From Reykjavik: Katla Ice Cave and South Coast Day Tour
Description
Join a guided tour on a minibus to the South Coast most popular sites & explore the magnificent Katla Ice Cave on super-jeep ride through an off-road. Join an expedition to explore the South Coast and the magnificent Katla Ice Cave. Enjoy the most famous locations in the South Coast like Seljalands waterfall, where you can walk behind in the summer time, Skogafoss waterfall, and the black sand beach, with fun and creative guides. Hop on a super-jeep and take a seat with your fellow adventurous companions. Make sure to fasten your seatbelt for a 40-minute off-road bumpy ride into the outstanding wilderness. On the way to the ice cave, your guide will share with you interesting stories about the Katla volcano, its destructive eruptions, and irreversible consequences. The views on the way are breathtaking, you will feel like you are on the moon. Once the exploration has finished your driver guide will be waiting for you to guide you back to Reykjavik capital area.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This is one of the most powerful glacier waterfalls in Iceland, with a dramatic 60-meter drop. You can walk behind it in the summer time since the its waters fall from a cliff that forms a wide cave behind it.
This is one of the most famous glacier waterfalls in Iceland, must see when travelling to the South Coast. Skógafoss – which means “forest waterfall’ in Icelandic’, is one of Iceland’s largest and most beautiful waterfalls, with another dramatic 60-meter drop (197 feet), and one of few waterfalls that can be viewed from the top.
Reynisfjara – also known as the Black Sand Beach. formed after numerous volcanic eruptions in the area, slowly eroding the lava over millions of years. At this breathtaking place, you will also be welcomed by massive basalt columns. Basalt columns have a special shape because of the way the lava cools. They are shaped in the form of a cave, perfect spot for pictures! Mind the waves at this location: you will see the power of the Atlantic ocean there! usually this is the place where you can grab some lunch at the restaurant you will find at location.
Hop on a super-jeep and take a seat with your fellow adventurous companions. Make sure to fasten your seatbelt for a 40-minute off-road bumpy ride into the outstanding wilderness. On the way, your guide will share with you interesting stories about the Katla volcano, as well as tales and facts related to this fascinating and remote area in the South of Iceland. The views on the way are breathtaking, you will feel like you are on the moon. Before entering the cave, your guide will provide you with all the safety gear needed before accessing the ice cave. Pay attention to your guide's safety instructions. Reach up the glacier hill to access the majestic Katla ice cave. Underneath the glacier waits the mighty volcano Katla where the both the glacier and the ice cave takes their name from. Once the exploration has finished, start making your way back to the meeting point in Vik, where your driver guide will be waiting for you to guide you back to Reykjavik capital area.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Please be ready at 8:00 AM at your designated pick up location. We start picking up at the bus stops around downtown Reykjavik and then move on to locations outside the centre. The pick up process usually takes up to 30 minutes. Due to traffic regulations, we can't stop at all hotel entrances downtown, so please read carefully if you will be picked up at your hotel or at the nearest designated Bus Stop (usually no further than a couple of mins walk). For walking distance to bus stops, please check the bus stop site added to your voucher for your guidance. Hiking boots are mandatory (available also for rental at Katla cave location)
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Age limit for this tour is 8 years
- The total duration includes travel time
Reviews(140)
Tour was great. Both Bjorn and John were very informative and happy to share their knowledge and experience on the amazing raw power of nature we experienced today, particularly the ice cave. Both our guides had a good sense of humour which made the tour even more enjoyable.
We did two tours with Trolls on consecutive days. Both tours were outstanding experiences and we are so happy we decided to go with Trolls. The mini buses were very modern and clean. They included free WiFi and had USB-A charging ports above each seat—necessary because you will want to take a lot of photos. Our tours had less than 15 people each day which made the stops very manageable. We saw other tours with full size buses loaded with people that looked very unappealing. The smaller group size allowed a more intimate experience and allowed you to clearly hear the guide. All of our tour guides were very knowledgeable and friendly. The schedule is tight and many stops were approximately 30 minutes. Although you may not be able to fully explore each spot (for example: climb the 500 steps up Skógafoss Waterfall), there were still many photographic opportunities. Communication with Trolls was extremely easy and quick through email. I wrote several times with questions and once to change my pick up location. They always responding within several hours, despite me writing them late in the evening. They may communicate with you about your trip via email while you are traveling so it is very important to check often. On two occasions, I didn’t see emails from them until much later. It was only a slight adjustment to the pick up time, but should have checked my email sooner. The first tour was the Katla Ice Cave South Coast - Day Tour from Reykjavik. We stopped twice to see waterfalls. Each waterfall had its own unique beauty and worth the stop. The next stop was the Black Sand Beach—Reynisfjara—a very popular film shooting location. The basalt columns were awe inspiring, and I was pleased to see the puffins nesting above them. The end of the trip was the Katla Ice Cave. We went on a gorgeous day and extra layers were not needed. Definitely wear good hiking shoes because even with the supplied crampons, climbing up and down the crevices of the glacier require careful footing. The effort is worth the other worldly feeling. The two days I spent with Trolls were full of sights and moments to remember. Trolls were very easy to work with and I highly recommend them for your Iceland excursion.
We traveled as a family of four and spent a lot of time agonizing over whether to book this 12-hour excursion or one of the 11-hour alternatives on Viator. Ultimately, we paid about $100 more per person for this specific tour because it promised extra time at each of the South Coast stops. While we enjoyed the overall trip, the itinerary timing was a significant disappointment: • Seljalandsfoss: Scheduled for 45 minutes, but the guide rushed us back to the bus in 30 minutes. • Skógafoss: Scheduled for 45 minutes, but cut short to 30 minutes. • Reynisfjara / Vík Black Sand Beach: Scheduled for 1.5 hours, but cut down to just 1 hour. Given the premium price point explicitly meant to purchase more time outside the bus, feeling rushed at every single stop was frustrating. Additionally, the Wi-Fi on the transfer bus did not work during the trip because the power cord continuously reset the router. Lots of time in the bus!! The Highlight: Despite the timing issues, the Katla Ice Cave portion was phenomenal! Our Super Jeep guide, Boris, was incredibly personable, engaging, and made the off-road ride an absolute blast. The ice caves themselves were simply breathtaking and made the whole excursion worthwhile for our family. Summary: A great day out with an unforgettable ice cave experience, but manage your expectations regarding time spent at the waterfall and beach stops compared to shorter, less expensive tours.
We traveled as a family of four and spent a lot of time agonizing over whether to book this 12-hour excursion or one of the 11-hour alternatives on Viator. Ultimately, we paid about $100 more per person for this specific tour because it promised extra time at each of the South Coast stops. While we enjoyed the overall trip, the itinerary timing was a significant disappointment: • Seljalandsfoss: Scheduled for 45 minutes, but the guide rushed us back to the bus in 30 minutes. • Skógafoss: Scheduled for 45 minutes, but cut short to 30 minutes. • Reynisfjara / Vík Black Sand Beach: Scheduled for 1.5 hours, but cut down to just 1 hour. Given the premium price point explicitly meant to purchase more time outside the bus, feeling rushed at every single stop was frustrating. Additionally, the Wi-Fi on the transfer bus did not work during the trip because the power cord continuously reset the router. The Highlight: Despite the timing issues, the Katla Ice Cave portion was phenomenal! Our Super Jeep guide, Boris, was incredibly personable, engaging, and made the off-road ride an absolute blast. The ice caves themselves were simply breathtaking and made the whole excursion worthwhile for our family. Summary: A great day out with an unforgettable ice cave experience, but manage your expectations regarding time spent at the waterfall and beach stops compared to shorter, less expensive tours.
Had a great time visiting falls and katla ice cave with Bjorn. He is a great guide and shared a lot of stories and facts on the way. While visiting the ice cave, we were accompanied by Ricardo who is also very knowledgeable about the galcier and made the hike fun and factual. Overall it was a day well spent and would definitely recommend to take this tour
The ice caves are absolutely extraordinary. Unfortunately we had already done the other activities offered
Bjorn was such a great guide! Very informative and helpful. Even though it was rainy, he made our day much brighter!
This trip was a once in a lifetime experience. The waterfalls were fun and the glacier ice cave and volcano part of the tour was so epic. Our troll tour guide Daniel was so fun and informative. We had a great time with him. We enjoyed the feel of the smaller tour and the shared experience with everyone on the tiny bus. Highly recommend this for anyone and families with older kids! So awesome!! Thank you Daniel!
Bjorn is a great guide. Super friendly, professional, and informative. Definitely recommend this tour.
Bjorn was an excellent guide. Very knowledgeable and funny!
