Project Description
Katla Ice Cave
Private Adventure on the South Coast
This tour takes you beneath a glacier shaped by one of Iceland’s most powerful volcanoes. The Katla Ice Cave is not a theme-park cave or a man-made tunnel — it’s a living, changing formation of ice and ash, accessed only when conditions allow.
This is a private day tour, combining the Katla Ice Cave with the most dramatic sights of the South Coast, guided by certified professionals and traveled in a Land Rover Defender.
Travel the South Coast by Defender
From Reykjavík, we head east along the South Coast — waterfalls, black sand plains, and glacier-covered volcanoes lining the route.
Your transport for the day is a Moonwalker Land Rover Defender, chosen for reliability and access. Reaching the Katla Ice Cave area requires gravel roads and rough terrain where standard vehicles don’t belong. The Defender is built for this, allowing us to reach the glacier safely and without compromise.
Along the drive, your guide shares the story of this region — shaped by fire, ice, floods, and time.
Inside the Katla Ice Cave
At the glacier’s edge, you’ll gear up with helmets and safety equipment before entering the cave.
The Katla Ice Cave is known for its layers of black volcanic ash frozen inside the ice, creating dramatic contrasts of deep blue, grey, and black. No two visits are the same — the cave constantly changes with melt, movement, and weather.
Your guide is an AIMG-certified Ice Caving Guide with Search & Rescue and WFR background. Conditions are assessed on site, routes adjusted as needed, and safety remains the priority at all times.
Inside the cave, you’ll have time to explore, photograph, and understand what you’re standing in — not rushed, not crowded.
South Coast Highlights Along the Way
The ice cave is the core of the day, but the journey includes some of Iceland’s most iconic landscapes:
- Seljalandsfoss – Walk behind the waterfall when conditions allow
- Skógafoss – One of Iceland’s most powerful cascades
- Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach – Basalt columns, black sand, and the Reynisdrangar sea stacks near Vík
Stops are paced to balance light, conditions, and energy levels.
Experience Katla with Moonwalker
This is not a mass-market cave tour. It’s private, flexible, and led by people who work in Icelandic terrain year-round.
Moonwalker is a family-run company, consistently awarded Travelers’ Choice since 2016. Our guides operate in high-risk environments — glaciers, rivers, highlands — because competence matters here.
Tour Highlights
- Private day tour, exclusive to your group
- Explore the Katla Ice Cave beneath Mýrdalsjökull
- Travel in a Land Rover Defender
- Guided by an AIMG-certified ice cave guide (SAR & WFR background)
- Visit Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls
- Walk Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach near Vík
- Experience the South Coast without crowds or rushing
Essential Information
- Duration: ~11 hours (+/− 1 hour)
- Type: Private Adventure Tour
- Pick-up: Capital Area (~8:30 AM)
- Fitness Level: Easy to Moderate
- Vehicle: Land Rover Defender
- Seasonality: Dependent on ice cave conditions
Included
- Private certified guide (AIMG, SAR, WFR)
- Defender transportation
- Ice cave safety gear (helmet, headlamp, crampons if required)
- South Coast sightseeing
Not Included
- Lunch, snacks, drinks
What to Bring
- Sturdy hiking boots (mandatory) — ankle-high for crampons
- Waterproof & windproof jacket and pants
- Warm layers
- Hat & gloves
- Small backpack
- Camera (protected from moisture)
- Reusable water bottle
If you want to step inside a real ice cave, guided properly and without crowds, this is the way to do it.
Photos from this Tour
Book here!
Read reviews about this tour!
A fantastic experience – thank you!
We took the Snaefellsnes Peninsula tour on 30th December with Bessi and Cami. It was an amazng day – we were so well looked after by Bessi and Cami from the moment they collected us in the morning until the moment they dropped us back to our doorstep at the end of the day. Bessi even organised some beautiful pink skies for us over the lava fields and sunset over the sea. The Landrover made sure that we could go wherever we needed to go, on road or off road nothing was a problem and Bessi even supplied crampons at one of the stops where the ground was slippery and icy. We learned so much about Iceland – can’t wait to go back!
Highly recommended – thank you Bessi and Cami!
Fantastic way to see Iceland
If you want to get off the beaten trail you’ve found your answer in this tour. We took two tours (the snæfellsnes peninsula and inside the glacier) and wow I was impressed. While we hit all the traditional stops along the way, we also went off-roading through places we would have never seen! The Land Rover took us to basalt columns, fishing villages, horse farms, hot springs, lava fields, valleys where receding glaciers once stood, and of course epic waterfalls.
Another striking thing about these tours were the knowledge of Bessi and Valti. I am sure they only shared a fraction of what they knew about the history, folklore, and geography of their country (and they both told it with such delight and pride!) I really feel a deeper understanding and appreciation of Iceland due to who took us on these tours.
If I ever go back I will assuredly book with Moonwalker again! Highly recommended!
Day trip to Snæfellsnes Peninsula
Bessi was fantastic. He took my wife and I to some amazing spots on the Peninsula. We also did a bit of off roading which was really cool. He introduced my wife to Viking Metal on the way home. At the end of the day we were super comfortable and it felt like a road trip with a friend. Highly recommend an adventure with Bessi
Joyful Journey
We absolutely loved our Moonwalker tour with Bessi and his beautiful dog, Cami! From the moment we met Bessi, we knew it would be a fabulous time. He brings tremendous joy and humor at it just overflows from him. We saw many really beautiful sights on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula with the Land Rover taking us down dirt roads to fun spots. Despite, or maybe because of, the weather turning rather windy and wet in the afternoon every spot exuded magic. Bessi delighted in pointing out shimmering waterfalls and telling funny stories along the drive. He was the best tour guide and even had a fun and greatly appreciated surprise for my husband back in Reykjavik. His kindness is infectious! My husband wants to do one of the more adventurous tours next time we are in Iceland 🙂 Thank you, Bessi and sweet Cami!
Fun, Fabulous Way to Explore Iceland!
We have become big fans of smaller, intimate tours when visiting countries — Bessi’s Moonwalker expeditions did not disappoint. We did two days of tours with Bessi — the Golden Circle and Langjokull Glacier and the Snaefellsnes Peninsula Tour. Both days, Bessi promptly picked us up at our hotel and our adventures began. He is a vivacious, nice, adventuresome, funny man who makes your time with him very enjoyable. He knows so much about his beloved country and knows the land and the sites inside and out. Both days were just perfect — the amount of outside walking and touring vs. being driven around in his Land Rover trucks with the big tires. The sites were fabulous — touching a glacier, viewing geysers and waterfalls — everything was beautiful. We really can’t imagine seeing the countryside any other way. Bessi has the sweetest dog, Cami, who joins the adventure if you want. I must say, she is calm and never a distraction. DEFINITELY recommend Bessi’s tours to anyone that wants to see and explore the countryside through the eyes of a native. We loved it!
