Duration: Approximately 3-4 hours
Start Time: 8:30am
Meeting Point: Glacier Lagoon Parking Lot
Group: 1-10 People

For this Summer Ice Cave Captured adventure, 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. 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.
  
Tips:
* It is best to arrive 15 minutes before your Summer Ice Cave scheduled tour so you can use the restrooms since there will be none at the glacier.
* 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.
* The tour offers additional services such as pickup/drop-off out of Reykjavik, additional photos, and rental of hiking boots. For details and pricing, please contact our customer service.
* All photographs taken from the tour will be processed by a professional editor after the tour. Processing time will take an average of 14 days. This is just an average and it could take slightly less or even a few more days. This is because we amass hundreds of photos per day/thousands per week and are working to make sure every one of our guests gets the best photos possible.  Once completed, your photos will be uploaded into a downloadable gallery. There you can access them to download and even order your favorite print too!
* 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.
  
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.
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 (if required), a helmet with a headlamp, and hiking boots if you rented them. Once everyone has their gear, you will take a ~ 15-minute hike to the edge of the glacier or potentially on the glacier depending on accessibility. The hike can be 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.
  
While ice caves are not normally accessible during the summertime, our glacier operation scouts continuously and if available builds a safe access point into it for 2024. However, be aware we will not know what specific ice cave will be available until a few weeks / days leading up to your tour date. Why? Because the glacier and ice caves are always evolving.  We’ve been really lucky having them available throughout the years during summer in Iceland, but Mother Nature is in charge!
Therefore, we always reserve the right to change the tour dynamic if needed (IE, meeting location change, inclusions, or providing you with other thrilling glacier feature options to discover). This could mean you explore a stunning ice valley, crevasse, tunnel, sinkhole, or cave. Regardless of the feature, know you will walk away with braggable glacier photos of your journey!
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 Summer Ice Cave! Our caves vary each year in 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.
  
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.
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.