Hundred percent stunning but timing has to be spot-on to walk into one of those. PIC Hase don
S hould you be contemplating a trip to Iceland you have very likely come across one of those amazing pictures of massive deep-blue colored ice caves making the rounds in the social media world. Naturally you want to see those with your own eyes.
So, where to turn for detailed info you may ask. Certainly there must be a local company specializing in ice-cave tours? That is affirmative and negative.
All glacier caves in Iceland are dangerous
Affirmative in the sense that yes, there are companies offering ice-cave hikes, and no in that such caves are naturally only found in the glaciers dotting this land. As the glaciers move and rumble so do ice caves collapse, move or form. In other words, mother nature or mother glacier, is not making it possible to promise ice cave exploring on a regular basis. It is and will be a hit or miss for any tourist according to weather, season and other factors at play.
Theoretically, caves within glaciers are not called ice-caves but glacier caves. In Icelandic glaciers only a handful of caves stay the same, more or less, for weeks, months and sometimes years and those do so only because of geothermal warmth coming from down under. Even those can change rapidly at any time. Examples of such caves are found in Kverkfjoll area of Vatnajokull glacier.
Most other glacier caves are crevasses made temporarily with the motion of the glacier or because of water running under a glacier in a given spot. Such caves are made and unmade each day in Vatnajokull glacier, Langjokull glacier, Hofsjokull glacier, Svinafellsjokull glacier and some other places but most are never seen.
All glacier caves in Iceland are dangerous due to their unstable nature. A few deaths have been recorded in Iceland when people entered caves that later collapsed. There is, naturally, no way out if a glacier decides to compress all of a sudden and even if folks have prior warning caves tend to be slippery as hell and everyone trying to run across a skating rink without skates will attest that this is no easy task.
One tour company specializing in glacier cave trips and with massive experience, unlike most others, is Local Guide running trips in Öræfajokul glacier in the South of the country. Total Iceland fully recommends these guys.
