Breiðamerkurjökull · Vatnajökull · Southeast Iceland
The Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon is the launch point for Iceland's most famous blue ice cave tours. Super jeeps run from the lagoon car park onto Breiðamerkurjökull, an outlet of Vatnajökull, to natural caves that form fresh each winter. Compare the guided tours below.
Choose your trip
All of these meet at the Jökulsárlón lagoon and run only in winter, when the caves are stable. Prices are per person in US dollars, and every trip offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
The best value and most reviewed of the Jökulsárlón cave tours. A 4x4 super jeep runs from the lagoon car park to a naturally formed cave in Vatnajökull, with national park admission and gear included. Groups run larger, up to 28, which is part of what keeps the price down.
Free cancellation up to 24h
The highest-rated option, run by a small local company on the west side of Breiðamerkurjökull. Expect a genuine glacier walk of 20 to 30 minutes to reach the blue caves, in a small group of up to 12. If the caves are unsafe, they switch to an ice crevasse or glacier hike, or offer a full refund.
Free cancellation up to 24h
A small-group trip to a natural blue cave straight from the Jökulsárlón lagoon, with a super jeep to the glacier and a short hike in. Well rated, though reviewers note the cave can be modest in size and only faintly blue depending on the day's light and weather.
Free cancellation up to 24h
A crystal blue ice cave super-jeep tour with optional hotel pickup from Reykjavík built in. Helmets, crampons and national park fees are covered, and departures run morning and afternoon through the winter season.
Free cancellation up to 24h
A focused, cave-first super-jeep run into the ice canyons and caves of Breiðamerkurjökull, with around 40 minutes inside among the blue ice. Note that food, parking and transport to the meeting point are not included, so factor those in if you are coming from further afield.
Free cancellation up to 24h
The Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon is the gateway to Iceland's most famous ice caves. The caves themselves form in Breiðamerkurjökull, the outlet glacier of Vatnajökull that feeds the lagoon, just a short super-jeep ride from the car park. These are the same deep-blue crystal ice caves Iceland is known for — grouped here by the lagoon most tours leave from.
Every tour is guided. You meet at the lagoon car park, ride a modified super jeep off-road toward the glacier, then walk a short distance to the cave entrance in crampons your guide provides. The caves are a winter-only feature, roughly November to late March, and conditions change daily — after heavy rain a cave can flood, in which case operators switch to a glacier hike or ice crevasse, or refund you.
The lagoon is a highlight in its own right, filled with icebergs that calve from the glacier and drift out to sea. Across the road, Diamond Beach catches those icebergs on black sand — both are free and right beside the cave meeting point, so most visitors see them the same day. In summer, when the caves are closed, lagoon boat tours and glacier hikes take their place.
Jökulsárlón sits about 380 km (a 5-hour drive) from Reykjavik on the Ring Road. That is a long way for a single day, so many people base themselves nearby in Höfn or Skaftafell, or book a two or three-day tour that pairs the ice cave with the South Coast and its waterfalls. Long day tours from Reykjavik exist but make for a 12 to 14-hour day.
For the lowest price, the National Park tour runs larger groups from $157. For the highest rating and a small, local operator, the Original Ice Cave tour is the pick. The Natural Blue Ice Cave adds a short hike to a natural cave, and the Crystal Blue Ice Cave builds in hotel pickup from Reykjavik. Group sizes are shown on each tour so you can weigh price against a more personal experience.
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