Ice Cave Captured

Your personal photographer and glacier guide will lead you onto one of Iceland’s most scenic outlet glaciers. As you immerse yourself in the blue ice, your guide will take professional photos of you to capture the most special moments of your tour. We will explore Sapphire Ice Cave; a beautiful blue feature formed in the summer months as the glacier melts. Throughout the hike, you will learn about the history of Vatnajokull Glacier and how the ice works in nature. After the tour ends, we will professionally edit your photos and email them to you up to 14 days later via a downloadable drive. These photos will be the perfect souvenir and memory of your adventure in Iceland!

Optional: Pickup/Drop-off out of Reykjavik is available for an additional 175,000 ISK per group (max 6 pax) and would automatically make it a private tour. Pickup time would be 7 am from your accommodation and the duration of the tour would change to approx. 15 hours. When this option is available it will be visible once you click ‘continue’ at the checkout.

Certified Glacier Guide and Professional Photographer
Transportation to and from the cave
Glacier & Ice Cave Equipment: Helmet, Harness, Crampons
Small Group (10 persons max)
2 Personalized Iconic Ice Cave Photos (Per Person)
Ice Cave Portrait and Ice Cave Landscape

Read before you fly!

Participants must be in reasonably good health to embark on the tour they have booked. Pregnant individuals are not permitted on tours.
Our standard age requirement for our Ice Cave tours is 8 years old. For our Glacier Hikes , Glacier Ziplines,and private ice climbing tours the minimum age is 10 .
Ice caves are a dynamic ever-changing natural phenomenon. Each year, old ice caves melt and new ice caves appear. Photos that you see of the cave at any given time on our website or any social media will not necessarily mean that is what you will experience on your tour. This makes each experience unique and special for our guests. Check out how ice caves evolve on our blog!
This tour can involve roughly 1-1.5 hours of total hiking. The terrain is very flat yet rocky and is relatively easy for a person of average fitness.

:: Special Notes ::

Photo packages may sometimes take more or less than 14 days to edit. This is just our average turnaround time.
IPJ Editor selects and edits the photo package based on what we feel are the best shots from the day. If additional photos are available outside of the package count they may be available for 1,000 ISK per but not guaranteed.
Also be aware that if there is a request to have specific photos from the day, advance notice via email is required before the editing process begins.
Our Cancellation Policy can be found here. Also, check out our FAQ page for more information!
Children on Tours: Our IPJ team has specific policies concerning children, please reference our Terms and Conditions. Be aware, we require parents to bring car seats / booster seats to be put in our 4×4 vehicles before the departure time (please arrive early). Additionally, we also require parents to ensure their children are under control, calm, and listen to our guides directions at all times.

A 100% charge applies if canceled within 2 days of the start time.
A 10% charge applies if canceled within 730 days of the start time.

Winter Ice Cave Captured

Meeting with your Guide

From the Glacier Lagoon parking lot, you will hop aboard one of our 4×4 vehicles and head towards the glacier. About 10 minutes into your journey, you will turn off onto an F-Road and make the bumpy journey toward the glacier. From the road to the glacier parking lot, this will take roughly 20-30 minutes to reach. As you drive, your guide will teach you the history of the surrounding area as you enjoy a scenic ride through an ancient glacier plain.

You will meet your guide at the Glacier Lagoon parking lot in Vatnajokull National Park. The official address for this location is: í Hornafirði, Jökulsárlón, Glacier Lagoon, 781 Höfn or you can simply type in ‘Ice Pic Journeys’ in Google Maps and we will come up. It is important to be aware that this is a 5-hour drive from Reykjavik so it is always recommended to stay at an accommodation closer to this meeting point.

Drive in 4×4 to Vatnajokull Glacier

It is best to arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled tour so you can use the restrooms since there will be none at the glacier. Your guide will be right across from the restrooms in the bus parking lot. You can look for the ‘Ice Pic Journeys’ logo on our 4×4 vehicle amongst the other companies. Departure will be precisely at the scheduled time so it is important to arrive on time or you may miss the tour.Hike to the Ice Cave

Once you arrive at the glacier parking lot, your guide will begin handing out your gear for the tour. This includes crampons, an ice axe, a harness, a helmet with a headlamp, and hiking boots if you rented them. Once everyone has their gear, you will take a 30-minute hike to the edge of the glacier. The hike is relatively easy for most and will have you walking on flat, yet slightly rocky ground the entire way. We will always go at the pace of our guests so you can take your time and enjoy the walk as your guide leads the way.

Arriving at the Crystal Ice Cave

Upon arriving at the edge of the glacier, you will be greeted with a massive cavern in front of you with a river running underneath it. You have finally reached our Crystal Ice Cave! Also regarded as the Sapphire Ice Cave, this cave varies each year in its shape, location, and size. This is because the cave is always melting away and reforming naturally during the summertime. That is why you will always get a unique experience when going into it because it will never be the same as it was on that day.

Before entering the cave, your guide will help you put on your crampons if necessary. Not all caves require wearing these since many lie underneath the ice on rocky ground. Still, this will vary from year to year. After your crampons are on, your guide will go over safety instructions when exploring the cave. It’s important to understand and follow these rules and to ask any questions that you may have before entering.

Exploring the Crystal Ice Cave

Entering the ice cave will be an unreal and otherworldly experience for most people. Your eyes will slowly adjust to the crystal blue walls of the cave and showcase its hidden beauty. As your guide leads you deeper into the ice cave, they will take their camera and photograph you in the best locations and angles. Having explored and photographed these caves hundreds of times, they will have the best insight at getting you amazing photos while you relax and enjoy the cave without worry.

As you are enjoying the ice cave, your guide will teach you about its formation and composition. A total of 45 minutes to an hour will be spent inside of the cave. Normally, these caves will have multiple chambers that you will be able to explore as you go deeper into the cave, however, this can vary from year to year. After everyone is happy with their photos and experience, we will exit the cave and make our way back to the glacier parking lot.

Return to the Glacier Lagoon

You will finish the tour with a hike back to the glacier parking lot and a 30-minute drive back to the Glacier Lagoon where you will say goodbye to your guide and have memories of an amazing day inside of Vatnajokull National Park.