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When Jon Snow stands on top of the Wall for the first time and gazes out over the vast snow-covered land to the North, the look on his face is one of excitement and wonder. He anticipates the adventures he will have and the glory that he will win. Of course, things don’t always turn out as we first imagine (no spoilers). Anyone who has watched Game of Thrones has probably noted the beautiful and wild landscapes in the show. There are filming locations all over the world, but the one that is most fascinating to me is Iceland.
Iceland has every type of landscape you could imagine. Mountains, valleys, lava fields, glaciers, volcanoes, I could go on and on. One day you feel like you are in the Arctic, another you think you might be on another planet.
When we were making plans to travel to Iceland and we read about Ice Cave tours that take you out on a glacier, I knew we had to do it. I wanted to see vast frozen plains, ice blue crevasses, and a cave made of solid ice. If you are wondering if you should take an ice cave tour in Iceland, keep reading. I will tell you about my own experience so that you can make an informed decision.
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Many glacier and ice cave tours leave from Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, which is located in Southern Iceland about 5.5 hours drive from Reykjavik. There are even boat tours through the lagoon in the summer. At the parking area, there are portable toilets, food trucks, a small café, and a booth to book tours from. Tours do fill up, so I recommend booking in advance. There are many companies that you can book through, and not all of them are based at Jökulsárlón.
The weather and driving conditions were poor on the day of our tour, so we got there just in the nick of time. I would highly recommend giving yourself a half an hour to an hour to explore the lagoon and walk down to the nearby Diamond Beach. We got lucky because another person on our tour was held up by the weather, and so our tour was delayed by about half an hour. This allowed us to explore the area more than we would have otherwise.
Driving on a Glacier
I felt like a kid when our tour vehicle pulled up with monstrous tires and a long body. Giants live beyond the Wall in Game of Thrones, but I wasn’t imagining they would be giant tour buses in real life. I learned that the vehicles are specially made to drive on the glacier. They are made up of multiple vehicles. Kind of like a truck made by Dr. Frankenstein.
The massive tires can inflate or deflate depending on the terrain, allowing the vehicle to move smoothly over the glacier. At least, more smoothly than the sleds that the Night’s Watch pull around North of the Wall.
Our guide was kind enough to ask if anyone gets motion sickness, which I do. So they allowed us to sit toward the front. Lucky for me, because I did not think to take Dramamine. If you are prone to motion sickness, plan ahead.
The truck took us out onto the road headed West, and then turned right off the road and towards the glacier. As you bump along, the tour guide will talk about the glacier and the volcanoes in the area. Once the vehicle dips down a slope that no ordinary vehicle could manage, you will be swept up and onto the glacier. Keep an eye out for white walkers and enjoy the ride.
Learn More About Glaciers
The glacier that we toured was Vatnajökull, but we actually only went out on one of its outlet glaciers, Breiðamerkurjökull. This outlet is considered one of Vatnajökull’s tongues. There are around 30 outlet glaciers in all.
Glaciers are constantly changing. They advance their growth when more snow and ice accumulate rather than melt, and they retreat when the melt exceeds the accumulation. Glaciers carve through rock as they move over it. Look at the mountains around a glacier, and you will see the scars that form when a glacier moves.
Because glaciers are moving, they are never the same. You could visit one day and return the next and see something totally different. The flow of the glacier causes crevasses, which look like frozen waves and reflect beautiful colors as the sun shines through the dense ice. As you walk across the glacier, your guide will lead the way, checking the ground ahead of them. This is because parts of the glacier are thinner and you do not want to fall through and meet the water running underneath.
What is an Ice Cave?
I can’t go into all of the details about how ice caves are formed, because I am not a geologist, and there is a lot to the process. There is a difference in an ice cave and a glacier ice cave. The latter being what you would see on one of these tours. An ice cave would be any cave with ice in it. A glacier ice cave is formed on a glacier in the ice. These caves are constantly changing as is the glacier itself.
These glacier ice caves are formed each year when summer meltwater flows, creating tunnels in the ice. They freeze each winter and melt in the summer. This means that the caves are never in the same location year after year. We learned this when we asked about the name of the cave we visited. Apparently, it is just whatever your guide prefers to call it!
Staying Safe on a Glacier
You should never venture out onto a glacier without a guide who knows how to navigate one. Consider them wildlings who know this land better than you (a crow). There are areas of dead ice, where the ice is thin and you could fall through. If the temperature goes above freezing, the glacier becomes less stable, and ice cave walls start to melt. You do not want to be caught on a glacier during those times.
When you take a tour, you will be provided with crampons, which will help you maintain a good grip as you walk on the ice. The ground is still slippery even with them, so be careful. Wear the helmet and any other gear that your guide provides you with whenever you are out of the vehicle.
Always do as your guide says. They are there to keep you safe and to make sure that you have a good time. Make sure that you respect them and you will have a great experience.
What to Expect
You are going to have an adventure that you will never forget. The drive on the glacier is so much fun in those giant vehicles. I just stared out the window as the ground changed from snow on dirt to gravel to solid ice.
Our first stop was at a crevasse to learn more about how glaciers move and the formations that they have. A crevasse is formed by the movement of the glacier and looks kind of like a frozen wave. The striking blue color is caused by the density of the ice. The fewer bubbles in the ice, the bluer it will appear.
After that, we moved on to the ice cave. The entrance is not so different from any other cave until you go inside it and see that the walls and ceiling are solid ice. It looks black from the outside, but when you go in and look back out you can see the blue color coming through. The ice can hold onto large chunks of rock that were torn from mountains. Watch your head.
Make sure that you listen to your guide inside the cave. They explore the glacier and caves even when they are not working. Our guide said there isn’t much else to do. What a life.
Because we were the last tour of the day, our guide took us up to a point on the glacier where you could look back down on the glacier lagoon. He said it was his favorite view on the glacier and we were not disappointed. The view is incredible and it is a great place to watch the glacier calving into the lagoon.
What to Wear on a Glacier
Make sure that you dress warmly for the glacier and ice cave tour. Wear layers. You will want windproof clothing as the wind can be brutal out on the glacier. Once you are in the cave it is still cold, but the wind is blocked so it feels much more comfortable.
I recommend wearing leggings under nice warm pants. I wore my fleece lined waterproof pants. Wear plenty of layers on top under a thick jacket. If you want to be extra like me, wear a windproof shell over that coat. A hat, scarf, and gloves are a must as well. You don’t want to be too cold out there. If you are caught shivering by a wildling, they won’t show mercy.
Take Home an Important Lesson
Glaciers are getting smaller and smaller. Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon didn’t exist until the glacier receded from the coast in the 1930s. It has gotten even larger since then. We learned that if the entire Vatnajökull glacier were to melt, the entire ocean (i.e. all of them) would increase by 3 centimeters. That is insane. It is expected that this glacier will cease to exist in less than 200 years. To put it into perspective, the increase in water level could cause some coastal cities and islands to disappear under water.
I feel like I write about this a lot, but climate change is a real issue that we all need to be aware of. We have a major impact on the environment, especially as automation and technology continue to advance. As we grow as a society, we need to take care to not destroy the environment. We only have one planet, so we need to take care of it.
Should You take a Glacier Tour?
While I cannot make this decision for you, I can say this. Going on a glacier tour wasn’t just a cool photography opportunity. I learned more about glaciers, ice caves, and how they are formed and what we can learn from them. I saw some of the most beautiful scenes of my life. The group that I toured with was amazing and diverse. I love seeing people from all over the world come together for a common interest. Our guide was truly passionate about glaciers, which can make or break a tour. My experience was amazing. I hope that yours is just as wonderful.
A tour costs $150 USD. The tour lasts 2-3 hours, or in our case more like 4 hours since we were the last tour and all agreed that we wanted to see more. We got our money’s worth and more in my opinion. We booked through Extreme Iceland. They offer many tours. We booked this ice cave tour as well as a horseback riding tour and a lava cave tour through them. All of which were wonderful experiences.
If you are looking to save money while you are in Iceland and can only afford to take one tour, the ice cave tour is the one that I would recommend. Not just because you can pretend that you have wandered North of the Wall, but because it is an unforgettable experience and the information that you learn along the way is so valuable.
If you are planning a trip to Iceland, check out my 10-day driving route to help plan your trip. You can also read about Reykjavik and the Reykjanes Peninsula here.
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Iceland really is such a breathtakingly beautiful country! Although I’ve been twice, there is still SO MUCH more I need to see. And I’ve never been in the summer, so I’m a little jealous of all the snowy landscapes you got to experience. Also I love caves, so I was really all in on this post.
This was really interesting. I didn’t realise (although feel like maybe I should have) that glacier ice caves were a) different from regular ice caves and b) constantly changing. Which is really cool. Although I’m quite sad about the shrinking glaciers. Iceland is, I suspect, being hit quite hard by climate change. Despite their efforts to the contrary, places of natural beauty are just being destroyed.
It’s definitely expensive (what isn’t in Iceland?) but sounds well worth it!
I think it’s super cool that the ice caves change every year! Our guide said that his goal is to find one so that he can be the first to name it. His name of choice? “Down Under”. Because he is Australian and they are formed by water moving under the ice. Original.
I think that I need like 5-10 more trips to Iceland to see it all. I need to see everything!!
Incredible!! I love the shot of the tunnel with the ripples from the wind.
It looks very cold but awesome! So cool that you went north of the wall!!😉
As soon as the guide said that they shot some Game of Thrones scenes out there my imagination just went wild. Like I’m pretty sure I decided what scene was shot where even though I was most likely wrong. 😂
The ice cave was really cool. The ripples are really beautiful. In certain parts it is thin enough to see through the ice so it looks even more blue!