on the other
Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, 25 to 40 minutes at each
Jeep transfer from Vík, the walk in, and the time inside the chamber
One break at Hvolsvöllur, 15 to 20 minutes, where you buy your own
Check Live Availability and Prices
Departures run daily through the winter and most days the rest of the year. Prices are per person in US dollars.
What You Are Paying the Extra Hundred Dollars For
Both day tours end up in the same jeeps at Vík as the three-hour departures. Nobody gets a better cave for booking from the capital. The extra $100 to $110 buys the driving, the two waterfall stops and a guide talking for six hours, which is a fair deal if you have no car and a bad one if you do.
It also buys a longer exposure to the weather. A three-hour tour out of Vík cancels for wind at the glacier. A twelve-hour day can also be cut short by a closed road at Mýrdalssandur or Hellisheiði, and it commits your whole day either way.
The honest way to read it: if Katla is one stop in a south coast trip you were making anyway, book from Vík. If you are in Reykjavík for four days with no rental car, this is the only version that exists for you, and both operators run it well.
Both Day Tours From the Capital
Six dollars apart on price and rated within a tenth of a point of each other. The vehicle and the stop list are what differ.
from $287.69Adds Two Waterfalls Reykjavik: Katla Ice Cave & South Coast Tour
Pickup at 27 points in Reykjavík, stops at Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss, then the jeep to the cave from Vík. Age 6 and up, group of 14.
Read the full guide → Check Availability
from $293.46Highest Rated — 4.8 From Reykjavik: Katla Ice Cave and South Coast Day Tour
Minibus from Reykjavík with hotel pickup, 20 minutes of sand path and 10 on the glacier. Boots are mandatory and can be rented at the cave.
Read the full guide → Check AvailabilityThe Two Day Tours Compared
Read the stops row first. One tour adds Reynisfjara black beach, the other adds a longer stay in Vík itself.
| Tour | Price | Min age | Book | Vehicle | Stops besides the cave | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arctic Adventures full day | $287.69 | 6 | Check | Coach, max 14 at the cave | Skógafoss, Seljalandsfoss, Vík | 4.7 (1,331) |
| South coast minibus | $293.46 | 8 | Check | Minibus, then super jeep | Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss, Reynisfjara | 4.8 (206) |
Prices read off GetYourGuide on 5 August 2026. Both include pickup and drop-off in Reykjavík.
Which of the Two to Book
Arctic Adventures, $287.69, the one that takes six-year-olds
The bigger operation: 1,331 reviews at 4.7, groups capped at 14 for the glacier part, and 27 designated pickup points across Reykjavík, from Hallgrímskirkja to the cruise terminal at Skarfabakki. Minimum age 6, which makes it the only day tour here open to younger children.
Its itinerary puts Skógafoss on the way out and Seljalandsfoss on the way back, with a 20-minute break at Hvolsvöllur and 30 minutes in Vík after the cave. The recurring complaint in the reviews is pace: several travellers ask for more time at the stops and a longer meal break.
South coast minibus, $293.46, the highest-rated
Six dollars more and the best score on the whole site, 4.8 from 206 reviews, with 93% of English-speaking travellers rating it five out of five. It runs a minibus rather than a coach and adds Reynisfjara black sand beach for 40 minutes on the way home.
The listing is unusually specific about the walk: 20 minutes on a sandy path and 10 minutes on the glacier, with hiking boots mandatory and available to rent at the cave location, which is the only listing here that offers that. Minimum age 8, and it excludes wheelchair users and anyone with a low level of fitness.
The Cave at the End of the Drive
Iceland with a View films inside Kötlujökull and explains why this cave keeps running when the Vatnajökull caves shut for the summer.
What You See on the Way
The south coast between Reykjavík and Vík is the busiest 180 km in Iceland for a reason. The road runs under the Eyjafjallajökull ice cap, past two of the country's most photographed waterfalls, and out onto black sand plains that were farmland before Katla's floods buried them.
- Seljalandsfoss, the waterfall with a path running behind the curtain of water, 25 to 30 minutes
- Skógafoss, 60 metres high with a staircase up the side, 30 to 40 minutes
- Hvolsvöllur, the fuel and coffee stop 15 minutes in from Route 1, your only chance to buy food
- Reynisfjara black sand beach and its basalt columns, on the minibus tour only
- Mýrdalssandur, the sand plain the jeep crosses, with Hafursey standing alone in the middle of it
- The Katla ice cave itself, blue ice banded with black ash from eruptions that reach back centuries
The Day, Hour by Hour
-
08:00
Pickup in Reykjavík
Be at your point 10 minutes early. Arctic Adventures uses 27 designated stops rather than every hotel door; the minibus tour collects at hotels. In midwinter this happens in the dark.
-
09:30
Hvolsvöllur break
Fifteen to twenty minutes at the fuel station. Buy your lunch here, since no tour on this page feeds you and nothing else is open until Vík.
-
10:15
First waterfall
Seljalandsfoss on the minibus tour, Skógafoss on the Arctic Adventures run. Twenty-five to forty minutes, and the spray reaches further than you think.
-
12:00
Vík and the jeep transfer
The coach or minibus hands you over to a super jeep on oversized tyres. This is the same vehicle the three-hour Vík tours use.
-
12:45
Across Mýrdalssandur
Forty-five minutes off-road on black sand, with a stop while the driver lets air out of the tyres to about 12 to 16 psi.
-
13:30
Crampons and the walk in
Helmet and crampons fitted at the glacier edge, then 20 minutes on a sandy path and 10 on the ice. Boots with ankle support are mandatory.
-
14:00
Inside the Katla ice cave
Thirty to sixty minutes among the ash bands, then the same route back to the jeep.
-
16:00
Second waterfall or the beach
Reynisfjara for 40 minutes on the minibus tour, Seljalandsfoss on the way home with Arctic Adventures.
-
20:00
Back in Reykjavík
Drop-off at the same points, usually around eight in the evening. Later if the weather slowed the road.
Things Worth Knowing Before You Book
This is a long day with one narrow window in the middle where the actual attraction happens. Everything that goes wrong on these tours goes wrong with the road or the weather.
- Minimum age 6 on the Arctic Adventures day, 8 on the minibus tour
- The minibus tour excludes wheelchair users and people with a low level of fitness
- Hiking boots are mandatory on both and can be rented at the cave on the minibus tour only
- No meals are included; the Hvolsvöllur stop is 15 to 20 minutes and there is nothing after it until Vík
- In December you will see both waterfalls and the cave in about five hours of usable daylight
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours out on both tours, with no payment taken at booking
- Book it early in your trip: south coast wind and road closures cancel more departures in December than in any other month
The Route
180 km each way on Route 1, then 45 minutes off-road to Kötlujökull. About six hours of the twelve are spent moving.
Who This Day Suits
A twelve-hour bus day is the right answer for a specific traveller and the wrong one for everybody else.
- Good for: a city-only trip of three or four days with no rental car
- Good for: anyone who wants the waterfalls and the cave settled in one booking
- Good for: winter visitors nervous about driving Route 1 in the dark, which is a reasonable fear
- Not for: anyone already driving the south coast, who should book in Vík and save about $100
- Not for: families with a child under 8, unless they take the Arctic Adventures day, which starts at 6
- Not for: travellers who hate long coach days, since six of the twelve hours are on the road
Questions About the Day Tour
How long is the Katla ice cave tour from Reykjavík?
Twelve hours door to door. Roughly two hours to Hvolsvöllur and the first waterfall, another two along the coast to Vík, about three hours for the jeep transfer and the cave itself, and two to three hours back depending on the last stop. Pickup is around eight in the morning and drop-off around eight in the evening.
Is the day tour from Reykjavík worth it compared to meeting in Vík?
It depends on whether you have a car. The cave is identical: both day tours transfer you into the same super jeeps at Vík that the three-hour tours use. You pay $287.69 or $293.46 instead of $182.55 to $276.13, and you get two waterfalls and a driver for the difference. With a rental car and a night on the south coast, the Vík departures are better value. Without one, this is the only way to reach the cave.
What time does the tour get back to Reykjavík?
Around 20:00 on both operators, at the same point where you were collected. Winter weather pushes that later, and the drivers will not rush the last stretch of Route 1 in wind or ice. Do not book anything for that evening, and if you have a morning flight the next day, allow for a late finish.
Is food included on the day tour?
No. Neither tour includes meals or drinks. There is one break at Hvolsvöllur of 15 to 20 minutes where you can buy food at the fuel station, and 30 minutes in Vík on the Arctic Adventures run. Bring a packed lunch and water, because between Hvolsvöllur and Vík there is nowhere to stop.
What should I wear on the day tour?
Hiking boots with a stiff sole and ankle support are mandatory: crampons will not clamp onto trainers. Add a waterproof jacket and trousers, a thermal base layer, a hat and gloves. The minibus tour is the only listing here that rents boots at the cave location; nobody rents clothing. You will also get wet at Seljalandsfoss if you walk behind it.
Can the day tour be cancelled?
Yes, and it happens most often in December. Wind at the glacier, a closed south coast road, or the guide's morning inspection of the chamber will all stop it, and you are refunded in full when the operator cancels. You can also cancel yourself up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund. Booking the cave for your first or second day in Iceland leaves room to rebook.
What People Say After the Day Tour
Awesome tour! The landscapes we were able to see were breathtaking. We visited the waterfalls, the black sand beach and Katla cave. To visit the Katla cave we changed transport to a big truck with huge wheels. It was such a fun ride!
Our guide Wendy was brilliant, very informative and funny. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Katla cave experience was great, guide very cheerful and made it a good experience. We enjoyed it so much we booked another excursion with this company.
Tour guides were GREAT, the ice cave took my breath away, one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my life.
Quotes come from the GetYourGuide listings for the tours on this page, reproduced as written.