There was one reason my mum and I decided to visit Iceland in November, rather than during the slightly warmer months of September and October, namely the chance to explore the inside of a crystal ice cave underneath the Vatnajökull glacier.

Visiting a Crystal Ice Cave

One does not simply walk into a crystal ice cave in Iceland. Actually, the chances of successfully visiting one are pretty low. First of all, the best time to try is from late November until early March. However, even in that period there are plenty of reasons why the ice caves are not accessible. For example, it could be too warm, there could be flooding inside the cave, and the entrance could have been snowed in.

Second of all, it’s not possible to enter the crystal ice cave without a professional guide. They are experts at spotting potentially dangerous signs in the unpredictable ice. Tours tend to fill up quite fast, so it’s important to book in advance. We booked through Arctic Adventures, other options would be GoEcco or Glacier Guides.

The Lucky Ones

Yes, we were the lucky ones. The weeks before our tour, the cave was not accessible due to the warm weather. As I told you in my Reykjavík post, it was bitterly cold when we arrived. This wasn’t good for visiting the city, but it was perfect for the crystal ice caves in Vatnajökull.

Our Arctic Adventures tour guide dropped us off next to the highway, where we were picked up by a 4×4 with huge wheels. We quickly found out we would definitely need those wheels.

My sand dune experience in Abu Dhabi was nothing compared to the humps and bumps in the terrain on the way to the caves.

We put our gear on, which consisted of metal underneath our shoes to grip on the glacier and a helmet.

On the outside, you can’t imagine what the inside will look like. Outside the glacier is pitch black due to volcanic ash.

It’s hard to imagine it can look so bright blue on the inside when it’s so bleak and dark on the outside. I have never seen anything like this kind of icy blueness before.

The only worry inside the cave is to try to take photos with as few people on it as possible. It’s not necessarily crowded inside, but you can see the whole length which means there’ll always be people there.

The cave is not tight, so there’s no need for people with claustrophobia to worry.

My final tip, apart from the obvious to dress warmly, is to bring a tripod. I learned how to use mine on this holiday so I was running around with it while happily taking photos in the dark.

Conclusion

This experience was definitely worth the money and the stress of a possible last-minute cancellation. I’ve not been to many cold countries during my travels so I can’t compare this sight to anywhere else. All I know is that I can’t get enough of ice and snow now. Who knew it would be so beautiful! I can’t wait to visit more icy destinations in the future.

For now, I’ll write two more posts about Iceland. One short one about Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon and one about my misadventures while glacier hiking.